More weak spots than strong ones. Its lowest grade is for schools (D−) — primary results beat 6% of towns in England; secondary results beat 1% of towns in England. Clacton-on-Sea’s overall grade, D−, puts it behind almost every UK town. Police record more crime here than in most towns: police record 61.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 19.6 home and vehicle crimes. Set beside UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, its crime per resident is higher than in 88%. Homes sell for a median £243,000, about 5.4 years of what households in the Tendring council area earn. Walkability is its strong suit: just over a fifth of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It lags on health as well — life expectancy 75.8 for men, 80.6 for women.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes and life expectancy, ONS.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Clacton-on-Sea is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Clacton-on-Sea.
Who lives here
Fewer people in Clacton-on-Sea hold a degree than in Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 16%
50.4median age
15% are under 15, below Essex’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. People 65 and over make up 30% of the town. Line up the people of Clacton-on-Sea by age and the one in the middle is 50.4. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 9.4% of the population.
Clacton-on-SeaEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications31%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level16%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenEnglandMen
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.
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsD−
On exam results, Clacton-on-Sea’s schools trail 98% of towns in England
D−School Grade
At the town’s 8 primary schools, 48% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). St Clare's Catholic Primary School’s results beat 92% of schools in England like it. Below are three of its 13 schools, each with why it was picked. GCSE results at the town’s 2 secondary schools: just over a fifth of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 33.8.
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 13 schools →
Safety
Clacton-on-Sea records more crime per resident than 96% of UK towns
61.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearD−Safety Grade
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Reported offences in Clacton-on-Sea came to 6,207 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 850. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 12.2 reports per 1,000, above Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Violence and sexual offences accounted for just over half of recorded crime.
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 12% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3,152
Damage & arson562
Other theft454
Public order441
Shoplifting394
Vehicle crime387
Drugs204
Burglary178
Anti-social850
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.
61.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
19.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.2
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.
Health
Bad health is more common in Clacton-on-Sea than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 9.3% of residents
72%good or very good healthDHealth Grade
Asked at the census, 72% of residents of Clacton-on-Sea said they were in good or very good health. At the census, 27% of people here had a disability, higher than both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). Men in Clacton-on-Sea can expect to live to 75.8, women to 80.6 (2019–23). 5 GP practices serve the town; 76% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
HousingCost of living grade D
Clacton-on-Sea is a renters’ town: 23% of households rent privately, more than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
£243Kmedian sale
Social renters account for 9% of households. The £243,000 median rests on 2,331 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026). Private rents average £1,053 a month across the Tendring council area.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Clacton-on-Sea£243K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£315,000
887
Semi-detached
£239,000
787
Terraced
£210,000
239
Flat or maisonette
£136,000
418
67%
of households own their home · England 61%
23%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,053
average private rent a month, Tendring council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Benefit claims run higher in Clacton-on-Sea, 5.6% of 16 to 64s, than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns
21%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 17% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
17% of workers worked mainly from home at the census. Of the commuters living in Clacton-on-Sea, 52% work in the town itself. There are 0.8 jobs in Clacton-on-Sea for each resident in work. Household income came to £40K a year before tax, below Essex’s towns (£63K) and England’s towns (£55K) alike.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
Clacton-on-Sea has 33 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
33listed buildingsCHistory Grade
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Clacton-on-Sea’s listed buildings include the Church of St John the Baptist, Grade I. Relative to its size, Clacton-on-Sea keeps 6 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below Essex’s towns (52) and England’s towns (39) alike. Also worth knowing: at the top of the list, 1 are Grade I and 2 Grade II*.
Clacton-on-Sea is a built-up area of 53,190 people, in the Tendring 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.
Little Clacton, St Osyth, Thorpe-le-Soken and Weeley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
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.
