Panfield’s story
14 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Panfield’s built-up area.
25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PanfieldEssex
It is a village of 857 residents in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Robert Edwards · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
857
Census 2021 · Braintree council
Median home
£375K
35 sales in 3 years
Median age
54
31% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
23%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Panfield a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Panfield is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 6% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It has 14 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. People aged 65 and over make up 31% of residents.
What makes Panfield stand out
The 3 things Panfield does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin; 6.7 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
31% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Panfield.
Who lives here
Children make up only 10% of Panfield, fewer than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
Panfield has a median age of 54. People 65 and over make up 31% of the town, above Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Graduates make up nearly a quarter of adults.
54median age
PanfieldEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications20%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level23%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Panfield | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 10% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 23% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
The car carries 92% of commuters in Panfield, more than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
28% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.8% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below Essex’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. For every resident in work, Panfield has 0.3 jobs. Of the commuters living locally, 2% work in the town itself.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
Train2%
Bicycle2%
Bus1%
Underground, tram1%
28%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
28%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£64K
mean household income, before tax
1.8%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Most households in Panfield own their home: 83%, more than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
8% rent privately, below both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). Private rents average £1,213 a month across the Braintree council area. The £375,000 median rests on 35 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
£375Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Panfield£375K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £507,500 | 14 |
| Semi-detached | £325,000 | 19 |
83%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,213
average private rent a month, Braintree council area
£2,318
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
Violent crime runs low in Panfield: 5.5 per 1,000 residents a year, under Essex’s towns and England’s towns
Nearly a quarter of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 22 crimes inside Panfield’s built-up area. Property crime (burglary and damage) runs at 9.7 per 1,000 residents a year.
5.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Vehicle crime10
Violence & sexual5
Damage & arson3
Other theft2
Burglary1
Drugs1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Anti-social0
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.
5.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
22
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.
Health
In Panfield, 82% say their health is good or very good
The nearest A&E to Panfield is Broomfield Hospital, 8.9 miles away. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 1.7 miles off. At the census, 4.4% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
82%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Panfield | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
81.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.7
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Panfield keeps more of its old housing than Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 25% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. Relative to its size, Panfield keeps 163 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above both Essex’s towns (52) and England’s towns (39).
14listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II13
Among them · Grade II*
- Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
25%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
163
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Warner Textile Archive and 3 more in and around Panfield
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Panfield. Best known first.
MuseumWarner Textile Archive2.9 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumBraintree Museum2.8 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionBocking Windmill2.5 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumFlitch Way Railway Carriage Museum2.5 km outside town, to the southPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Warner Textile Archive: Oxyman, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Panfield
13pages on Panfield
The big questions
Safety5.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £375K · rent £1,213 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street Kynaston RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 81.7 (men), 85.7 (women)Work & commute49% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Panfield’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
RayneBraintreeGreat NotleyBlack NotleyGosfieldTye GreenFelstedPanfield
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panfield | 857 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rayne | 2,169 | 1.7 | — | B− | B | A |
| Braintree | 43,179 | 2.2 | C+ | B | C− | C |
| Great Notley | 7,659 | 2.8 | A | C | A− | A |
| Black Notley | 1,932 | 3.9 | — | C+ | B+ | B+ |
| Gosfield | 1,453 | 4.1 | — | C− | A+ | B |
| Tye Green | 1,415 | 4.1 | — | C+ | B− | C |
| Felsted | 1,233 | 4.4 | — | B− | B+ | A− |
Rayne, Black Notley, Gosfield, Tye Green and Felsted have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Panfield
How many listed buildings are there in Panfield?
That is 6.7 times the typical UK town for its size. 25% of Panfield’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Is Panfield expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £375,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £325,000 and detached houses £507,500.
About Panfield
Village in Essex, England
Panfield is a built-up area of 857 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
- Population
- 857 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Braintree
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004111
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.