Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The village, home to 495 people, lies in Essex, East of England.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Widdington is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It has 34 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade I. Homes sell for a median £572,500.
The 3 things Widdington does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Widdington’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
37% 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 Widdington.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 50% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Working mainly from home: 50% of workers, above both Essex’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (31%). Driving is how 91% of commuters got to work at the census. Work in town: 4% of resident commuters. The average household earns £80K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
13% rent privately, below both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). Social renters account for 7% of households. From September 2023 to August 2026, 18 homes sold inside Widdington’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £572,500.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £825,000 | 7 |
| Terraced | £560,000 | 7 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences were just over four fifths of the crimes. Over the year to August 2026, 17 offences were reported in Widdington. Violent crime ran at 18.9 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Essex’s towns (23) and England’s towns (22).
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.
The nearest A&E to Widdington is The Princess Alexandra Hospital, 14.6 miles away. At the census, 91% of people in Widdington called their health good or very good, above both Essex’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). Just over one in ten residents in Widdington live with a disability. There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 1.9 miles off.
| Census 2021 | Widdington | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 91% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Widdington’s listed buildings include Prior's Hall, Grade I. Before 1919: that is when 37% of homes were built. Conservation areas cover 23% of the town’s land, above both Essex’s towns (3%) and England’s towns (7%). At the top of the list, 2 are Grade I and 2 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Line up the people of Widdington by age and the one in the middle is 49.5. Children under 15 count for 16% of the people here. People 65 and over make up 21% of the town, about level with Essex’s towns (20%) and above England’s towns (18%).
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Widdington | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 38% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 8.9% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 2.5% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 52% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widdington | 495 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Newport | 2,945 | 1.9 | A+ | B | B | A+ |
| Henham | 1,046 | 2.2 | — | B− | A | A+ |
| Elsenham | 3,414 | 3.1 | A | B+ | B | A |
| Saffron Walden | 16,609 | 4.1 | A+ | A− | B | A |
| Stansted Mountfitchet | 8,629 | 4.5 | A+ | B+ | B+ | A |
| Thaxted | 3,111 | 4.7 | B+ | B+ | C+ | A |
| Takeley and Little Canfield | 5,553 | 6.6 | A− | B+ | C− | B+ |
Henham has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 28.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Prior's Hall. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
By type: terraced houses £560,000 and detached houses £825,000. Private rents in the Uttlesford council area averaged £1,289 a month in August 2026.
Band D council tax in Widdington is £2,340 for 2026–27, less than in 68% 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
Widdington is a built-up area of 495 people, in the Uttlesford 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.