Rettendon’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Rettendon’s built-up area.
14% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
RettendonEssex
In Essex, East of England, this village has 286 residents.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Terryjoyce · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
286
Census 2021 · Chelmsford council
Median age
47.6
25% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
29%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
19%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Rettendon a good place to live?
Rettendon has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. A quarter of residents are 65 or over. 28% of households rent privately. 42% of households own their home outright.
What makes Rettendon stand out
The 3 things Rettendon does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rettendon.
Who lives here
Rettendon has fewer young adults than Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 6.7% are 15 to 24
Over-65s are a quarter of the population. Rettendon has a median age of 47.6. Degrees are held by 29% of adults.
47.6median age
RettendonEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar22%
Degree level29%
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.
| Rettendon | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.1% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 22% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 29% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Only 11% of Rettendon’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
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.
At the census, 19% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below Essex’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (27%) alike. The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.6%. There are 1.7 jobs in Rettendon for each resident in work.
19%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving78%
On foot11%
Bus4%
Train4%
11%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
34%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£56K
mean household income, before tax
1.6%
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
Half the homes sold in Rettendon went for more than £0
69% of households are owner-occupiers. Social housing holds 2% of households, below both Essex’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,439 a month across the Chelmsford council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Rettendon£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £750,500 | 6 |
69%
of households own their home · England 61%
28%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,439
average private rent a month, Chelmsford council area
£2,306
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
Rettendon records less burglary and damage per resident than Essex’s towns or England’s towns, at 3.5 per 1,000 a year
Over the year to August 2026, 3 offences were reported in Rettendon. Violent crime ran at 7 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Essex’s towns (23) and England’s towns (22). Violence and sexual offences made up 100% of the total.
7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
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.
7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.5
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)
3
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
Just 3.2% of people in Rettendon say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
Seeing a GP means leaving Rettendon: the nearest practice is 2.2 miles away. At the census, 85% of people in Rettendon called their health good or very good, above both Essex’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). A disability affects 14% of people here. The nearest A&E to Rettendon is Basildon University Hospital, 8 miles away.
85%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Rettendon | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
81.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.2
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.
History
Rettendon’s listed buildings: 1, all Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
14% of homes were built before 1919. For its size, Rettendon has 35 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below Essex’s towns (52) and England’s towns (39) alike.
1listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
14%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
35
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 Rettendon
12pages on Rettendon
The big questions
Rettendon’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
South Woodham FerrersRunwellBicknacreWickfordHullbridgeRamsden HeathDanburyRettendon
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rettendon | 286 | — | — | — | — | — |
| South Woodham Ferrers | 16,029 | 2.6 | A | B | B+ | A− |
| Runwell | 8,086 | 2.6 | C+ | B− | C− | C+ |
| Bicknacre | 2,277 | 2.9 | — | B− | B+ | A |
| Wickford | 27,533 | 3.4 | B | C− | B− | B |
| Hullbridge | 5,709 | 3.5 | B | C | B− | B |
| Ramsden Heath | 1,949 | 3.7 | — | C | A− | A− |
| Danbury | 6,196 | 4.5 | A | C | B+ | A |
Bicknacre and Ramsden Heath have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Rettendon
How much is council tax in Rettendon?
Band D council tax in Rettendon is £2,306 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.
How many listed buildings are there in Rettendon?
1 on Historic England’s list. That is 1.4 times the typical UK town for its size.
About Rettendon
Village in Essex, England
Rettendon is a built-up area of 286 people, in the Chelmsford 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
- 286 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Chelmsford
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004637
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.