Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 35,220: a large town in Hertfordshire, East of England.
The picture is mixed. Work and incomes are strong: the mean household earns £68,218 a year. Buying in is costly: homes sell for a median £450,000, about 6.7 times local household income. It also trails on hazard risk: 1.2% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Overall, that makes an A−, good for #17 of 50 in Hertfordshire. On that grade it does better than 84% of UK towns. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for safety and B for health.
Figures: income and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026.
The 3 things Hitchin 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 Hitchin is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 200 buildings inside Hitchin’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I.
15% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 3 old photos and postcards going back to 1900.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hitchin.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 47% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For every resident in work, Hitchin has 0.9 jobs. 47% of workers worked mainly from home, higher than both Hertfordshire’s towns (39%) and England’s towns (31%). The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 2.3%.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Hitchin Girls' School’s results beat 93% of schools in England like it. Nearly two thirds of pupils at the town’s 10 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Three of its 16 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. GCSE results at the town’s 3 secondary schools: 64% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 55.2.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highover Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 433 | B |
| Hitchin Boys' SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,364 | A |
| Hitchin Girls' SchoolTop results in townSecondary | Secondary | 1,357 | A |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 12 of them, Grade I 2. Hitchin’s listed buildings include the Church of Saint Mary, Grade I. 15% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than Hertfordshire’s towns (12%) yet lower than England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
3 GP practices serve the town; 78% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 86% of Hitchin’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, close to Hertfordshire’s towns (85%) and above England’s towns (82%). A disability affects 15% of people locally.
| Census 2021 | Hitchin | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.4% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 14% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Private rents average £1,434 a month across the North Hertfordshire council area. The private rented sector houses nearly a fifth of households. 65% of households own their home, near Hertfordshire’s towns (64%) and higher than England’s towns (61%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £780,000 | 271 |
| Semi-detached | £553,750 | 462 |
| Terraced | £435,000 | 360 |
| Flat or maisonette | £254,812 | 490 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Of all the crimes, 43% were violence and sexual offences. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 1,927 crimes and 576 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Hitchin’s built-up area. Among the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Hitchin has less crime per resident than 74% of them. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 15.4 reports per 1,000, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (14.2) and England’s towns (7.8).
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.
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8.9% of the population. Ages in Hitchin split evenly at 41.1: half are older, half younger. 18% are under 15, close to Hertfordshire’s towns (19%) and above England’s towns (18%).
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Hitchin | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.8% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 48% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hertfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Hitchin. Best known first.
MuseumBritish schools museumin town
MuseumNorth Hertfordshire Museumin townWater parkWater parkBancroft Splash Parkin townMuseumMuseumGarden City Collection Study Centre1.6 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumLetchworth Community Museum2.4 km outside town, to the northeastHistoric siteHistoric siteHawker Hunter WT6124.9 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
200 listed buildings in Hitchin, 2 of them Grade I.
Church of Saint Mary: Photo: Jack1956 · CC0 · Biggin Almshouses: Photo: Humphrey Bolton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Western House: Photo: No Swan So Fine · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Purwell Mill: Photo: Humphrey Bolton · CC BY-SA 2.0
84 notable people were born in Hitchin.
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: Richard Stone, Public domain · Gavin McInnes: Steven Crowder, CC BY 3.0 · George Chapman: Photo British Museum; engraving W. Hole, 1616, Public domain · Kevin Phillips: Jameboy, Public domain · James Bay: Ralph Arvesen from Round Mountain, Texas, CC BY 2.0 · Graham Poll: Tal Ofer, CC BY-SA 3.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitchin | 35,220 | — | A− | C+ | B− | B |
| Ickleford | 1,936 | 1.4 | — | C− | B | B+ |
| Little Wymondley | 1,003 | 2 | — | B− | C | C+ |
| Letchworth | 33,993 | 2.8 | C+ | B− | C | C+ |
| Pirton | 1,452 | 2.9 | — | C− | A | A− |
| Lower Stondon | 3,966 | 3.9 | B+ | B | B | A− |
| Arlesey | 6,027 | 4.3 | B | A− | B− | B− |
| Baldock | 10,613 | 4.4 | B+ | B | C | C+ |
Ickleford, Little Wymondley and Pirton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2.3 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include The Priory.
Primary results beat 71%.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £450,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £254,812, terraced houses £435,000, semi-detached houses £553,750 and detached houses £780,000.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Large town in Hertfordshire, England
Hitchin is a built-up area of 35,220 people, in the North 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.