Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Essex, East of England has a population of 10,395.
Residents are healthier than most (A−): men here can expect to live to 81.6, women to 86.1. With an A− overall, Great Dunmow is better than 84% of UK towns. Its place in the ranking is #18 of 81 in Essex. Work and incomes are strong: the mean household earns £66,127 a year. What holds it back is hazard risk (C+) — 0.7% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Homes sell for a median £427,997, about 6.1 years of what households in the Uttlesford council area earn. Elsewhere it is close to typical: C+ for safety, B for schools and B for walkability.
Figures: life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021.
The 3 things Great Dunmow 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 Great Dunmow is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 199 buildings inside Great Dunmow’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
12% 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 Dunmow.
Women here live to 86.1 on average and men to 81.6 (2019–23). Disability touches 14% of Great Dunmow’s population. The nearest A&E to Great Dunmow is Broomfield Hospital, 8.1 miles away. 2 GP practices serve the town; 74% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Great Dunmow | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
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.
Its three schools are listed below. At the town’s 2 primary schools, 69% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: 42% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 44.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunmow St Mary's Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 459 | C |
| Helena Romanes SchoolLargest secondary schoolAll-through | All-through | 1,265 | C+ |
| Great Dunmow Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 421 | A |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Great Dunmow’s listed buildings include the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Grade I. Historic England’s list names 199 listed buildings locally: 2 Grade I, 8 Grade II*. The national list protects one ancient monument locally.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Private renters make up 16% of households, below both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). Half of the 744 standard sales inside Great Dunmow’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £427,997. 15% of households rent from a council or housing body.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £528,747 | 368 |
| Semi-detached | £397,500 | 169 |
| Terraced | £335,000 | 116 |
| Flat or maisonette | £195,000 | 91 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 512 offences in Great Dunmow and 83 cases of nuisance behaviour. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 46% of recorded crime. For its size, Great Dunmow records less crime per resident than 69% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people.
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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car carried 83% of commuters at the census. A quarter of commuters travelled under 5 km, lower than both Essex’s towns (41%) and England’s towns (45%). Great Dunmow counts 0.8 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
30% of adults hold a degree. People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town, above both Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). Great Dunmow has a median age of 43.2.
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Great Dunmow | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
199 listed buildings in Great Dunmow, 2 of them Grade I.
Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin: Photo: John Salmon · Public domain · The Clock House: Photo: David Kemp · CC BY-SA 2.0 · King's Head Hotel: Photo: David Kemp · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Tower House: Photo: Robin Webster · CC BY-SA 2.0
9 notable people were born in Great Dunmow.
Daisy Dares You: aliceeedude from England, CC BY 2.0 · Sir George Beaumont, 7th Baronet: Thomas Lawrence, Public domain · Thomas Aldridge: Stagedoorjohnny2 (Uploads), CC0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Dunmow | 10,395 | — | A− | B+ | C+ | A− |
| Little Dunmow | 2,644 | 2.4 | B+ | B+ | B | A |
| Stebbing | 1,061 | 2.6 | — | B+ | A+ | A |
| Felsted | 1,233 | 3.4 | — | B− | B+ | A− |
| Takeley and Little Canfield | 5,553 | 3.6 | A− | B+ | C− | B+ |
| Thaxted | 3,111 | 5.7 | B+ | B+ | C+ | A |
| Great Bardfield | 1,372 | 6.2 | — | C | A− | A |
| Henham | 1,046 | 6.3 | — | B− | A | A+ |
Stebbing, Felsted, Great Bardfield and Henham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 7.9 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £427,997, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £195,000, terraced houses £335,000, semi-detached houses £397,500 and detached houses £528,747. Household incomes are higher than in 82% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B+.
Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C+.
Town in Essex, England
Great Dunmow is a built-up area of 10,395 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
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.