Debden’s story
22 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Debden’s built-up area.
29% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
DebdenEssex
A village of 320 in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Keith Edkins · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
320
Census 2021 · Uttlesford council
Median home
£354K
11 sales in 3 years
Median age
55.5
34% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
36%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
16%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Debden a good place to live?
Debden has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Debden stand out
The 3 things Debden does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Church of St Mary and All Saints; 28.2 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
34% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
16% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Debden.
Who lives here
Children make up only 11% of Debden, fewer than in Essex’s towns and England’s towns
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8.7% of the population. People 65 and over make up 34% of the town, above both Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). Debden has a median age of 55.5. Degrees are held by 36% of adults.
55.5median age
DebdenEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
34%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level36%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 90 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.
| Debden | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 34% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.5% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Under 5 km to work: 25% in Debden, fewer than in Essex’s towns or England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 43% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
16% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, below both Essex’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (27%). The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.7%. Work in town: 2% of resident commuters. Households take home £65K a year before tax, on average.
16%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving82%
On foot8%
Train5%
Bus2%
25%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
43%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£65K
mean household income, before tax
1.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Private renting is less common in Debden than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 10%
The median sale price was £354K, between Essex’s towns (£400K) and England’s towns (£308K). Just over three quarters of households own their home. Private rents average £1,289 a month across the Uttlesford council area.
£354Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Debden£354K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £347,500 | 5 |
76%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,289
average private rent a month, Uttlesford council area
£2,332
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Debden records more burglary and damage per resident than Essex’s towns or England’s towns, at 15.6 per 1,000 a year
Violence came to 11.5 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Essex’s towns (23) and England’s towns (22). Over the year to August 2026, 8 offences were reported in Debden, along with 4 incidents of anti-social behaviour. 38% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
11.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3
Public order2
Burglary2
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Other theft0
Drugs0
Anti-social4
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.
11.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
15.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
8
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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
Good or very good health: 81% of Debden’s residents
Debden has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.5 miles away. The nearest A&E to Debden is Addenbrooke's and the Rosie Hospitals, 14.8 miles away. At the census, 4.4% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
81%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 81%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Debden | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
83
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Debden is rich in listed buildings: 688 per 10,000 residents, more than Essex’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
The pre-1919 share of homes is 29%. Debden’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary and All Saints, Grade I. Historic England’s list names 22 listed buildings in the town: 1 Grade I.
22listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II21
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Mary and All Saints Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
29%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
688
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Debden
14pages on Debden
The big questions
Safety11.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £354K · rent £1,289 a monthHousing3 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 83 (men), 85.1 (women)Work & commute56% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards1.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Debden’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
NewportSaffron WaldenHenhamThaxtedElsenhamStansted MountfitchetGreat ChesterfordDebden
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debden | 320 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Newport | 2,945 | 2.5 | A+ | B | B | A+ |
| Saffron Walden | 16,609 | 3.2 | A+ | A− | B | A |
| Henham | 1,046 | 3.3 | — | B− | A | A+ |
| Thaxted | 3,111 | 3.7 | B+ | B+ | C+ | A |
| Elsenham | 3,414 | 4.4 | A | B+ | B | A |
| Stansted Mountfitchet | 8,629 | 6 | A+ | B+ | B+ | A |
| Great Chesterford | 1,775 | 6.8 | — | B | A− | A+ |
Henham and Great Chesterford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Debden
Who lives in Debden?
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 34% of residents were 65 or over and 31% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 11% were under 15.
How many listed buildings are there in Debden?
That is 28.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary and All Saints.
About Debden
Village in Essex, England
Debden is a built-up area of 320 people, in the Uttlesford 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
- 320 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Uttlesford
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003966
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.