Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In Essex, East of England, this village has 1,827 residents.
Pupils here do better than most: primary results beat 92% of towns in England; secondary results beat 73% of towns in England. Where it falls short is cost of living — a typical home costs £300,000 and rent runs £1,053 a month. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B for health, B− for walkability and B for hazard risk. It lags on jobs & income as well (C): mean household income £54,926; 3.6% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · life expectancy and income, ONS · commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency · claimants, DWP. Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Mistley has its subject grades alone.
The 3 things Mistley 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 Mistley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Mistley’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
16% 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 Mistley.
Owners make up 63% of households, lower than Essex’s towns (67%) yet higher than England’s towns (61%). Renting privately is how a fifth of households live. Social renters account for 16% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £465,000 | 49 |
| Semi-detached | £292,000 | 49 |
| Terraced | £262,000 | 33 |
| Flat or maisonette | £172,500 | 32 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The one school in town appears below. At the 4 primary schools within 3 km, 72% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town’s primary school has 39 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stourview Church of England Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 39 | – |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Mistley’s listed buildings include Mistley Towers, North West Tower, Grade I. It has 33 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 2 Grade I. Of the town’s land, 38% lies in conservation areas, above Essex’s towns (3%) and England’s towns (7%) alike.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Violence came to 29.4 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Essex’s towns (22.8) and England’s towns (22). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 105 crimes and 14 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Mistley’s built-up area. Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Mistley has more crime per resident than 86% of them. Of all the crimes, 60% were violence and sexual offences.
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 nearest A&E to Mistley is Colchester General Hospital, 8.4 miles away. Seeing a GP means leaving Mistley: the nearest practice is 1.2 miles away. 18% of residents have a disability, above Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%) alike.
| Census 2021 | Mistley | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.6% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 29% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
4% of commuters who live in Mistley also work there. On foot, by bike or by bus and train: that was how 13% of commuters travelled at the census. Driving is how 84% of commuters got to work at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town, higher than both Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). The share of residents under 15 is 16%. Mistley has a median age of 43.7. 25% of adults hold a degree.
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Mistley | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.2% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.9% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 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 Mistley. Best known first.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mistley | 1,827 | — | — | D− | C | B |
| Manningtree | 1,676 | 1.1 | — | D− | C | B− |
| Bradfield | 1,254 | 1.3 | — | D− | A+ | B |
| Lawford | 4,488 | 1.6 | B+ | D− | B | B |
| Brantham | 2,081 | 1.8 | — | B+ | A− | A |
| East Bergholt | 2,211 | 3.8 | — | B− | B+ | A |
| Holbrook | 2,146 | 4.1 | — | B+ | A | A |
| Ardleigh | 1,042 | 4.6 | — | D− | C+ | B |
Manningtree, Bradfield, Brantham, East Bergholt, Holbrook and Ardleigh have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 7.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Mistley Towers, North West Tower. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
Secondary results beat 73%. One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Essex council.
Village in Essex, England
Mistley is a built-up area of 1,827 people, in the Tendring 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.