Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3,484 residents make their home in this town in Hampshire, South East.
Much to like here, and you pay for it. Its strongest is schools (A+): primary results beat 96% of towns in England. Overall, Brockenhurst earns an A: better than 91% of UK towns, and #24 of 76 in Hampshire. Residents are healthier than most: life expectancy is 82.6 for men and 85.5 for women. The drawback is cost of living — homes sell for a median £832,500, about 14.7 times local household income. Hazards are a real consideration (D): 5.5% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency.
The 3 things Brockenhurst 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 Brockenhurst is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 18 buildings inside Brockenhurst’s built-up area.
25% 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 1900.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Brockenhurst.
Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 7.7% of the town. Children under 15 make up 14%, lower than both Hampshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Half of Brockenhurst is older than 55.1, half younger. Among adults, 49% have a degree.
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Brockenhurst | Hampshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.7% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 34% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 9.8% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.4% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 49% | 33% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hampshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Key Stage 2 results at the 2 primary schools within 3 km: 75% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). There is one school here; it is shown below. Its one primary school teaches 231 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brockenhurst Church of England Primary School & Pre-SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 231 | A− |
One GP practice serves the town; 73% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 86% of people in Brockenhurst called their health good or very good, above both Hampshire’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). 3.6% of residents report bad or very bad health. The nearest A&E to Brockenhurst is Southampton General Hospital, 10.1 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Brockenhurst | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
9% live in social housing, below both Hampshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Renting privately is how 13% of households live. No town in Hampshire costs more to buy into than Brockenhurst, at £832,500, the highest of 77.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,065,000 | 96 |
| Semi-detached | £740,000 | 17 |
| Terraced | £550,000 | 19 |
| Flat or maisonette | £171,250 | 30 |
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 49% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
24% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, between Hampshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (27%). The census counted 49% of workers working mainly from home. For every resident in work, Brockenhurst has 1.5 jobs.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 130 crimes and 9 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Brockenhurst’s built-up area. Violent crime comes to 14 per 1,000 residents a year. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2.5 reports per 1,000, lower than both Hampshire’s towns (5.4) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for 26% of recorded crime.
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Every one of Brockenhurst’s 18 listed buildings sits at Grade II, the most common listing. Of the town’s land, 23% lies in conservation areas, above Hampshire’s towns (4%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. Listed buildings per head: 52 for every 10,000 residents of the town.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
18 listed buildings in Brockenhurst.
Morant Arms: Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Brockenhurst Baptist Church: Photo: Hassocks5489 · CC0 · Church of St Saviours: Photo: Richard Rogerson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ash Cottages: Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
4 notable people were born in Brockenhurst.
Charlotte Hough: Open Media Ltd., CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brockenhurst | 3,484 | — | A | D | B+ | A+ |
| Sway | 2,437 | 2.5 | — | D | B | A |
| Lyndhurst | 2,462 | 3.8 | — | D | B | A |
| Lymington | 14,870 | 4.5 | B | D | C+ | A− |
| Hordle | 1,158 | 4.8 | — | D | A | A |
| Ashley | 7,730 | 4.8 | C+ | C− | B | B |
| Everton | 1,615 | 5.1 | — | D | A+ | A+ |
| New Milton | 11,872 | 5.7 | C | C | C− | C+ |
Sway, Lyndhurst, Hordle and Everton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £832,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £171,250, terraced houses £550,000, semi-detached houses £740,000 and detached houses £1,065,000.
Primary results beat 96% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Hampshire council.
That is 2.1 times the typical UK town for its size.
Town in Hampshire, England
Brockenhurst is a built-up area of 3,484 people, in the New 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.