Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 40,916 residents, it is a large town in Hertfordshire, East of England.
School results are strong: primary results beat 90% of towns in England; secondary results beat 93% of towns in England. Households here earn well: the mean household earns £71,623 a year. Crime is the sore point (C): 28.6 violent and sexual offences and 13.8 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Among UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 55%. It takes 6.3 years of household income in the East Hertfordshire council area to buy the median home, at £438,000. Hazards are a real consideration (C): 1.4% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. The overall grade lands at A, #8 of 50 in Hertfordshire. That leaves it better than 91% of UK towns.
Figures: income, ONS · claimants, DWP · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Bishop's Stortford 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 Bishop's Stortford is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 108 buildings inside Bishop's Stortford’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 2 old photos and postcards going back to 1905.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bishop's Stortford. Best known first.
MuseumSouth Mill Artsin town
CastleWaytemore Castle (remains)100 m outside town, to the northeast
Art galleryHenry Moore Foundation3.7 km outside town, to the southwest
CastleStansted Mountfitchet Castle2.4 km outside town, to the northeastPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustHatfield Forest2.5 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bishop's Stortford.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 40% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Short trips to work, under 5 km: 38%, below Hertfordshire’s towns (41%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. At the census, 30% of commuters got to work without a car. Also worth knowing: about 32% of its commuters stay in Bishop's Stortford for work. The car carried 68% of commuters at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Thorley Hill Primary School’s results beat 98% of schools in England like it. Three of its 19 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 12 primary schools: 71% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northgate Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 455 | A |
| The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science CollegeLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,508 | A |
| Thorley Hill Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 228 | A+ |
At the census, 3% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. 87% of Bishop's Stortford’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, higher than both Hertfordshire’s towns (85%) and England’s towns (82%). 3 GP practices serve the town; 75% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Life expectancy here is 85.4 for women and 81.9 for men (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Bishop's Stortford | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 14% | 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.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
44% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 2,715 recorded crimes inside Bishop's Stortford’s built-up area, and 885 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 20.6 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Hertfordshire’s towns (14.2) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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.
11% live in social housing, below both Hertfordshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Owners make up just over two thirds of households. Private rents average £1,533 a month across the East Hertfordshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £630,000 | 616 |
| Semi-detached | £450,000 | 512 |
| Terraced | £372,500 | 392 |
| Flat or maisonette | £260,000 | 423 |
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.
Bishop's Stortford’s listed buildings include the Church of St Michael, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 9% of the total. At the top of the list, 1 are Grade I and 5 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Typical age in Bishop's Stortford: 40.2, the median. Retirement age and beyond: 15% of residents are 65 or older. Degrees are held by 41% of adults, about level with Hertfordshire’s towns (39%) and above England’s towns (34%).
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bishop's Stortford | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.3% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hertfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
108 listed buildings in Bishop's Stortford, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of St Michael: Photo: Marcel Lesky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Boar's Head Inn: Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Tissimans: Photo: Julian Osley · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Star Inn: Photo: Robin Webster · CC BY-SA 2.0
50 notable people were born in Bishop's Stortford.
Cecil John Rhodes: unattributed, Public domain · Minette Walters: Rolandwalters at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Caroline Spelman: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0 · Michael Wright: Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mike Taylor: Matt Wedel, CC BY 4.0 · Robert Kirby: Profstandwellback, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop's Stortford | 40,916 | — | A | C+ | C | A |
| Little Hallingbury | 1,434 | 2.1 | — | B− | A− | A |
| Stansted Mountfitchet | 8,629 | 2.9 | A+ | B+ | B+ | A |
| Hadham Cross | 1,275 | 3.8 | — | C− | A− | B |
| Sawbridgeworth | 10,471 | 3.8 | A− | C+ | C+ | B+ |
| Hatfield Heath | 1,789 | 4.2 | — | B− | B+ | A |
| Elsenham | 3,414 | 4.5 | A | B+ | B | A |
| Takeley and Little Canfield | 5,553 | 5.2 | A− | B+ | C− | B+ |
Little Hallingbury, Hadham Cross and Hatfield Heath have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results beat 93% of towns in England, and primary results beat 90% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £438,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £260,000, terraced houses £372,500, semi-detached houses £450,000 and detached houses £630,000.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About the middle for its size: 45% 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.
Large town in Hertfordshire, England
Bishop's Stortford is a built-up area of 40,916 people, in the East Hertfordshire 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.