Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 228: a village in East Sussex, South East.
Ripe is below the 1,000 residents fair grades need, but every figure on this page is real. It has 18 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. Over-65s are 42% of the population. 56% of households own their home outright.
The 3 things Ripe does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Ripe’s built-up area.
24% 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 Ripe.
Residents of Ripe have a median age of 58.8. Those 65 and older account for 42% of residents. The 15-to-24 age group: 7.5%, below East Sussex’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Half of adults hold a degree.
52% women, 48% men
About 92 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.
| Ripe | East Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 8.8% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 11% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 42% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 6.4% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.5% | 4.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 50% | 36% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · East Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 48% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The census counted 48% of workers working mainly from home, and on top of that the car took 80% of commuters, higher than both East Sussex’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (70%). Unemployment benefit claims reached 0.9% of 16 to 64s in 2026. Of the commuters living in Ripe, 10% work in the town itself.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
16% of households rent privately. Private rents average £1,262 a month across the Wealden council area. That is the middle of 3 standard sales inside Ripe’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences made up 40% of the total. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 5 crimes inside Ripe’s built-up area.
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.
At the census, 15% of people here had a disability, below both East Sussex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). 4% of residents report bad or very bad health. Ripe has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 4.9 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Ripe | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Nearly a quarter of its homes were built before 1919, above East Sussex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Ripe’s listed buildings include The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Grade I. It has 789 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Ripe. Best known first.
MuseumCharleston House3.4 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic houseMichelham Priory4.5 km outside town, to the east
Historic houseFirle Place4.4 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumFarleys Barn Gallery4.6 km outside town, to the northeastZooZooDrusillas Park4.9 km outside town, to the southTheme parkTheme parkBlackberry Farm Park4.5 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripe | 228 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ringmer | 3,221 | 4.1 | B | D− | B | A− |
| Hailsham | 22,560 | 4.9 | D | C | C+ | C |
| Hellingly | 2,616 | 5.2 | D− | C− | D | B+ |
| Polegate | 10,067 | 5.7 | C | C | B | C |
| Horam | 1,797 | 6.1 | — | C− | C+ | B+ |
| Lower Willingdon | 6,126 | 6.2 | B− | C− | A− | A− |
| Lewes | 16,066 | 6.2 | C+ | D− | C− | B |
Horam has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 32.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is The Parish Church of St John the Baptist.
Band D council tax in Ripe is £2,617 for 2026–27, more than in 88% 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.
Village in East Sussex, England
Ripe is a built-up area of 228 people, in the Wealden 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
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.