Saffron Walden grades A+ overall and ranks #1 of 81 in Essex. That leaves it better than almost every UK town. Its best grade is for schools: primary results beat 99% of towns in England; secondary results beat 89% of towns in England. Health is a strength: men here can expect to live to 82.6, women to 85.8. A median £415,000 buys a home here, 5.9 times what households in the Uttlesford council area earn in a year. Hazard risk is higher than most (C): 0.9% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Saffron Walden is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saffron Walden.
SchoolsA+
Results at Saffron Walden’s schools beat 96% of towns in England
A+School Grade
At the town’s 4 primary schools, 80% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Three of its 7 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Secondary results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 53.8, with 59% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 7 schools →
Health
People in Saffron Walden live longer lives than in 85% of UK towns
85%good or very good healthAHealth Grade
At the census, 15% of people here had a disability, below both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%), and 3.6% of residents report bad or very bad health. The nearest A&E to Saffron Walden is Addenbrooke's and the Rosie Hospitals, 11.6 miles away. 2 GP practices serve the town; 83% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Saffron Walden is more walkable than 86% of UK towns
23%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 39% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
39% of workers worked mainly from home, higher than both Essex’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (31%). Household income averages £65K a year before tax. Of the commuters living in Saffron Walden, 34% work in the town itself. Jobs per working resident: 0.9.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
321 listed buildings, 6 of them Grade I
321listed buildingsAHistory Grade
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Saffron Walden’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Grade I. Scaled to its population, that is 193 listed buildings for every 10,000 people here. Of the town’s land, 19% lies in conservation areas, above both Essex’s towns (3%) and England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade A−
Saffron Walden’s grade for cost of living grade: an A−
£415Kmedian sale
Private rents average £1,289 a month across the Uttlesford council area. The median sale, £415,000, comes from 798 standard sales inside Saffron Walden’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026. Nearly two thirds of households own their home, about level with Essex’s towns (67%) and above England’s towns (61%).
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Saffron Walden£415K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£604,995
213
Semi-detached
£454,000
213
Terraced
£361,875
196
Flat or maisonette
£215,000
176
65%
of households own their home · England 61%
17%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,289
average private rent a month, Uttlesford council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Among the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Saffron Walden records less crime per resident than 90% of them
19.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 48% of recorded crime. Saffron Walden logged 658 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 88 complaints of anti-social conduct. Violent crime ran at 19.1 per 1,000 residents a year, below Essex’s towns (23.1) and England’s towns (22) alike.
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 90% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual316
Other theft74
Damage & arson52
Public order48
Shoplifting46
Vehicle crime37
Burglary34
Other crime16
Anti-social88
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.
19.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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
Saffron Walden is a graduates’ town: 41% hold a degree, more than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
43.8median age
Residents of Saffron Walden have a median age of 43.8. People aged 15 to 24 are 9.6% of the population. Just over a fifth of residents are 65 or over, above Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%) alike.
Saffron WaldenEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
21%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level41%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Charles Dunstone: Fæ, CC BY-SA 3.0 · George Stacey Gibson: Henry Scott Tuke, Public domain
About Saffron Walden
Town in Essex, England
Saffron Walden is a built-up area of 16,609 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.
Great Chesterford, Henham and Duxford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Saffron Walden
Are schools in Saffron Walden good?
GCSE results beat 89% of towns in England, and primary results beat 99% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
How many listed buildings are there in Saffron Walden?
That is 7.9 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Walden Castle. It also has 3 scheduled monuments.
Is Saffron Walden expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £415,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £215,000, terraced houses £361,875, semi-detached houses £454,000 and detached houses £604,995. Household incomes are higher than in 80% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades A−.
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.
