Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In Essex, East of England, this village has 1,372 residents.
Health is its strong suit: men here can expect to live to 81.7, women to 85.7. Safety is another plus: police record 13.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 6.3 home and vehicle crimes. Where it falls short is cost of living — a typical home costs £462,500 and rent runs £1,213 a month. It also trails on walkability (C) — 10% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Hazard risk is higher than most: 3.3% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency. With fewer than 2,500 residents, Great Bardfield has subject grades but no overall one.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Great Bardfield is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
With fewer than 2,500 residents, Great Bardfield has subject grades but no overall one.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Great Bardfield does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 75 buildings inside Great Bardfield’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
32% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 2 old photos and postcards going back to 1905.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Great Bardfield.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Great Bardfield’s land, 49% lies in conservation areas, higher than both Essex’s towns (3%) and England’s towns (7%). Its listed buildings include the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Grade I. It counts 75 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade I, 5 Grade II*. The pre-1919 share of homes is 32%.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Below is its only school. Key Stage 2 results at the 3 primary schools within 3 km: nearly two thirds of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). 117 pupils attend Great Bardfield’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Bardfield Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 117 | C+ |
There is no GP practice in Great Bardfield: the nearest is 1.5 miles off. At the census, 84% of people in Great Bardfield called their health good or very good, above both Essex’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). The nearest A&E to Great Bardfield is Broomfield Hospital, 12 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Great Bardfield | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
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.
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 1.5 reports per 1,000, below both Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8). Police recorded 35 crimes inside Great Bardfield’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 2 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences made up 31% of the total.
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.
69% of households own their home. 72 standard sales inside Great Bardfield’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £462,500. The social rented sector houses 18% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £566,000 | 37 |
| Semi-detached | £385,000 | 17 |
| Terraced | £447,500 | 16 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 39% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The census counted nearly two in five workers working mainly from home. The car took 87% of commuters, above Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Also worth knowing: 1.7% of people aged 16 to 64 were on unemployment benefits in 2026. About 7% of its commuters stay in Great Bardfield for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
8.6% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below both Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Over-65s are 25% of the population. The age that splits Great Bardfield in two is 49.6. Graduates make up 36% of adults.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 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.
| Great Bardfield | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Village in Essex, England
Great Bardfield is a built-up area of 1,372 people, in the Braintree 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Bardfield | 1,372 | — | — | C | A− | A |
| Stebbing | 1,061 | 3.7 | — | B+ | A+ | A |
| Thaxted | 3,111 | 4 | B+ | B+ | C+ | A |
| Rayne | 2,169 | 5.8 | — | B− | B | A |
| Little Dunmow | 2,644 | 6.1 | B+ | B+ | B | A |
| Felsted | 1,233 | 6.2 | — | B− | B+ | A− |
| Great Dunmow | 10,395 | 6.2 | A− | B+ | C+ | A− |
| Gosfield | 1,453 | 6.6 | — | C− | A+ | B |
Stebbing, Rayne, Felsted and Gosfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 22.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £462,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £447,500, semi-detached houses £385,000 and detached houses £566,000.
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.