The data are hard on it. Schools are its weak spot — primary results beat 13% of towns in England; secondary results beat 2% of towns in England. Gosport’s overall grade, C−, puts it better than 17% of UK towns. It ranks #72 of 76 in Hampshire. Police record more crime here than in most towns: police record 43.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 13 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has less crime per resident than 61%. Where it does best is walkability — nearly a quarter of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Buying the median home, at £245,000, takes 4.4 years of household income in the Gosport council area.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Gosport is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Gosport.
SchoolsD−
Gosport’s schools fall behind 96% of towns in England on results
D−School Grade
Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 16 primary schools: 52% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below are two of its 28 schools, each with why it was picked. GCSE results at the town’s 2 secondary schools: just over a quarter of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 34.9.
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 28 schools →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
3.9% of 16 to 64s in Gosport claim unemployment benefits, more than in both Hampshire’s towns and England’s towns
23%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For 55% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Work in town: 38% of resident commuters. Households had £54K a year before tax, lower than Hampshire’s towns (£67K) and near England’s towns (£55K). Also worth knowing: just over a fifth of workers did their job mainly from home at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Gosport has more crime per resident than 85% of UK towns
43.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC−Safety Grade
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
There were 11.1 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both Hampshire’s towns (5.3) and England’s towns (7.8). 5,144 crimes and 836 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Gosport’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 51% of recorded crime.
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 61% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual2,619
Public order489
Other theft478
Damage & arson470
Shoplifting279
Drugs204
Vehicle crime156
Other crime123
Anti-social836
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.
43.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
Health
Only 79% of people in Gosport say their health is good or very good, fewer than in both Hampshire’s towns and England’s towns
79%good or very good healthC−Health Grade
Women here live to 82.1 on average and men to 78.5 (2019–23). A disability affects 21% of people in Gosport; what’s more, at the census, 5.6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above Hampshire’s towns (4.3%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. 5 GP practices serve the town; 64% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
HousingCost of living grade B
Gosport’s grade for cost of living grade: a B
£245Kmedian sale
No town in Hampshire costs less to buy into than Gosport, at £245,000, the lowest of 77. Private rents average £1,169 a month across the Gosport council area. Half of the 2,677 standard sales inside the town’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £245,000.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Gosport£245K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£400,000
241
Semi-detached
£290,000
663
Terraced
£237,500
1,165
Flat or maisonette
£149,997
608
62%
of households own their home · England 61%
19%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,169
average private rent a month, Gosport council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
History
A town of 160 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade I
160listed buildingsBHistory Grade
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
At the top of the list, 2 are Grade I and 13 Grade II*. Gosport’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. It has one registered historic park or garden.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in Gosport than in Hampshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 24% of adults
42.6median age
The share aged 15 to 24 is 11%. At 42.6, the median resident of Gosport sits in the middle of the age range. 20% of residents are 65 or over, near Hampshire’s towns (20%) and higher than England’s towns (18%).
GosportHampshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
20%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar20%
Degree level24%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenEnglandMen
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Matt Ritchie: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/cfcunofficial/ @cfcunofficial (Chelsea Debs) London ], CC BY-SA 2.0 · Richard Dawson: Richard Dawson and Ulla Stromstedt in Hogan's Heroes - 1968.jpg: Maury Foldare & Associates, Beverly Hills-publicity agency derivative work: EditorE, Public domain · Jacob Dawson: National Lottery Good Causes, CC BY 3.0 · Colin Nutley: Frankie Fouganthin, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Gosport
Large town in Hampshire, England
Gosport is a built-up area of 70,120 people, in the Gosport 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.
Knowle and Seaview and Nettlestone have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Gosport
Is Gosport safe?
About the middle for its size: 39% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them far smaller, it grades C−.
Does Gosport flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
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.
