Hullbridge’s story
2 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Hullbridge’s built-up area.
1% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
HullbridgeEssex
With 5,709 residents, it is a town in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Trevor Harris · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
5,709
Census 2021 · Rochford council
Median home
£400K
319 sales in 3 years
Median age
52.2
31% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
19%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
13%
of commuters · England 27%
TownGrade
B
#38 of 81 in Essex
Is Hullbridge a good place to live?
Good on most counts; one lags. Its best grade is for schools — primary results beat just over four in five towns in England; secondary results beat 47% of towns in England. Homes are dear: a typical home costs £400,000 and rent runs £1,300 a month. Put together, the subjects come to a B overall, better than 60% of UK towns. It ranks #38 of 81 in Essex. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for safety, B for health, B− for jobs & income, B− for walkability and C+ for hazard risk.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency.
What makes Hullbridge stand out
The 3 things Hullbridge does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
13% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Essex 27%.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
31% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How Hullbridge grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Hullbridge is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SchoolsPrimary results beat 82% of towns in England; secondary results beat 47% of towns in EnglandB+Open →Cost of livingMedian sale £400,000, 6.6 years of area incomeCOpen →HealthLife expectancy 80.3 for men, 87.4 for womenBOpen →Hazard risk0.5% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC+Open →WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesB−Open →SafetyClose to the middle of the towns comparedB−Open →Jobs & income2.7% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History2 listed buildingsD−Open →Outdoors59% live within 400 m of a park; 5.7 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC+Open →Civic life1.2 local charities per 1,000 residents; 100% live within 1 km of a libraryB+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hullbridge.
Who lives here
An older town: 31% of people in Hullbridge are 65 or over, more than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
Degrees are held by 19% of adults, lower than both Essex’s towns (27%) and England’s towns (34%). 14% of residents are children under 15. Hullbridge has a median age of 52.2. The 15-to-24 age group makes up nearly one in ten residents.
52.2median age
HullbridgeEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications25%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level19%
Women and men · all residents
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.
| Hullbridge | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 19% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsB+
School results in Hullbridge are better than in 69% of towns in England
GCSE results at the 4 secondary schools within 3 km: 43% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 45.8. Below is its only school. At the 14 primary schools within 3 km, just over two thirds of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
B+School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 422 | B |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
Much of Hullbridge is a conservation area: 100% of its land, more than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Per 10,000 residents, Hullbridge counts 4 listed buildings. 1% of its homes were built before 1919, below both Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%). Every one of the town’s 2 listed buildings sits at Grade II, the most common listing.
2listed buildingsD−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II2
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
1%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
4
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C
Most households in Hullbridge own their home: 89%, more than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
Private renters make up 8% of households, lower than both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). The social rented sector houses 3% of households. Also worth knowing: 319 standard sales inside Hullbridge’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £400,000.
£400Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Hullbridge£400K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £542,500 | 128 |
| Semi-detached | £378,995 | 154 |
| Terraced | £354,500 | 20 |
| Flat or maisonette | £297,500 | 17 |
89%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,300
average private rent a month, Rochford council area
£2,382
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
People in Hullbridge live longer lives than in 74% of UK towns
The nearest A&E to Hullbridge is Southend University Hospital, 5.7 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 94% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 80% of people in Hullbridge called their health good or very good, below both Essex’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%).
80%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Hullbridge | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.5% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 17% | 17% |
80.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Only 13% of commuters in Hullbridge go to work without a car, fewer than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 85% of commuters, higher than both Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). 25% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. About 6% of its commuters stay in Hullbridge for work. The average household earns £52K a year before tax.
13%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving85%
On foot5%
Train5%
Bus2%
Bicycle1%
Underground, tram1%
25%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£52K
mean household income, before tax
2.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B−
Walkability: more walkable than 45% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Hullbridge has less crime per resident than 53% of UK towns
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 266 crimes and 30 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Hullbridge’s built-up area. Burglary and damage came to 8.4 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Essex’s towns (10.6) and England’s towns (9.4). Just over three fifths of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
23violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 55% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual161
Shoplifting30
Public order18
Other theft16
Vehicle crime15
Damage & arson11
Burglary6
Other crime5
Anti-social30
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.
23
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
266
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.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →RHS Garden, Hyde Hall and 6 more in and around Hullbridge
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Hullbridge. Best known first.
Garden · RHSRHS Garden, Hyde Hall4.6 km outside town, to the northwest
Castle · National TrustRayleigh Castle2.7 km outside town, to the south
MuseumRayleigh Town Museum2.9 km outside town, to the southGardenGarden · National TrustRayleigh Mount2.7 km outside town, to the southZooZooCall of the Wild Zoo2.5 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumStow Maries Great War Aerodrome Museum4.5 km outside town, to the northPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- RHS Garden, Hyde Hall: Mrmatiko, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rayleigh Castle: John Myers, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rayleigh Town Museum: Terryjoyce, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Hullbridge
14pages on Hullbridge
The big questions
SafetyB−23 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingCMedian home £400K · rent £1,300 a monthHousing71 sold in 12 months · busiest street Admiral CrescentSchoolsB+1 state schoolHealthBLife expectancy 80.3 (men), 87.4 (women)Work & commuteB−54% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC+0.5% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Hullbridge’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
South Woodham FerrersRayleighHockley and HawkwellAshingdonWickfordRunwellCold NortonHullbridge
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hullbridge | 5,709 | — | B | C | B− | B |
| South Woodham Ferrers | 16,029 | 1.5 | A | B | B+ | A− |
| Rayleigh | 32,383 | 2.3 | B+ | C | B− | B+ |
| Hockley and Hawkwell | 15,430 | 2.3 | A | C | A− | A |
| Ashingdon | 6,490 | 3.5 | A | C+ | A | B+ |
| Wickford | 27,533 | 3.9 | B | C− | B− | B |
| Runwell | 8,086 | 4 | C+ | B− | C− | C+ |
| Cold Norton | 1,161 | 4.1 | — | C | A | B+ |
Cold Norton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Hullbridge
Is Hullbridge expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £400,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £297,500, terraced houses £354,500, semi-detached houses £378,995 and detached houses £542,500.
Are schools in Hullbridge good?
Primary schools stand out: Key Stage 2 results beat 82% of towns in England. Secondary results are closer to the middle, trailing 53%. One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Essex council.
About Hullbridge
Town in Essex, England
Hullbridge is a built-up area of 5,709 people, in the Rochford 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
- 5,709 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Rochford
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004705
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.