Sway’s story
2 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Sway’s built-up area.
16% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
SwayHampshire
It is a village of 2,437 residents in Hampshire, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Chris Downer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,437
Census 2021 · New Forest council
Median home
£590K
104 sales in 3 years
Median age
55.9
36% are 65+ · Hampshire 20%
Degree level
41%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
15%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Sway a good place to live?
Sway’s best grade is for schools (A+) — primary results beat 99% of towns in England. Prices are high against local incomes (D): the median home sold for £590,000, 10.4 years of area income. The rest of its grades are middling: B for safety, B− for walkability and B for hazard risk. 36% of residents are 65 or over.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency. Sway has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sway stand out
The 3 things Sway does most differently from other towns.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.1 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
36% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Primary results, towns in England
Schools
Primary results beat 99%
of towns in England, on Key Stage 2 reading, writing and maths
Department for Education.
How Sway grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Sway is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Sway has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
SchoolsPrimary results beat 99% of towns in EnglandA+Open →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnDOpen →HealthLife expectancy 82.6 for men, 85.5 for womenAOpen →Jobs & income1.8% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsA−Open →SafetyLess crime than in most townsBOpen →Hazard risk0.1% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaBOpen →WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History2 listed buildingsDOpen →Outdoors38% live within 400 m of a park; 74% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeB+Open →Civic life4.5 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryBOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sway.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Sway than in Hampshire’s towns or England’s towns: 13% are under 15
Aged 15 to 24: 7.8% of residents. People 65 and over make up 36% of the town, above Hampshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Sway has a median age of 55.9. Graduates make up 41% of adults.
55.9median age
SwayHampshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
36%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level41%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 90 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.
| Sway | Hampshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.8% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 36% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 33% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hampshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsA+
Results at Sway’s schools are among the best in England
St Luke's Church of England Primary School’s results beat 92% of schools in England like it. Its only school is listed below. Key Stage 2 results at the 4 primary schools within 3 km: 80% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
A+School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Luke's Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 191 | A |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
HousingCost of living grade D
Sway is a town of owners: 83% of households own their home, above Hampshire’s towns and England’s towns
Social housing holds 8% of households, lower than both Hampshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). The £590,000 median rests on 104 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026). Private rents average £1,244 a month across the New Forest council area.
£590Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Sway£590K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £724,643 | 60 |
| Semi-detached | £487,500 | 25 |
| Terraced | £425,000 | 13 |
| Flat or maisonette | £332,500 | 6 |
83%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,244
average private rent a month, New Forest council area
£2,352
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
More people in Sway say their health is bad than in Hampshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 6.9%
At the census, 80% of people in Sway called their health good or very good, lower than both Hampshire’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). A disability affects 21% of people locally. Men in Sway can expect to live to 82.6, women to 85.5 (2019–23). The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.3 miles away.
80%good or very good healthAHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Sway | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.9% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 17% | 17% |
82.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.5
life expectancy at birth, women
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.
History
Sway’s listed buildings: 2, all Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Relative to its size, Sway keeps 8 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below Hampshire’s towns (26) and England’s towns (39) alike. 16% of homes date from before 1919.
2listed buildingsDHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II2
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
16%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
8
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Homes in Sway see more burglary and damage than in Hampshire’s towns or England’s towns: 13.5 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences made up 57% of the total. Per 1,000 residents, 14 violent crimes are recorded each year. Police recorded 53 crimes inside Sway’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 9 reports of anti-social behaviour.
14violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 41% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual30
Damage & arson8
Other theft4
Public order3
Burglary3
Bicycle theft2
Drugs1
Vehicle crime1
Anti-social9
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.
14
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
53
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Work tends to be further away for Sway: 28% commute under 5 km, below Hampshire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 41% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
On foot, by bike or by bus and train: that was how 15% of commuters travelled at the census. Working mainly from home: just over two in five workers, higher than both Hampshire’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (31%). The average household earns £65K a year before tax. Of the commuters living in Sway, 6% work in the town itself.
15%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving81%
On foot7%
Bicycle4%
Train3%
Bus1%
28%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
41%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£65K
mean household income, before tax
1.8%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B−
Walkability: more walkable than 54% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sway
14pages on Sway
The big questions
SafetyB14 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingDMedian home £590K · rent £1,244 a monthHousing33 sold in 12 months · busiest street Manchester RoadSchoolsA+1 state schoolHealthALife expectancy 82.6 (men), 85.5 (women)Work & commuteA−58% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB0.1% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Sway’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
AshleyHordleBrockenhurstEvertonLymingtonNew MiltonBarton on SeaSway
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sway | 2,437 | — | — | D | B | A |
| Ashley | 7,730 | 2.3 | C+ | C− | B | B |
| Hordle | 1,158 | 2.4 | — | D | A | A |
| Brockenhurst | 3,484 | 2.5 | A | D | B+ | A+ |
| Everton | 1,615 | 3 | — | D | A+ | A+ |
| Lymington | 14,870 | 3.3 | B | D | C+ | A− |
| New Milton | 11,872 | 3.3 | C | C | C− | C+ |
| Barton on Sea | 6,763 | 4.1 | B+ | D | A | A− |
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.
Questions about Sway
Are schools in Sway good?
Primary results beat 99% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Hampshire council.
Is Sway expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £590,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £332,500, terraced houses £425,000, semi-detached houses £487,500 and detached houses £724,643.
About Sway
Village in Hampshire, England
Sway is a built-up area of 2,437 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
- Population
- 2,437 (Census 2021)
- Council
- New Forest
- County
- Hampshire
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006636
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.