Parkeston’s story
Parkeston: 33% of homes built before 1919
33% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ParkestonEssex
With 975 residents, it is a village in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: MJ Reilly · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
975
Census 2021 · Tendring council
Median home
£170K
51 sales in 3 years
Median age
33.1
11% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
18%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
17%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Parkeston a good place to live?
Parkeston is below the 1,000 residents fair grades need, but every figure on this page is real. A degree-level qualification is held by 18% of adults. A third of homes were built before 1919. Over-65s are only just over a tenth of the population.
What makes Parkeston stand out
The 3 things Parkeston does most differently from other towns.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Essex 27%.
Homes built before 1919
History
33% of homes built before 1919
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
Only 11% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Landguard Fort and 11 more in and around Parkeston
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Parkeston. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageLandguard Fort3.8 km outside town, to the east
MuseumLightvessel 181.5 km outside town, to the east
FortHarwich Redoubt1.6 km outside town, to the east
FortBeacon Hill Fort1.7 km outside town, to the east
MuseumLifeboat Museum1.6 km outside town, to the eastPierPierShotley Pier800 m outside town, to the northeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Landguard Fort: Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lightvessel 18: Matt Harrop, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Harwich Redoubt: John Fielding from Norwich, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Beacon Hill Fort: Oxyman, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lifeboat Museum: Geof Sheppard, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Parkeston.
Who lives here
A town of families: 24% of people in Parkeston are under 15, more than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
Those 65 and older account for just over one in ten residents. People aged 15 to 24 make up 13% of the town, above Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. At 33.1, the median resident of Parkeston sits in the middle of the age range.
33.1median age
ParkestonEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
13%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications21%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level18%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Parkeston | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 24% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 11% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.3% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 18% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
4.2% of 16 to 64s in Parkeston claim unemployment benefits, more than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 11% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
About 11% of its commuters stay in Parkeston for work. The town counts 2.3 jobs per working resident. Households had £46K a year before tax, lower than both Essex’s towns (£63K) and England’s towns (£55K). At the census, 17% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
17%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving78%
On foot11%
Bicycle3%
Train2%
46%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
11%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£46K
mean household income, before tax
4.2%
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
Parkeston is a renters’ town: 37% of households rent privately, more than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
57% of households own their home. Social housing holds 5% of households, below both Essex’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,053 a month across the Tendring council area.
£170Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Parkeston£170K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £242,000 | 13 |
| Terraced | £162,500 | 36 |
57%
of households own their home · England 61%
37%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,053
average private rent a month, Tendring council area
£2,308
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
Parkeston records more violent crime per resident than Essex’s towns or England’s towns, at 63.6 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences made up 31% of the total. Homes saw 26.4 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, above both Essex’s towns (10.6) and England’s towns (9.4). Police figures for Parkeston’s built-up area: 155 crimes and 29 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026.
63.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual48
Shoplifting43
Public order18
Damage & arson12
Other theft11
Drugs7
Other crime5
Vehicle crime4
Anti-social29
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.
63.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
26.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
42.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
155
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
More people in Parkeston live with a disability than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 21%
80% of Parkeston’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, lower than both Essex’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 5.9% of the town. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 0.7 miles off.
80%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Parkeston | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.9% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 17% | 17% |
77.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
81.7
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.
History
Parkeston keeps more of its old housing than Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 33% built before 1919
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 Parkeston’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
33%
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
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Parkeston
13pages on Parkeston
The big questions
Safety63.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £170K · rent £1,053 a monthHousing17 sold in 12 months · busiest street Una RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 77.9 (men), 81.7 (women)Work & commute39% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Parkeston’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
HarwichShotley GateTrimley St MaryTrimley St MartinFelixstoweHolbrookKirtonParkeston
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parkeston | 975 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Harwich | 20,219 | 0.8 | D− | D | D | C− |
| Shotley Gate | 1,418 | 1.3 | — | A− | A | A− |
| Trimley St Mary | 3,736 | 3.9 | A− | A | A | B |
| Trimley St Martin | 1,725 | 4.2 | — | B+ | C+ | B |
| Felixstowe | 24,218 | 4.3 | B− | A− | C+ | C+ |
| Holbrook | 2,146 | 4.9 | — | B+ | A | A |
| Kirton | 1,245 | 5.3 | — | B | A+ | B |
Shotley Gate, Trimley St Martin, Holbrook and Kirton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Parkeston
Is Parkeston expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £170,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £162,500 and semi-detached houses £242,000.
How much is council tax in Parkeston?
Band D council tax in Parkeston is £2,308 for 2026–27, less than in 74% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Parkeston
Village in Essex, England
Parkeston is a built-up area of 975 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
- Population
- 975 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Tendring
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003987
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.