Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
8,629 residents make their home in this town in Essex, East of England.
Health outcomes beat most towns: men here can expect to live to 82.7, women to 85.1. At A+ overall, Stansted Mountfitchet ranks #2 of 81 in Essex. It comes out better than almost every UK town. Add jobs & income to its strengths (A) — households earn a mean £71,297 a year, and 2% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. What counts against it is hazard risk — 0.8% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. Buying the median home, at £425,000, takes 6.1 years of household income in the Uttlesford council area.
Figures: life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Stansted Mountfitchet 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 Stansted Mountfitchet is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 109 buildings inside Stansted Mountfitchet’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade II*, and 2 scheduled monuments.
21% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 2 old photos and postcards.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Stansted Mountfitchet.
3.1% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below Essex’s towns (4.8%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike; what’s more, a disability affects 13% of people in Stansted Mountfitchet. The nearest A&E to Stansted Mountfitchet is The Princess Alexandra Hospital, 10.1 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 85% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Stansted Mountfitchet | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.1% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
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.
Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 3 primary schools: 67% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). St Mary's CofE Foundation Primary School’s results beat 77% of schools in England like it. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Between them, three primaries and one secondary teach 1,163 pupils in Stansted Mountfitchet.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's CofE Foundation Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 255 | A− |
| Forest Hall SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 506 | C+ |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up just over a fifth of the total, above Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Historic England’s list names 109 listed buildings in Stansted Mountfitchet: 2 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 40% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
78% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Working mainly from home: 40% of workers, higher than both Essex’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (31%). For nearly two in five commuters, work was under 5 km away. About 13% of its commuters stay in Stansted Mountfitchet for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Owners make up 69% of households, about level with Essex’s towns (67%) and above England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,289 a month across the Uttlesford council area. The median sale, £425,000, comes from 348 standard sales inside Stansted Mountfitchet’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £650,000 | 107 |
| Semi-detached | £445,000 | 89 |
| Terraced | £360,000 | 116 |
| Flat or maisonette | £245,000 | 36 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Police recorded 333 crimes inside Stansted Mountfitchet’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 47 reports of anti-social behaviour. For its size, Stansted Mountfitchet records less crime per resident than 71% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people. Violence and sexual offences were 46% 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.
Nearly one in ten residents are 15 to 24, below both Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Under-15s account for 20% of the population. Stansted Mountfitchet has a median age of 40.1 years. Those 65 and older account for 16% of residents.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Stansted Mountfitchet | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.1% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Stansted Mountfitchet. Best known first.
CastleStansted Mountfitchet Castlein town
CastleWaytemore Castle (remains)3 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumSouth Mill Arts3.7 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumHouse on the Hill Museumin townMuseumMuseumBishop's Stortford Museum3.7 km outside town, to the southwestPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustHatfield Forest3.9 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
109 listed buildings in Stansted Mountfitchet.
Church of St Mary the Virgin: Photo: Robert Edwards · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Stansted Castle: a ringwork and associated bailey 100m north of Elms Farm: Photo: Thomas Nugent · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Windmill: Photo: Thomas Nugent · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Bell and Feathers Inn: Photo: PAUL FARMER · CC BY-SA 2.0
3 notable people were born in Stansted Mountfitchet.
Munroe Bergdorf: Hearst, CC BY-SA 3.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stansted Mountfitchet | 8,629 | — | A+ | B+ | B+ | A |
| Elsenham | 3,414 | 1.6 | A | B+ | B | A |
| Henham | 1,046 | 2.9 | — | B− | A | A+ |
| Bishop's Stortford | 40,916 | 2.9 | A | C+ | C | A |
| Takeley and Little Canfield | 5,553 | 4.1 | A− | B+ | C− | B+ |
| Little Hallingbury | 1,434 | 4.5 | — | B− | A− | A |
| Newport | 2,945 | 5.7 | A+ | B | B | A+ |
| Hatfield Heath | 1,789 | 6 | — | B− | B+ | A |
Henham, Little Hallingbury and Hatfield Heath have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 5.2 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
GCSE results beat 75% of towns in England, and primary results beat 79% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £425,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £245,000, terraced houses £360,000, semi-detached houses £445,000 and detached houses £650,000. Household incomes are higher than in 90% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B+.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Essex, England
Stansted Mountfitchet is a built-up area of 8,629 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.
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.