Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 3,408 people, lies in East Sussex, South East.
Much to like here, and you pay for it. People here tend to be in good health (A+): men here can expect to live to 84.3, women to 86.9. At B+ overall, Wadhurst is better than nearly three quarters of UK towns and ranks #3 of 26 in East Sussex. Prices are high against local incomes: a typical home costs £470,000 and rent runs £1,262 a month. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for safety and B for schools.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Wadhurst is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Wadhurst does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 62 buildings inside Wadhurst’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
36% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1902.
Explore the history →62 listed buildings in Wadhurst, 1 of them Grade I.
The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul: Photo: The Voice of Hassocks · CC0 · The Vicarage: Photo: Robin Webster · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wadhurst Castle: Photo: Jonathan Day · CC BY 2.0 · Forge Cottage: Photo: N Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Wadhurst.
16% of residents have a disability, below both East Sussex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Wadhurst is The Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury, 5.8 miles away. Asked at the census, 85% of residents of Wadhurst said they were in good or very good health. One GP practice serves the town; 66% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Wadhurst | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Both of the town’s schools appear below. Key Stage 2 results at the 2 primary schools within 3 km: 62% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Between them, one primary and one secondary teach 968 pupils in Wadhurst.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wadhurst CofE Primary School and NurseryLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 269 | B− |
| Uplands AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 699 | B |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Wadhurst has 62 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 1 Grade II*. Its listed buildings include The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, Grade I. For its size, Wadhurst has 182 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, higher than both East Sussex’s towns (69) and England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Owners make up 73% of households. Council and housing-body homes hold 13% of households. The median sale, £470,000, comes from 154 standard sales inside Wadhurst’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £890,000 | 47 |
| Semi-detached | £495,000 | 51 |
| Terraced | £390,000 | 30 |
| Flat or maisonette | £318,750 | 26 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 47% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
By car: that was how nearly four in five commuters travelled at the census. Working mainly from home: 47% of workers, above both East Sussex’s towns (35%) and England’s towns (31%). Before tax, the average household brings in £65K a year. Also worth knowing: of the commuters living in Wadhurst, 17% work in the town itself.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Over the year to August 2026, 120 offences were reported in Wadhurst, along with 58 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Of all the crimes, 45% were violence and sexual offences. There were 11.9 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above East Sussex’s towns (9.4) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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.
16% are under 15, near East Sussex’s towns (15%) and lower than England’s towns (18%). People aged 15 to 24 are nearly a tenth of the population. The age that splits Wadhurst in two is 49.8. Among adults, 42% have a degree.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 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.
| Wadhurst | East Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.6% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.9% | 4.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 36% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · East Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Wadhurst. Best known first.
Historic houseWadhurst Castlein town
Castle · National TrustScotney Castle5 km outside town, to the northeast
Abbey or priory · English HeritageBayham Old Abbey3.1 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
5 notable people were born in Wadhurst.
James Fairbairn: Department of Air, Public domain
Town in East Sussex, England
Wadhurst is a built-up area of 3,408 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wadhurst | 3,408 | — | B+ | D | B | A+ |
| Ticehurst | 1,464 | 3.9 | — | D− | C− | A− |
| Mayfield | 2,253 | 4.2 | — | D | A | A+ |
| Rotherfield | 1,219 | 5 | — | D | A | A+ |
| Burwash | 1,335 | 5.3 | — | D− | B+ | B+ |
| Pembury | 5,783 | 5.5 | B− | C | C− | B− |
| Royal Tunbridge Wells | 51,215 | 5.6 | A− | C+ | C | B |
| Broad Oak (Wealden) | 1,097 | 6.3 | — | C− | A | A− |
Ticehurst, Mayfield, Rotherfield, Burwash and Broad Oak (Wealden) have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 7.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul.
Band D council tax in Wadhurst is £2,698 for 2026–27, more than in 95% 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 £470,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £318,750, terraced houses £390,000, semi-detached houses £495,000 and detached houses £890,000.
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.