Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A large town of 27,395 in Essex, East of England.
Witham grades C overall against UK towns: better than 30% of UK towns, and #63 of 81 in Essex. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): 22% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is safety (C−): 37.9 violent and sexual offences and 13.6 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 37%. The median home sold for £315,000 in the last three years, 5.3 times what households in the Braintree council area earn in a year.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Witham is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 96 buildings inside Witham’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 2 old photos and postcards going back to 1905.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Witham.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 29% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
3.3% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, above Essex’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. At the census, 75% of commuters went by car. Witham counts 0.8 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
58% of pupils at the town’s 5 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below are three of its 8 schools, each with why it was picked. Secondary results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 41.6, with 39% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chipping Hill Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 421 | B+ |
| Lift MaltingsLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 787 | C |
| Holy Family Catholic Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 201 | A− |
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Reported offences in Witham came to 1,929 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 277. Violence and sexual offences made up 52% of the total. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 8.5 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.
The nearest A&E to Witham is Broomfield Hospital, 7.3 miles away. 4 GP practices serve the town; 63% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 17% of people here had a disability, close to both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%).
| Census 2021 | Witham | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.1% | 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 answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Typical age in Witham: 38.9, the median. 10% of the population is aged 15 to 24, about level with Essex’s towns (11%) and below England’s towns (12%). The under-15s are 19% of the population here.
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Witham | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Private rents average £1,213 a month across the Braintree council area. Behind the median of £315,000: 1,234 standard sales inside Witham’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. 62% of households are owner-occupiers.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £500,000 | 230 |
| Semi-detached | £365,000 | 293 |
| Terraced | £300,000 | 424 |
| Flat or maisonette | £186,000 | 287 |
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.
Before 1919: that is when 4% of homes were built. Witham’s listed buildings include the Church of St Nicolas, Grade I. It has one scheduled monument.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Witham. Best known first.
MuseumCressing Temple Barns2.6 km outside town, to the north
MuseumThe Museum of Power4 km outside town, to the southAttractionAttractionAstaria4 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
96 listed buildings in Witham, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of St Nicolas: Photo: John Salmon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Spread Eagle Hotel: Photo: Robert Edwards · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Avenue House Newbury House: Photo: Jim Osley · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Whitehall Cinema: Photo: Julian Osley · CC BY-SA 2.0
15 notable people were born in Witham.
Olly Murs: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · James Winslow: David Merrett from Daventry, England, CC BY 2.0 · Lee Boylan: https://www.flickr.com/photos/juddy666/, CC BY 2.0 · John Richard Robinson: Prspiring, CC0 · William Henry Rodes Green: Photographer Camille Silvy, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Witham | 27,395 | — | C | B | C− | C |
| Wickham Bishops | 1,923 | 2.3 | — | C | A | A |
| Hatfield Peverel | 3,622 | 2.3 | C+ | C− | C | B− |
| Great Totham | 2,773 | 3 | A+ | C+ | A+ | A |
| Silver End | 3,913 | 3.4 | C− | B− | C | C |
| Kelvedon and Feering | 4,771 | 4.1 | A− | C | C+ | B |
| Tye Green | 1,415 | 4.4 | — | C+ | B− | C |
| Black Notley | 1,932 | 4.5 | — | C+ | B+ | B+ |
Wickham Bishops, Tye Green and Black Notley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
About the middle for its size: 63% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C−.
GCSE results trail 76% of towns in England, and primary results trail 70% (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.
Large town in Essex, England
Witham is a built-up area of 27,395 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.