Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 15,305: a town in Hampshire, South East. 52% of households own their home outright.
Several subjects drag its grade down. Schools are its weak spot (D): primary results beat just over a fifth of towns in England; secondary results beat 3% of towns in England. Hazard risk is weaker too (D): 7.4% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. It takes 6.4 years of household income in the Havant council area to buy the median home, at £335,000. Fewer journeys need a car: on the way to work, 16% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. All told, that adds up to a D− overall, better than 4% of UK towns.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS.
The 3 things South Hayling 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 South Hayling is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 15 buildings inside South Hayling’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
7% 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 1892.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near South Hayling. Best known first.
Theme parkFunland Hayling Islandin town
Fort · English HeritageFort Cumberland1.8 km outside town, to the west
CastleWarblingon Castle4.8 km outside town, to the north
MuseumRoyal Marines Museum3.4 km outside town, to the west
MuseumEastney Beam Engine House2.7 km outside town, to the west
FortLumps Fort4.4 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in South Hayling.
Children under 15 count for just over a tenth of the people here. 7.7% of residents are 15 to 24, lower than both Hampshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). At 57.2, the median resident of South Hayling sits in the middle of the age range. Graduates make up 28% of adults.
52% women, 48% men
About 91 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.
| South Hayling | Hampshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.7% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 37% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 33% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hampshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Between them, four primaries and one secondary teach 1,283 pupils in South Hayling. Below are two of its 5 schools, each with why it was picked. At the town’s 2 primary schools, 55% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Rythe Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 248 | B− |
| The Hayling CollegeLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 516 | D |
9% live in social housing, lower than both Hampshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,151 a month across the Havant council area. Behind the median of £335,000: 689 standard sales inside South Hayling’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £450,000 | 294 |
| Semi-detached | £336,250 | 148 |
| Terraced | £285,000 | 59 |
| Flat or maisonette | £165,000 | 188 |
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.
7% of its homes were built before 1919, below both Hampshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%). Grade II* covers 1 of them. South Hayling has 10 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 912 recorded crimes inside South Hayling’s built-up area, and 124 reports of anti-social behaviour. Burglary and damage came to 10.9 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Hampshire’s towns (8.5) and England’s towns (9.4). Also worth knowing: 55% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
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.
A third of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Household income came to £49K a year before tax, below Hampshire’s towns (£67K) and England’s towns (£55K) alike. There are 0.5 jobs in South Hayling for each resident in work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
2 GP practices serve the town; 79% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Self-reported good health: 76% of South Hayling’s residents. At the census, 6.7% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above Hampshire’s towns (4.3%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. The nearest A&E to South Hayling is Queen Alexandra Hospital, 6.1 miles away.
| Census 2021 | South Hayling | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 76% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.7% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 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.
15 listed buildings in South Hayling.
Church of St Mary: Photo: Paweł 'pbm' Szubert · CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Royal Hotel: Photo: N Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 35-53, Norfolk Crescent: Photo: IanDWheatley · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Shades Public House: Photo: Basher Eyre · CC BY-SA 2.0
8 notable people were born in South Hayling.
George Bell: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain · Marjorie Bowen: Unknown photographer, Public domain · Maurice Wilks: Bill Nicholls, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gary Mehigan: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Hayling | 15,305 | — | D− | C− | C | C+ |
| Stoke | 1,267 | 2.1 | — | D | B+ | B |
| West Thorney | 1,729 | 3.1 | — | C | A+ | A− |
| Emsworth | 11,512 | 4.7 | C+ | D | B− | A− |
| Southbourne | 4,150 | 4.9 | C+ | D | B− | B+ |
| East Wittering | 6,060 | 5 | C− | D | B+ | B |
| Portsmouth | 223,324 | 5 | D | C+ | D | C− |
| Havant | 46,964 | 5.2 | D− | C+ | D | C− |
Stoke and West Thorney have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About the middle for its size: 51% 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.
Town in Hampshire, England
South Hayling is a built-up area of 15,305 people, in the Havant 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.