Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 10,680 people, lies in Essex, East of England.
The weak point is safety (D) — police record 39.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 24.1 home and vehicle crimes. Set beside UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, its crime per resident is higher than in 82%. Chadwell St Mary’s overall grade is C−, better than just over a fifth of UK towns. That places it #71 of 81 in Essex. It also trails on health — men here can expect to live to 76.9, women to 82.6. Homes sell for a median £355,000, about 6.1 years of what households in the Thurrock council area earn. Walking, cycling and public transport work well here: on the way to work, 19% walk, cycle or take a bus or train.
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.
The 3 things Chadwell St Mary 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 Chadwell St Mary is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 4 buildings inside Chadwell St Mary’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Chadwell St Mary. Best known first.
Fort · English HeritageTilbury Fort2.4 km outside town, to the south
FortCoalhouse Fort3.7 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleNew Tavern Fort3.4 km outside town, to the south
PierGravesend town pier3.1 km outside town, to the southPierPierRoyal Terrace Pier3.2 km outside town, to the southTheme parkTheme parkLondon Paramount3.6 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Chadwell St Mary.
Typical age in Chadwell St Mary: 37.4, the median. 17% of residents are 65 or over, lower than both Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 12% of the town.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Chadwell St Mary | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 29% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.7% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 20% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Between them, three primaries and one secondary teach 2,116 pupils in Chadwell St Mary. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Secondary results at the 6 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 46.4, with 47% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Gateway Primary Free SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 459 | B+ |
| The Gateway AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,030 | B+ |
| Chadwell St Mary Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 202 | A |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Chadwell St Mary’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Police recorded 912 crimes inside Chadwell St Mary’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 190 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 15.3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for 47% of recorded crime.
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.
There is no GP practice in Chadwell St Mary: the nearest is 1.4 miles off. At the census, 6.2% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. The nearest A&E to Chadwell St Mary is Darent Valley Hospital, 6 miles away. Nearly a fifth of residents have a disability, above both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%).
| Census 2021 | Chadwell St Mary | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 18% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Short trips to work, under 5 km: 36%, lower than both Essex’s towns (41%) and England’s towns (45%). There are 0.3 jobs in Chadwell St Mary for each resident in work. The average household earns £51K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Households that own their home make up 56%. Private renters make up one in ten households, lower than both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). Half of the 249 standard sales inside Chadwell St Mary’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £355,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £453,000 | 7 |
| Semi-detached | £392,500 | 88 |
| Terraced | £345,600 | 148 |
| Flat or maisonette | £191,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chadwell St Mary | 10,680 | — | C− | C | D | D |
| Tilbury | 14,187 | 1.5 | C− | C+ | D− | D |
| Southfields | 1,167 | 1.6 | — | C− | A− | A− |
| Grays | 44,340 | 1.7 | C+ | C | C− | C |
| Orsett | 1,428 | 1.7 | — | D | C | B+ |
| East Tilbury | 5,751 | 2 | C− | C | C− | C |
| Horndon on the Hill | 1,510 | 3 | — | D | A− | B+ |
| Chafford Hundred and West Thurrock | 23,589 | 3.4 | B | C | D | C+ |
Southfields, Orsett and Horndon on the Hill have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £355,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £191,500, terraced houses £345,600, semi-detached houses £392,500 and detached houses £453,000.
Town in Essex, England
Chadwell St Mary is a built-up area of 10,680 people, in the Thurrock 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.