Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This village in Essex, East of England has a population of 1,376.
Steeple Bumpstead’s strongest subject is health (A): life expectancy 84.2 for men, 85.8 for women. It takes 6.8 years of household income in the Braintree council area to buy the median home, at £402,500. Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work: on the way to work, 8% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. The rest of its grades are middling: B for jobs & income and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency. Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Steeple Bumpstead has its subject grades alone.
The 3 things Steeple Bumpstead 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 Steeple Bumpstead is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Steeple Bumpstead has its subject grades alone.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Steeple Bumpstead’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
26% 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 Steeple Bumpstead.
Steeple Bumpstead has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.4 miles away. 3.1% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, lower than both Essex’s towns (4.8%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Disability touches 15% of the town’s population. The nearest A&E to Steeple Bumpstead is Addenbrooke's and the Rosie Hospitals, 15.8 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Steeple Bumpstead | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.1% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Its one school is below. Key Stage 2 results at the one primary school within 3 km: 64% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steeple Bumpstead Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 189 | B− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 33% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
17% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.9% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below both Essex’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%). A household here earns £61K a year before tax, on average. About 3% of its commuters stay in Steeple Bumpstead for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Steeple Bumpstead counts 26 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade I, 4 Grade II*. Its listed buildings include the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Grade I. Listed buildings per head: 189 for every 10,000 residents of the town. Conservation areas cover 27% of the town’s land, higher than both Essex’s towns (3%) and England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 1.9 reports per 1,000, below both Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8). Homes see 6.3 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Over the year to August 2026, 44 offences were reported in Steeple Bumpstead. Violence and sexual offences were nearly two thirds 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.
One in ten households rent from a council or housing body. Private renters make up just over one in ten households, below both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). The £402,500 median rests on 76 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £440,000 | 48 |
| Semi-detached | £315,000 | 19 |
| Terraced | £250,000 | 9 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
33% of adults hold a degree, higher than Essex’s towns (27%) and near England’s towns (34%). Those 65 and older account for 25% of residents. Ages in Steeple Bumpstead split evenly at 48.8: half are older, half younger. People aged 15 to 24 make up a tenth of the town.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Steeple Bumpstead | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steeple Bumpstead | 1,376 | — | — | C | A− | A |
| Haverhill | 26,704 | 2.8 | C− | B− | C− | C+ |
| Kedington | 1,778 | 3.9 | — | C | A | B+ |
| Great Yeldham | 1,824 | 5.4 | — | B− | B− | A− |
| Clare | 2,278 | 6.2 | — | C− | B+ | A− |
| Great Bardfield | 1,372 | 6.6 | — | C | A− | A |
| Cock and End | 1,346 | 7.1 | — | C+ | D− | B− |
| Castle Hedingham | 1,045 | 7.4 | — | B− | A− | B+ |
Kedington, Great Yeldham, Clare, Great Bardfield, Cock and End and Castle Hedingham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 7.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Against all UK towns, it grades A−.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £402,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £250,000, semi-detached houses £315,000 and detached houses £440,000.
Village in Essex, England
Steeple Bumpstead is a built-up area of 1,376 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.