Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 18,645 in Essex, East of England.
A town with more to fix than most. Crime runs high (D): 38.6 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 21.2 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 23%. Health is weaker too: life expectancy is 77.7 for men and 82.5 for women. Where it does best is walkability — 22% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Buying the median home, at £385,000, takes 6 years of household income in the Epping Forest council area. The overall grade comes out at D, better than just over a tenth of UK towns. That places it #76 of 81 in Essex.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Waltham Abbey 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 Waltham Abbey is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 72 buildings inside Waltham Abbey’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I, and 2 scheduled monuments.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 3 old photos and postcards going back to 1900.
Explore the history →Waltham, Massachusetts, is named after Waltham Abbey.
USUS editionWaltham, Massachusetts, settled in 1634, takes its name from this town.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Waltham Abbey. Best known first.
MuseumEpping Forest District Museumin town
Historic houseCopped Hall1.9 km outside town, to the east
MuseumForty Hall Museum4.1 km outside town, to the west
GardenMyddelton House Gardens3.6 km outside town, to the westAbbey or prioryAbbey or prioryWaltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills300 m outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumRSA Interpretation Centre1.1 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Waltham Abbey.
Among the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Waltham Abbey has more crime per resident than 77% of them. Police recorded 1,725 crimes inside the town’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 275 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 45% of recorded crime. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 11.5 reports per 1,000, above Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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.
GCSE results at the 6 secondary schools within 3 km: 37% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 42.8. Of its 4 schools, two are shown below, each with the reason. 59% of pupils at the town’s 3 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waltham Holy Cross Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 598 | B |
| King Harold Business & Enterprise AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 812 | D |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 26% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income came to £54K a year before tax, lower than Essex’s towns (£63K) and near England’s towns (£55K). For every resident in work, Waltham Abbey has 0.9 jobs. 30% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
2 GP practices serve the town; 88% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Waltham Abbey is North Middlesex University Hospital, 6.2 miles away. 5.4% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, about level with England’s towns (5.2%) and above Essex’s towns (4.8%).
| Census 2021 | Waltham Abbey | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The private rented sector houses 15% of households. Private rents average £1,844 a month across the Epping Forest council area. Behind the median of £385,000: 592 standard sales inside Waltham Abbey’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £575,000 | 51 |
| Semi-detached | £450,000 | 142 |
| Terraced | £386,000 | 228 |
| Flat or maisonette | £240,000 | 171 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
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 8% of the total, lower than both Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%). At the top of the list, 2 are Grade I and 13 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The age that splits Waltham Abbey in two is 40.6. People aged 15 to 24 make up 10% of the town, near Essex’s towns (11%) and lower than England’s towns (12%). Those 65 and older account for 18% of residents.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Waltham Abbey | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 24% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
72 listed buildings in Waltham Abbey, 2 of them Grade I.
Church of the Holy Cross and St Lawrence Ruins to East of Church of Holy Cross and St Lawrence: Photo: The wub · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ministry of Defence Building L157 (Group C Incorporating Mills): Photo: Chris Allen · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Midnight Chapel: Photo: The wub · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Welsh Harp Public House: Photo: Poliphilo · CC0
11 notable people were born in Waltham Abbey.
Kate Silverton: damo1977, CC BY 2.0 · Archibald Corble: Simon Corble, CC BY 2.0 · George Askwith, 1st Baron Askwith: Wallace Hester, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waltham Abbey | 18,645 | — | D | C | D | C− |
| Waltham Cross | 11,936 | 1.8 | D | C− | D | C− |
| Cheshunt | 43,694 | 3 | C | D | C | C+ |
| Lower Nazeing | 3,631 | 3.5 | B− | D | B− | B+ |
| Loughton | 33,338 | 3.6 | B | C− | C | B |
| Theydon Bois | 3,540 | 3.8 | A− | D | B− | A− |
| Buckhurst Hill | 11,749 | 4.3 | B+ | D | C | A− |
| Epping | 10,693 | 4.3 | B+ | D | C− | B |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results trail 75% of towns in England, and primary results trail 63% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £385,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £240,000, terraced houses £386,000, semi-detached houses £450,000 and detached houses £575,000.
Town in Essex, England
Waltham Abbey is a built-up area of 18,645 people, in the Epping Forest 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.