West Horndon’s story
No listed buildings inside West Horndon’s built-up area
3% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
West HorndonEssex
The village, home to 1,648 people, lies in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Terryjoyce · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,648
Census 2021 · Brentwood council
Median home
£490K
83 sales in 3 years
Median age
44.1
20% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
27%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
18%
of commuters · England 27%
Is West Horndon a good place to live?
West Horndon’s best grade is for jobs & income — households earn a mean £76,073 a year, and 1.9% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Residents are healthier than most: life expectancy is 81.5 for men and 85.3 for women. Housing is expensive: the median home sold for £490,000, 6.7 years of area income. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for safety and B− for schools.
Figures: income and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. West Horndon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
How West Horndon grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far West Horndon is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
West Horndon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Jobs & incomeIn the top fifth of the towns comparedA+Open →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →HealthBased on how healthy residents are for their agesA−Open →Walkability18% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transportB+Open →Cost of livingHomes are harder to afford than in most townsC+Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 51% of towns in EnglandB−Open →SafetyBased on crimes reported per residentB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsD−Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 2.2 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC+Open →Civic life2.4 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryCOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes West Horndon stand out
The 3 things West Horndon does most differently from other towns.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.8 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Household income, against UK towns
Work
Mean, before tax: higher than in 96% of UK towns
ONS small-area income estimates.
Rent against income, UK towns
Renting
£1,620 a month
Average private rent, 27% of what households in the area earn: more than in 86% of UK towns
ONS private rents, Brentwood council area.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in West Horndon.
History
Most of West Horndon is newer: only 3% of homes were built before 1919, below Essex’s towns and England’s towns
0listed buildingsD−History Grade
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside West Horndon’s built-up area.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
3%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
SchoolsB−
On exam results, West Horndon’s schools beat 52% of towns in England
B−School Grade
At the 3 primary schools within 3 km, 62% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its one school is below. 180 pupils attend West Horndon’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Horndon Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 180 | B |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Health
Fewer people in West Horndon live with a disability than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 15%
84%good or very good healthA−Health Grade
There is no GP practice in West Horndon: the nearest is 2.8 miles off. Asked at the census, 84% of residents of West Horndon said they were in good or very good health. The nearest A&E to West Horndon is Basildon University Hospital, 4.7 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | West Horndon | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
81.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.3
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Commuters in West Horndon travel far: only 11% go under 5 km, fewer than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
18%walk, cycle or ride
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.
The car took 79% of commuters, above both Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). Each working resident is matched by 1.8 jobs in West Horndon.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving79%
Train12%
On foot4%
Underground, tram2%
11%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
40%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£76K
mean household income, before tax
1.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B+
Walkability: more walkable than 71% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C+
Most households in West Horndon own their home: 84%, more than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
£490Kmedian sale
14% rent privately, below Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. From September 2023 to August 2026, 83 homes sold inside West Horndon’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £490,000. Private rents average £1,620 a month across the Brentwood council area.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
West Horndon£490K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £530,000 | 17 |
| Semi-detached | £492,500 | 44 |
| Terraced | £487,000 | 10 |
| Flat or maisonette | £211,750 | 12 |
84%
of households own their home · England 61%
14%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,620
average private rent a month, Brentwood council area
£2,289
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
West Horndon records more burglary and damage per resident than Essex’s towns or England’s towns, at 20.5 per 1,000 a year
11.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB−Safety Grade
West Horndon logged 74 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 9 complaints of anti-social conduct. The violent crime rate is 11.6 per 1,000 residents a year. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2 reports per 1,000, lower than both Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences made up 23% of the total.
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 30% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Vehicle crime26
Violence & sexual17
Burglary14
Damage & arson6
Other theft5
Public order4
Shoplifting1
Other crime1
Anti-social9
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.
11.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
20.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
74
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in West Horndon than in Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 16% are under 15
44.1median age
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8.8% of residents, lower than both Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Line up the people of West Horndon by age and the one in the middle is 44.1. Degrees are held by 27% of adults.
West HorndonEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
20%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level27%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| West Horndon | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about West Horndon
14pages on West Horndon
The big questions
SafetyB−11.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingC+Median home £490K · rent £1,620 a monthHousing27 sold in 12 months · busiest street Thorndon AvenueSchoolsB−1 state schoolHealthA−Life expectancy 81.5 (men), 85.3 (women)Work & commuteA+60% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
About West Horndon
Village in Essex, England
West Horndon is a built-up area of 1,648 people, in the Brentwood 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
- Population
- 1,648 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Brentwood
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004803
West Horndon’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Ingrave and HerongateBrentwoodHorndon on the HillOrsettSouth OckendonSouthfieldsBasildonWest Horndon
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Horndon | 1,648 | — | — | C+ | B− | A− |
| Ingrave and Herongate | 1,856 | 2.2 | — | C− | A− | A |
| Brentwood | 55,339 | 4 | A− | C+ | C | B |
| Horndon on the Hill | 1,510 | 4 | — | D | A− | B+ |
| Orsett | 1,428 | 4.2 | — | D | C | B+ |
| South Ockendon | 22,441 | 4.7 | C+ | C | C− | D |
| Southfields | 1,167 | 4.8 | — | C− | A− | A− |
| Basildon | 115,935 | 5.2 | D | C+ | D− | D |
Ingrave and Herongate, Horndon on the Hill, Orsett and Southfields have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about West Horndon
Is West Horndon expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £490,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £211,750, terraced houses £487,000, semi-detached houses £492,500 and detached houses £530,000.
Does West Horndon flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
How much is council tax in West Horndon?
Band D council tax in West Horndon is £2,289 for 2026–27, less than in 77% 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.
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.