Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in Hampshire, South East, home to 8,072 people.
Homes are affordable here, though not without reasons. The weak point is schools: primary results beat 16% of towns in England; secondary results beat 28% of towns in England. Police record more crime here than in most towns: 33.8 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 14 home and vehicle crimes. Set beside UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, its crime per resident is higher than in 79%. Its strongest is cost of living: the median home sold for £320,000, 5 years of area income. Jobs and pay hold up well: the mean household earns £65,106 a year. Overall, that makes a C+, good for #59 of 76 in Hampshire. That leaves it better than 44% of UK towns.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · income, ONS · claimants, DWP · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026.
The thing Bursledon 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 Bursledon is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 26 buildings inside Bursledon’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade II*.
6% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bursledon. Best known first.
MuseumBursledon Windmillin town
CastleNetley Castle2.3 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumSolent Sky4.5 km outside town, to the west
PierHythe Pier, Railway and Ferry4.6 km outside town, to the west
PierHythe Pier4.9 km outside town, to the westFortFortNetley Abbey2.1 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 Bursledon.
54% of pupils at the 16 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Some 566 pupils attend Bursledon’s two primaries.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bursledon Junior School(CA)Largest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 304 | B− |
21% live in social housing, above both Hampshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,214 a month across the Eastleigh council area. Also worth knowing: the median sale, £320,000, comes from 319 standard sales inside Bursledon’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £550,000 | 101 |
| Semi-detached | £315,000 | 109 |
| Terraced | £261,000 | 80 |
| Flat or maisonette | £220,000 | 29 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
527 crimes and 108 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Bursledon’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Of all the crimes, 49% were violence and sexual offences. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 11.2 reports per 1,000, higher than both Hampshire’s towns (5.3) and England’s towns (7.8).
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 Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Walking, cycling and public transport carried just over one in ten commuters at the census; what’s more, 37% of commuters travelled under 5 km, below Hampshire’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. Jobs per working resident: 0.5. About 6% of its commuters stay in Bursledon for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
6% of its homes were built before 1919, lower than both Hampshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%). Grade II* covers 2 of them. Bursledon has 26 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 2 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
There is no GP practice in Bursledon: the nearest is 1 miles off. The nearest A&E to Bursledon is Southampton General Hospital, 6 miles away. Disability touches 16% of the town’s population.
| Census 2021 | Bursledon | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Children under 15 make up 19%, higher than both Hampshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are 9.8% of the population. Typical age in Bursledon: 38.5, the median.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bursledon | Hampshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.8% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 30% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 33% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hampshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
26 listed buildings in Bursledon.
Church of St Leonard: Photo: Gillian Moy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Jolly Sailor Public House: Photo: Henryrothery · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary: Photo: Peter Trimming · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Greyladyes: Photo: Stuart Logan · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
3 notable people were born in Bursledon.
Claude Grahame-White: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bursledon | 8,072 | — | C+ | A− | C− | C+ |
| Netley | 6,309 | 1.6 | C+ | B+ | C | C |
| Hamble-le-Rice | 4,613 | 2 | A− | A− | B− | A− |
| Hedge End | 23,195 | 2.1 | A | B+ | B | B+ |
| Whiteley | 9,350 | 2.6 | A− | B | C+ | A |
| Locks Heath | 35,744 | 2.7 | A | A− | B− | A |
| West End | 10,865 | 3 | B+ | A− | C+ | B+ |
| Botley | 5,900 | 3.1 | B | B− | C− | B+ |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results trail 72% of towns in England, and primary results trail 84% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Bursledon has 2 state schools; places are handled by Hampshire council.
Band D council tax in Bursledon is £2,312 for 2026–27, less than in 73% 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.
Town in Hampshire, England
Bursledon is a built-up area of 8,072 people, in the Eastleigh 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.