Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2,811 people, this town lies in Essex, East of England.
A strong record with one exception. Recorded crime is low (A): 14 violent and sexual offences and 4.7 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Natural hazards weigh more here: 3.8% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. At a median £325,000, a home costs 5.4 times the yearly income of households in the Maldon council area. All told, that adds up to an A− overall and a rank of #24 of 81 in Essex. Nationally, it does better than 80% of UK towns. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for jobs & income and B for walkability.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021.
The 3 things Tollesbury 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 Tollesbury is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 29 buildings inside Tollesbury’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade II*.
31% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1918.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Tollesbury.
Police recorded 71 crimes inside Tollesbury’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 9 reports of anti-social behaviour. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Tollesbury has less crime per resident than 91% of them. 56% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. There were 2.1 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8).
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 one school here; it is shown below. At the 2 primary schools within 3 km, nearly three in five pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its one primary school teaches 169 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tollesbury SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 169 | B− |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Scaled to its population, that is 103 listed buildings for every 10,000 people in Tollesbury. Of the town’s land, 13% lies in conservation areas, above both Essex’s towns (3%) and England’s towns (7%). Grade II* covers 2 of them. Historic England’s list names 29 listed buildings in the town: 2 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
One GP practice serves the town; 76% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 85% of people in Tollesbury rate their own health good or very good. At the census, 15% of people here had a disability, lower than both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Tollesbury is Colchester General Hospital, 10.7 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Tollesbury | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Social housing holds 8% of households. 13% rent privately, lower than both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). Behind the median of £325,000: 75 standard sales inside Tollesbury’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £382,500 | 28 |
| Semi-detached | £319,500 | 30 |
| Terraced | £286,250 | 14 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
15% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.9% of 16 to 64s in 2026, lower than both Essex’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%). The average household earns £59K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Degrees are held by 27% of adults, near Essex’s towns (27%) and lower than England’s towns (34%). Aged 15 to 24: 9.3% of residents. Tollesbury has a median age of 48.7. Under 15: 16% of residents.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Tollesbury | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 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 Tollesbury. Best known first.
MuseumMersea Island Museum4.6 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumRadio Caroline Ross Revenge2.2 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionAbbots Hall Farm3.7 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
29 listed buildings in Tollesbury.
Church of St Mary the Virgin: Photo: Recent Runes · CC BY-SA 3.0 · The King's Head Public House: Photo: Recent Runes · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tollesbury | 2,811 | — | A− | B | A | A− |
| Ramsey Island | 1,139 | 3 | — | B− | A− | C+ |
| West Mersea | 7,071 | 3.8 | B | C+ | B+ | B+ |
| Tolleshunt Knights | 1,059 | 4 | — | C+ | A+ | A− |
| Tiptree | 9,302 | 5.3 | B+ | B | B− | B+ |
| Langenhoe and Abberton | 1,010 | 6 | — | B− | A | A− |
| Layer-de-la-Haye | 1,338 | 6.1 | — | C+ | A− | A |
| Mayland | 3,740 | 6.1 | C+ | C+ | B | B |
Ramsey Island, Tolleshunt Knights, Langenhoe and Abberton and Layer-de-la-Haye have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 4.2 times the typical UK town for its size.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Primary results trail 64% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Essex council.
Town in Essex, England
Tollesbury is a built-up area of 2,811 people, in the Maldon 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.
