Little Dunmow’s story
No listed buildings inside Little Dunmow’s built-up area
3% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Little DunmowEssex
TownGrade
B+
#29 of 81 in Essex
Just 5% of residents are 65 or older. 2,644 residents make their home in this town in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jeff Thomas · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,644
Census 2021 · Uttlesford council
Median home
£429K
162 sales in 3 years
Median age
32.2
5% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
36%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Little Dunmow a good place to live?
What it saves you on housing, it gives back elsewhere. Its best grade is for health (A) — life expectancy 82.3 for men, 84.3 for women. Homes sell for a median £428,750, about 6.1 years of what households in the Uttlesford council area earn. School results trail most towns (C−): primary results beat 21% of towns in England. Overall, that makes a B+, good for #29 of 81 in Essex. On that grade it does better than 73% of UK towns.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
How Little Dunmow grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Little Dunmow is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
HealthGraded on how healthy residents areAOpen →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 21% of towns in EnglandC−Open →WalkabilityAmong the hardest places to get around without a carC−Open →Cost of livingRent £1,289 a monthB+Open →Jobs & income2.4% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsB+Open →SafetyNear typical for the towns comparedBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsD−Open →Outdoors89% live within 400 m of a park; 1.1 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC+Open →Civic life0% live within 1 km of a libraryDOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Little Dunmow stand out
The 3 things Little Dunmow does most differently from other towns.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
Only 5% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
9% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.5 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Little Dunmow.
History
Little Dunmow has fewer old homes than Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 3% built before 1919
0listed buildingsD−History Grade
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Little Dunmow’s built-up area.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
3%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
SchoolsC−
Exam results at Little Dunmow’s schools trail 84% of towns in England
C−School Grade
At the 2 primary schools within 3 km, 55% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below is its only school. Its one primary school teaches 272 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Flitch Green AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 272 | D |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Health
Disability is less common in Little Dunmow, 7.9% of residents, than in Essex’s towns and England’s towns
93%good or very good healthAHealth Grade
Asked at the census, 93% of residents of Little Dunmow said they were in good or very good health. At the census, 1.5% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below Essex’s towns (4.8%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. Seeing a GP means leaving Little Dunmow: the nearest practice is 2.3 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 93%Fair 6%Bad or very bad 1%
| Census 2021 | Little Dunmow | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 93% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.5% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 7.9% | 17% | 17% |
82.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.3
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Under 5 km to work: 17% in Little Dunmow, fewer than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
9%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 34% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
About 3% of its commuters stay in Little Dunmow for work. The census found nearly one in ten commuters going to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Households had £70K a year before tax, higher than both Essex’s towns (£63K) and England’s towns (£55K). The car carried 87% of commuters at the census.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot4%
Train2%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
Underground, tram1%
17%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
34%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£70K
mean household income, before tax
2.4%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C−
Walkability: more walkable than 18% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade B+
Private renting is less common in Little Dunmow than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 12%
£429Kmedian sale
10% live in social housing, below Essex’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Owners make up three quarters of households. Also worth knowing: the £428,750 median rests on 162 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Little Dunmow£429K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £515,000 | 75 |
| Semi-detached | £392,500 | 32 |
| Terraced | £371,250 | 46 |
| Flat or maisonette | £212,500 | 9 |
75%
of households own their home · England 61%
12%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,289
average private rent a month, Uttlesford council area
£2,294
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
Homes in Little Dunmow see less burglary and damage than in Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 6.6 per 1,000 a year
22.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
Police figures for Little Dunmow’s built-up area: 114 crimes and 20 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Of all the crimes, 55% were violence and sexual offences. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Little Dunmow has less crime per resident than 64% of them.
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 64% 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 & sexual63
Public order11
Vehicle crime9
Other theft8
Damage & arson7
Shoplifting5
Other crime5
Drugs3
Anti-social20
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.
22.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
114
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.
Who lives here
Children make up 28% of Little Dunmow, above Essex’s towns and England’s towns
32.2median age
People 65 and over make up 5.5% of the town, lower than both Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). Line up the people of Little Dunmow by age and the one in the middle is 32.2. Graduates make up 36% of adults.
Little DunmowEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
12%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications8%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar23%
Degree level36%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Little Dunmow | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 28% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 31% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 5.5% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 7.5% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 23% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Little Dunmow
14pages on Little Dunmow
The big questions
SafetyB22.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingB+Median home £429K · rent £1,289 a monthHousing60 sold in 12 months · busiest street Baynard AvenueSchoolsC−1 state schoolHealthALife expectancy 82.3 (men), 84.3 (women)Work & commuteB+51% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
About Little Dunmow
Town in Essex, England
Little Dunmow is a built-up area of 2,644 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
- 2,644 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Uttlesford
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004199
Little Dunmow’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
FelstedGreat DunmowStebbingRayneGreat LeighsGreat NotleyLittle WalthamLittle Dunmow
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Dunmow | 2,644 | — | B+ | B+ | B | A |
| Felsted | 1,233 | 1 | — | B− | B+ | A− |
| Great Dunmow | 10,395 | 2.4 | A− | B+ | C+ | A− |
| Stebbing | 1,061 | 2.6 | — | B+ | A+ | A |
| Rayne | 2,169 | 4.1 | — | B− | B | A |
| Great Leighs | 2,968 | 4.6 | A | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Great Notley | 7,659 | 4.9 | A | C | A− | A |
| Little Waltham | 1,038 | 5.7 | — | C | B− | A− |
Felsted, Stebbing, Rayne and Little Waltham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Little Dunmow
Are schools in Little Dunmow good?
Primary results trail 79% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Essex council.
Is Little Dunmow expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £428,750, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £212,500, terraced houses £371,250, semi-detached houses £392,500 and detached houses £515,000. Household incomes are higher than in 89% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B+.
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.