Strong in places, weak in others. Safety lags: 39.8 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 12.4 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 35%. Health is a weak point: men here can expect to live to 78.7, women to 81.9. Homes sell for a median £305,000, about 5.2 years of what households in the Braintree council area earn. Walkability is its strong suit — 20% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. The overall grade comes out at C+, #52 of 81 in Essex. It comes out better than two fifths of UK towns.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Braintree is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Braintree.
Who lives here
Fewer people in Braintree hold a degree than in Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 23%
19% are under 15, about level with Essex’s towns (18%) and above England’s towns (18%). Aged 15 to 24: 10% of residents. Those 65 and older account for 18% of residents.
40median age
BraintreeEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
18%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications20%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level23%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenEnglandMen
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsB−
Results at Braintree’s schools trail 53% of towns in England
Secondary results at the town’s 3 secondary schools: an Attainment 8 score of 44.2, with 44% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. St Francis Catholic Primary School, Braintree’s results beat 87% of schools in England like it. 62% of pupils at the town’s 8 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Of its 14 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason.
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 14 schools →
Safety
Braintree records more crime per resident than four in five UK towns
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 3,256 offences in Braintree and 428 cases of nuisance behaviour. 49% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. There were 9.4 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above both Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8).
39.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 35% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual1,597
Shoplifting333
Public order269
Damage & arson247
Other theft235
Drugs161
Vehicle crime155
Other crime83
Anti-social428
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.
39.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
3.3% of 16 to 64s in Braintree claim unemployment benefits, more than in Essex’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
78% of commuters drove, above Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Work in town: 34% of resident commuters. There are 0.7 jobs in Braintree for each resident in work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
Life expectancy in Braintree is shorter than in 76% of UK towns
The nearest A&E to Braintree is Broomfield Hospital, 8.3 miles away. 4 GP practices serve the town; 69% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. A disability affects 18% of people here.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
HousingCost of living grade B
The median home in Braintree sells for £305K, against £401K in Essex’s towns and £308K in England’s towns
Private rents average £1,213 a month across the Braintree council area. The social rented sector houses 19% of households. 62% of households own their home, below Essex’s towns (67%) and close to England’s towns (61%).
£305Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Braintree£305K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£430,000
422
Semi-detached
£325,000
585
Terraced
£280,000
473
Flat or maisonette
£171,000
348
62%
of households own their home · England 61%
19%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,213
average private rent a month, Braintree council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
History
2 Grade I buildings among Braintree’s 189 listed
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Braintree’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up nearly a tenth of the total, below Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Also worth knowing: at the top of the list, 2 are Grade I and 21 Grade II*.
Liam Howlett: aliina s., CC BY 2.0 · James Challis: The original uploader was Robinhood at German Wikipedia., Public domain · Edward Bawden: Eric Ravilious, Public domain · Beans On Toast: K8_fan (Uploads), CC0
Tye Green, Black Notley, Rayne and Gosfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Braintree
Is Braintree safe?
About the middle for its size: 65% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C−.
How much is council tax in Braintree?
Band D council tax in Braintree is £2,216 for 2026–27, less than in 82% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Braintree
Large town in Essex, England
Braintree is a built-up area of 43,179 people, in the Braintree 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
Population
43,179 (Census 2021)
Council
Braintree
County
Essex
Region
East of England
Area
4 sq mi (10.5 km²)
ONS code
E63004136
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.
