Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village in Essex, East of England, home to 525 people.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Sturmer is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 4% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 12, with 1 at Grade I. Homes sell for a median £447,500.
The 3 things Sturmer does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Sturmer’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
21% 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 Sturmer.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income came to £61K a year before tax, about level with Essex’s towns (£63K) and above England’s towns (£55K). Just over a quarter of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Of the commuters living in Sturmer, 2% work in the town itself. In 2026, 0.9% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Renting privately is how 8% of households live. 4% live in social housing, below Essex’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £1,213 a month across the Braintree council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £455,000 | 13 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Burglary and damage came to 7.6 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Essex’s towns (10.6) and England’s towns (9.4). The 12 months to August 2026 brought 11 recorded crimes inside Sturmer’s built-up area, and 1 reports of anti-social behaviour. Of all the crimes, 18% were violence and sexual offences.
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.
There is no GP practice in Sturmer: the nearest is 1.9 miles off. The nearest A&E to Sturmer is West Suffolk Hospital, 15.1 miles away. At the census, 4.4% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2021 | Sturmer | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
21% of its homes were built before 1919, above Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Sturmer’s listed buildings include the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Grade I. Grade II* covers 1 of them, Grade I 1.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
28% of adults hold a degree. People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town, higher than both Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 9.6% of residents. Ages in Sturmer split evenly at 48.9: half are older, half younger.
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Sturmer | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sturmer | 525 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kedington | 1,778 | 1.8 | — | C | A | B+ |
| Haverhill | 26,704 | 2 | C− | B− | C− | C+ |
| Steeple Bumpstead | 1,376 | 2 | — | C | A− | A |
| Clare | 2,278 | 4.7 | — | C− | B+ | A− |
| Cock and End | 1,346 | 5.1 | — | C+ | D− | B− |
| Great Yeldham | 1,824 | 5.3 | — | B− | B− | A− |
| Castle Hedingham | 1,045 | 7.6 | — | B− | A− | B+ |
Kedington, Steeple Bumpstead, Clare, Cock and End, Great Yeldham 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 9.4 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.
Band D council tax in Sturmer is £2,290 for 2026–27, less than in 76% 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.
Village in Essex, England
Sturmer is a built-up area of 525 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.