Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 3,913 residents and lies in Essex, East of England.
Where it falls short is health — life expectancy is 79.5 for men and 81.8 for women. It takes 5.9 years of household income in the Braintree council area to buy the median home, at £347,375. Walkability is weaker too (C) — on the way to work, 10% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Overall, that makes a C−, good for #73 of 81 in Essex. On that grade it does better than 16% of UK towns.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Silver End 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 Silver End is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 24 buildings inside Silver End’s built-up area.
4% 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 Silver End.
Children are 19% of the town. The 15-to-24 age group: 9.1%, lower than both Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Half of Silver End is older than 39.7, half younger.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Silver End | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.9% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 21% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: two in five pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 42.5. Below is its only school. At the 5 primary schools within 3 km, 59% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver End AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 344 | D |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
88% of commuters drove, above both Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). In 2026, 3.1% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits. Work in town: 8% of resident commuters. There are 0.4 jobs in Silver End for each resident in work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Disability touches nearly a fifth of Silver End’s population. The nearest A&E to Silver End is Broomfield Hospital, 8.4 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 42% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Women here live to 81.8 on average and men to 79.5 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Silver End | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
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.
Over the year to August 2026, 251 offences were reported in Silver End, along with 36 incidents of anti-social behaviour. For its size, Silver End records more crime per resident than 73% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people. Violence and sexual offences were 55% of the crimes.
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Its heritage register entries (24 listed buildings) are all Grade II. 4% of its homes were built before 1919, lower than both Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%). Per 10,000 residents, Silver End counts 61 listed buildings.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Just over a fifth of households live in social housing. Owners make up 70% of households, about level with Essex’s towns (67%) and above England’s towns (61%). From September 2023 to August 2026, 208 homes sold inside Silver End’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £347,375.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £450,000 | 53 |
| Semi-detached | £350,000 | 104 |
| Terraced | £284,500 | 40 |
| Flat or maisonette | £178,000 | 11 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Silver End. Best known first.
MuseumCressing Temple Barns1 km outside town, to the southwestHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustCoggeshall Grange Barn4.1 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttraction · National TrustPaycocke's House and Garden4.2 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumCoggeshall Museum4.4 km outside town, to the northeastCastleCastleStisted Hall4.3 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
24 listed buildings in Silver End.
Craig Angus: Photo: Steve Knight · CC BY 4.0 · Wolverton: Photo: Jim Osley · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver End | 3,913 | — | C− | B− | C | C |
| Tye Green | 1,415 | 1.7 | — | C+ | B− | C |
| Black Notley | 1,932 | 2.4 | — | C+ | B+ | B+ |
| Coggeshall | 3,767 | 3.2 | B | C+ | B− | B+ |
| Witham | 27,395 | 3.4 | C | B | C− | C |
| Braintree | 43,179 | 3.4 | C+ | B | C− | C |
| Kelvedon and Feering | 4,771 | 3.6 | A− | C | C+ | B |
| Great Notley | 7,659 | 4.1 | A | C | A− | A |
Tye Green and Black Notley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Essex council.
Town in Essex, England
Silver End is a built-up area of 3,913 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
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.
