Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In Essex, East of England, this town has 5,751 residents.
A town with more to fix than most. Safety lags: 37.2 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 15.7 home and vehicle crimes. Only 15% of UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people have more crime per resident. Overall, East Tilbury earns a C−: better than nearly a fifth of UK towns, and #72 of 81 in Essex. Fewer journeys need a car (A−): nearly a quarter of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Homes sell for a median £345,000, about 5.9 years of what households in the Thurrock council area earn. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for jobs & income and C+ for hazard risk.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far East Tilbury is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things East Tilbury does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 12 buildings inside East Tilbury’s built-up area.
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in East Tilbury.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 2% of the total, lower than both Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%). East Tilbury has 12 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, all Grade II. Per 10,000 residents, East Tilbury counts 21 listed buildings.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Its one school is below. GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: just over two in five pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 42.9. 649 pupils attend East Tilbury’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Tilbury Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 649 | C− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
About 3% of its commuters stay in East Tilbury for work. For every resident in work, East Tilbury has 0.4 jobs. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 21%, below both Essex’s towns (41%) and England’s towns (45%), and 24% of workers worked mainly from home at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
356 crimes and 60 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside East Tilbury’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 57% of the total. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 8.6 reports per 1,000, higher than both Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8).
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.
Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 3.7% of the town. 86% of East Tilbury’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, higher than both Essex’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). Life expectancy here is 82 for women and 79.3 for men (2019–23). One GP practice serves the town; 52% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | East Tilbury | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 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.
Social housing holds one in ten households, below both Essex’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). 69% of households own their home. The median sale, £345,000, comes from 169 standard sales inside East Tilbury’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £450,000 | 10 |
| Semi-detached | £370,500 | 88 |
| Terraced | £322,500 | 45 |
| Flat or maisonette | £176,500 | 26 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
11% of residents are 65 or over, below Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The middle age in East Tilbury is 33.8.
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| East Tilbury | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 24% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 32% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 22% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 11% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.7% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 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 East Tilbury. Best known first.
FortCoalhouse Fort1.6 km outside town, to the southeast
Fort · English HeritageTilbury Fort3.7 km outside town, to the southwest
CastleNew Tavern Fort4.4 km outside town, to the southwest
PierGravesend town pier4.5 km outside town, to the southwestPierPierRoyal Terrace Pier4.3 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumMilton Chantry4.4 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Town in Essex, England
East Tilbury is a built-up area of 5,751 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Tilbury | 5,751 | — | C− | C | C− | C |
| Southfields | 1,167 | 1.9 | — | C− | A− | A− |
| Chadwell St Mary | 10,680 | 2 | C− | C | D | D |
| Tilbury | 14,187 | 2.5 | C− | C+ | D− | D |
| Orsett | 1,428 | 2.8 | — | D | C | B+ |
| Stanford-le-Hope | 29,527 | 2.9 | C+ | C | C+ | C+ |
| Horndon on the Hill | 1,510 | 2.9 | — | D | A− | B+ |
| Grays | 44,340 | 3.6 | C+ | C | C− | 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.
A young town. At the 2021 Census, 24% of residents were under 15 and 32% were 25 to 44, against 18% and 27% across England’s towns; only 11% were 65 or over.
GCSE results trail 68% of towns in England, and primary results trail 66% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Thurrock council.
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.