Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 3,491 residents, it is a town in Essex, East of England.
Plenty in its favour, and one clear drawback. Pupils here do better than most (A): primary results beat 82% of towns in England; secondary results beat 98% of towns in England. Broomfield grades A− overall, better than 78% of UK towns. It ranks #26 of 81 in Essex. Walkability is another plus — 41% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Crime runs high (D−): 95.6 violent and sexual offences and 26.8 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Only 0% of UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people have more crime per resident. The median home sold for £425,000, 6.3 times what households in the Chelmsford council area earn in a year.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS.
The 3 things Broomfield does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Broomfield is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 26 buildings inside Broomfield’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
8% 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 1930.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Broomfield.
Over the year to August 2026, 466 offences were reported in Broomfield, along with 33 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Broomfield has more crime per resident than 100% of them. Violence and sexual offences were 59% of the crimes.
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.
Attainment 8 at the 6 secondary schools within 3 km averages 60.2, and 68% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. Below are its two schools. Just over two thirds of pupils at the 15 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broomfield Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 417 | C |
| Chelmer Valley High SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,200 | B |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 57% of commuters, lower than both Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). 61% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. About two fifths of its commuters stay in Broomfield for work. For every resident in work, Broomfield has 5.8 jobs.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Seeing a GP means leaving Broomfield: the nearest practice is 1.2 miles away. Life expectancy here is 85.1 for women and 81 for men (2019–23). Also worth knowing: the nearest A&E to Broomfield is Broomfield Hospital, 0.3 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Broomfield | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as 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.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. Before 1919: that is when 8% of homes were built. Relative to its size, Broomfield keeps 74 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above Essex’s towns (51) and England’s towns (39) alike.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Social housing holds 25% of households, above Essex’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The £425,000 median rests on 96 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026). Private rents average £1,439 a month across the Chelmsford council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £555,000 | 30 |
| Semi-detached | £427,500 | 38 |
| Terraced | £355,000 | 18 |
| Flat or maisonette | £219,725 | 10 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 8.2% of the town, and on top of that 17% are under 15, below both Essex’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Ages in Broomfield split evenly at 42.1: half are older, half younger. Over-65s are just over a fifth of the population.
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Broomfield | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.2% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.5% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 40% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Broomfield. Best known first.
CathedralChelmsford Cathedral2.9 km outside town, to the south
Historic housePalace of Beaulieu2.4 km outside town, to the east
MuseumChelmsford Museum4.3 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumEssex Police Museum2.9 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumSandford Mill Museum4.8 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionMarconi New Street Factory2.5 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
26 listed buildings in Broomfield.
Church of St Mary the Virgin: Photo: John Salmon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Kings Arms Inn: Photo: JThomas · CC BY-SA 2.0
3 notable people were born in Broomfield.
Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt: Richard Harvey, CC BY-SA 3.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broomfield | 3,491 | — | A− | B− | D− | B+ |
| Little Waltham | 1,038 | 1.2 | — | C | B− | A− |
| Chelmsford | 110,612 | 2.5 | B+ | B | D | B− |
| Boreham | 3,561 | 3.2 | A− | B− | C+ | A− |
| Writtle | 4,703 | 3.5 | A | C+ | B | A− |
| Great Leighs | 2,968 | 4.2 | A | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Galleywood | 6,410 | 5.1 | A− | B | C+ | B+ |
| Hatfield Peverel | 3,622 | 5.5 | C+ | C− | C | B− |
Little Waltham has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets 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.
GCSE results beat 98% of towns in England, and primary results beat 82% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Broomfield has 2 state schools; places are handled by Essex council.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £425,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £219,725, terraced houses £355,000, semi-detached houses £427,500 and detached houses £555,000. Household incomes are higher than in 95% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B−.
Town in Essex, England
Broomfield is a built-up area of 3,491 people, in the Chelmsford 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.
