Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
43,694 residents make their home in this large town in Hertfordshire, East of England.
Cheshunt’s lowest grade is for cost of living (D): the median home sold for £430,000, 7.2 years of area income. The town grades C overall, better than 31% of UK towns. In the ranking it comes #46 of 50 in Hertfordshire. Safety is weaker too — 29.7 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 13.1 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 54%. Walking, cycling and public transport work well here: 22% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for schools, C+ for health and B− for jobs & income.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP.
The 2 things Cheshunt 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 Cheshunt is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 71 buildings inside Cheshunt’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
6% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Cheshunt. Best known first.
ZooHertfordshire Zoo2.2 km outside town, to the north
MuseumForty Hall Museum3 km outside town, to the south
GardenMyddelton House Gardens2.2 km outside town, to the south
MuseumEpping Forest District Museum2.2 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumLowewood Museum4.1 km outside town, to the northeastAbbey or prioryAbbey or prioryWaltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills900 m outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cheshunt.
Private renters make up 14% of households, below Hertfordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. The owner-occupied share of households is 71%. That is the middle of 1,490 standard sales inside Cheshunt’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £635,000 | 229 |
| Semi-detached | £475,000 | 422 |
| Terraced | £410,000 | 577 |
| Flat or maisonette | £240,000 | 262 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
GCSE results at the town’s 4 secondary schools: 46% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 46.6. Of its 18 schools, two are shown below, each with the reason. At the town’s 11 primary schools, 60% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flamstead End SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 474 | B |
| Goffs AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,574 | B+ |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 29% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Working mainly from home: 29% of workers, lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (39%) and England’s towns (31%). Jobs per working resident: 0.5. 31% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 3,394 crimes and 825 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Cheshunt’s built-up area. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 18.9 reports per 1,000, above Hertfordshire’s towns (14.2) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Of all the crimes, 39% were 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 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, 1 are Grade I and 2 Grade II*. Cheshunt’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. Relative to its size, Cheshunt keeps 16 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below both Hertfordshire’s towns (57) and England’s towns (39). 6% of homes date from before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
4 GP practices serve the town; 72% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Cheshunt is North Middlesex University Hospital, 6.7 miles away. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4.7% of the town.
| Census 2021 | Cheshunt | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 14% | 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.
Cheshunt has a median age of 40.4 years. Aged 15 to 24: just over one in ten residents. 18% are under 15, near Hertfordshire’s towns (19%) and higher than England’s towns (18%).
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Cheshunt | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 22% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hertfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
71 listed buildings in Cheshunt, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of St Mary: Photo: John Salmon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Green Dragon Public House: Photo: Mike Quinn · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Rose Cottage: Photo: Colin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cheshunt Public Library: Photo: Nigel Cox · CC BY-SA 2.0
10 notable people were born in Cheshunt.
Michael Dobbs: ©House of Lords / photography by Roger Harris, CC BY 3.0 · Andy Parker: Hasenläufer, CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Augustus Jessopp: Unknown photographer, Public domain · Preston Edwards: James Boyes, CC BY 2.0 · Nino Firetto: Radio100000, CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshunt | 43,694 | — | C | D | C | C+ |
| Waltham Cross | 11,936 | 1.6 | D | C− | D | C− |
| Goff's Oak | 3,503 | 1.9 | B+ | D | C | A |
| Cuffley | 4,350 | 3 | A | D | B | A+ |
| Waltham Abbey | 18,645 | 3 | D | C | D | C− |
| Lower Nazeing | 3,631 | 3.2 | B− | D | B− | B+ |
| Hoddesdon | 40,615 | 3.6 | B− | D | C | B |
| Enfield | 329,822 | 4.9 | C+ | C | C− | C+ |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £430,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £240,000, terraced houses £410,000, semi-detached houses £475,000 and detached houses £635,000.
About the middle for its size: 46% 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
Cheshunt is a built-up area of 43,694 people, in the Broxbourne 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.