Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3,221 people live in this town in East Sussex, South East.
A strong record with one exception. Its standout strength is health: men here can expect to live to 81, women to 85.4. Overall, Ringmer earns a B: better than 57% of UK towns, and #6 of 26 in East Sussex. Fewer journeys need a car (B+): on the way to work, 19% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. The catch is cost of living (D−): homes sell for a median £420,000, about 7.6 times local household income. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for safety, B− for schools and B− for jobs & income.
Figures: life expectancy and income, ONS · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · claimants, DWP.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Ringmer is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Ringmer does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 24 buildings inside Ringmer’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
12% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ringmer.
Children under 15 make up 16%, about level with East Sussex’s towns (15%) and below England’s towns (18%). The 15-to-24 age group makes up 7.7% of residents. Line up the people of Ringmer by age and the one in the middle is 51.8. 38% of adults hold a degree.
53% women, 47% men
About 87 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Ringmer | East Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.7% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 34% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.2% | 4.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 36% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · East Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Attainment 8 at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km averages 49.3, and 53% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. Both of its schools are shown below. Key Stage 2 results at the 2 primary schools within 3 km: 56% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ringmer Primary and Nursery SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 359 | C |
| King's Academy RingmerLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 659 | B+ |
Private renters make up just over one in ten households. 10% live in social housing, lower than both East Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). 143 standard sales inside Ringmer’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £420,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £590,000 | 36 |
| Semi-detached | £445,000 | 56 |
| Terraced | £385,000 | 29 |
| Flat or maisonette | £211,000 | 22 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
A fifth of residents have a disability, about level with East Sussex’s towns (20%) and above England’s towns (17%). There is no GP practice in Ringmer: the nearest is 2.3 miles off. Also worth knowing: women here live to 85.4 on average and men to 81 (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Ringmer is Royal Sussex County Hospital, 9.1 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Ringmer | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 78% of commuters, above East Sussex’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Income per household averages £61K a year, before tax. About 11% of its commuters stay in Ringmer for work. For every resident in work, Ringmer has 0.7 jobs.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
57% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Ringmer logged 136 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 54 complaints of anti-social conduct. There were 15.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above both East Sussex’s towns (9.4) and England’s towns (7.8).
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 13% of Ringmer’s land, higher than both East Sussex’s towns (4%) and England’s towns (7%). Its listed buildings include The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Grade I. It has 75 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Ringmer. Best known first.
CastleLewes Castle - Barbican gate3.2 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic houseGlyndebourne1 km outside town, to the south
Abbey or prioryLewes Priory3.4 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic houseGlynde Place2.5 km outside town, to the south
MuseumAnne of Cleves' House3.7 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumBentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum4.3 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Town in East Sussex, England
Ringmer is a built-up area of 3,221 people, in the Lewes council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringmer | 3,221 | — | B | D− | B | A− |
| Lewes | 16,066 | 2.6 | C+ | D− | C− | B |
| Uckfield | 15,037 | 5.8 | B | D | B | B |
| Plumpton Green | 1,060 | 6 | — | D− | A+ | A+ |
| Newick | 2,689 | 6 | B+ | D− | A+ | A+ |
| Newhaven | 12,857 | 6.7 | D | D | D | C |
| Peacehaven | 15,705 | 6.9 | D | D | C+ | C |
| North Chailey | 1,008 | 7 | — | D− | A− | A |
Plumpton Green and North Chailey have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 3.1 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin.
Band D council tax in Ringmer is £2,677 for 2026–27, more than in 94% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £420,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £211,000, terraced houses £385,000, semi-detached houses £445,000 and detached houses £590,000.
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.