Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 247 in Kent, South East.
Appledore has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Appledore does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 26 buildings inside Appledore’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
37% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Appledore.
28% of residents have reached 65. Line up the people of Appledore by age and the one in the middle is 53.6. Those aged 15 to 24 account for 9.7% of residents. Degrees are held by 41% of adults, higher than both Kent’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%).
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Appledore | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.3% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
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.
1.6% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, lower than both Kent’s towns (2.7%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Driving is how 86% of commuters got to work at the census. The census found 14% of commuters going to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds 4% of households, below both Kent’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,248 a month across the Ashford council area. 22% of households are private tenants.
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Per 1,000 residents, 44.5 violent crimes are recorded each year. Police recorded 5 crimes inside Appledore’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 60% of the total.
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.
At the census, 16% of people here had a disability, below both Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). Appledore has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.1 miles away. The nearest A&E to Appledore is William Harvey Hospital, 9.4 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Appledore | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.8% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 18% | 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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 100% of Appledore’s land, above Kent’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. The town’s listed buildings include the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Grade I. Scaled to its population, that is 1,053 listed buildings for every 10,000 people in the town. It counts 26 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appledore | 247 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Woodchurch | 1,201 | 3.1 | — | C− | B+ | B− |
| Hamstreet | 1,738 | 3.7 | — | C | B− | B |
| Tenterden | 7,775 | 5.2 | C | C− | C | B+ |
| Shadoxhurst | 1,009 | 5.5 | — | C− | A | B− |
| Rye | 4,888 | 6.1 | D− | D− | D | B− |
| Camber | 1,132 | 6.6 | — | D− | D− | C+ |
| Bethersden | 1,008 | 6.9 | — | C− | B+ | B− |
Woodchurch, Hamstreet, Shadoxhurst, Camber and Bethersden have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 43.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Peter and St Paul. 37% of Appledore’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Band D council tax in Appledore is £2,417 for 2026–27, less than in 55% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Village in Kent, England
Appledore is a built-up area of 247 people, in the Ashford 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.