Blean’s story
4 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Blean’s built-up area.
12% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BleanKent
A village of 1,327 in Kent, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Thomas Grant · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,327
Census 2021 · Canterbury council
Median home
£410K
37 sales in 3 years
Median age
52.3
32% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
41%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
18%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Blean a good place to live?
Blean has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is jobs & income (A): mean household income £66,641; 1.5% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Its weakest is schools (D): primary results beat 25% of towns in England; secondary results beat 1% of towns in England. The median home sold for £410,000 in the last three years, 7.3 times what households in the Canterbury council area earn in a year.
What makes Blean stand out
The 3 things Blean does most differently from other towns.
87%of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
Safety
Less crime than 87%
of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
Per resident, police.uk, 3 years.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
32% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Own outright
Housing
59% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
How Blean grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Blean is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeAOpen →SafetyAOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 25% of towns in England; secondary results beat 1% of towns in EnglandDOpen →Cost of livingrent £1,280 a monthDOpen →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →HealthLife expectancy 82.9 for men, 86.1 for womenA−Open →WalkabilityB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryC−Open →Outdoors80% live within 400 m of a park; 5.9 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsA−Open →Civic life3.8 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryBOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Canterbury Cathedral and 16 more in and around Blean
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Blean. Best known first.
CathedralCanterbury Cathedral2.9 km outside town, to the southeast
Abbey or priory · English HeritageSaint Augustine's Abbey3.3 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleCanterbury Castle2.9 km outside town, to the southeast
FortCanterbury city walls2.9 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumThe Marlowe Kit2.7 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumCanterbury Roman Museum2.9 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Canterbury Cathedral: Hans Musil, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Saint Augustine's Abbey: Rob Farrow, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canterbury Castle: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canterbury city walls: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Marlowe Kit: Storye book, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canterbury Roman Museum: Linda Spashett (Storye book), CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Blean.
Who lives here
An older town: 32% of people in Blean are 65 or over, more than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns
Blean sits above both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%) on this measure. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 7.3% of the population. Blean has a median age of 52.3.
52.3median age
BleanKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
32%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level41%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 88 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.
| Blean | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 32% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.5% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Safety
Blean records less violent crime per resident than Kent’s towns or England’s towns, at 9 per 1,000 a year
That puts Blean below both Kent’s towns (24.1) and England’s towns (22). Homes see 6 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 24 crimes inside Blean’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 6 reports of anti-social behaviour.
9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearASafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 87% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual10
Damage & arson5
Other theft3
Burglary2
Vehicle crime2
Drugs1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social6
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.
9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
24
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
HousingCost of living grade D
Most households in Blean own their home: 87%, more than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns
On this, Blean is above both Kent’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). Social housing holds 2% of households.
£410Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Blean£410K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £494,250 | 16 |
| Semi-detached | £375,000 | 17 |
87%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,280
average private rent a month, Canterbury council area
£2,419
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
Life expectancy in Blean is longer than in 88% of UK towns
Women here live to 86.1 on average and men to 82.9 (2019–23). Blean has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.2 miles away. At the census, 19% of people here had a disability, above both Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%).
81%good or very good healthA−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 81%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Blean | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.3% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
82.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
4 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Blean has 4 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 12% of its homes were built before 1919.
4listed buildingsC−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II4
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
12%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
30
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Fewer commuters in Blean walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 18%
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.
In the comparison, Blean comes below both Kent’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (27%). 79% of commuters drove to work at the census.
18%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving79%
On foot7%
Bus4%
Bicycle4%
Train2%
41%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£67K
mean household income, before tax
1.5%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B+
Walkability: more walkable than 71% 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 Blean
14pages on Blean
The big questions
SafetyA9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingDMedian home £410K · rent £1,280 a monthHousing11 sold in 12 months · busiest street Blean CommonSchoolsDHealthA−Life expectancy 82.9 (men), 86.1 (women)Work & commuteA54% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Blean’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Rough CommonCanterburyWhitstableSturryBoughton under BleanCharthamHersdenBlean
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blean | 1,327 | — | — | D | A | A− |
| Rough Common | 1,291 | 1.1 | — | D | A− | A− |
| Canterbury | 55,107 | 2.4 | C− | C | D− | C |
| Whitstable | 32,185 | 3.1 | C− | D | C | B− |
| Sturry | 4,857 | 3.6 | D | C | C | C |
| Boughton under Blean | 2,274 | 3.8 | — | C | B | B |
| Chartham | 3,569 | 4.2 | C− | C− | C | B+ |
| Hersden | 2,118 | 4.9 | — | C+ | D | C |
Rough Common, Boughton under Blean and Hersden have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Blean
Is Blean safe?
Police recorded 24 crimes inside Blean’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 42% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Are schools in Blean good?
GCSE results trail 99% of towns in England, and primary results trail 75% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Places are handled by Kent council.
Is Blean expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £410,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £375,000 and detached houses £494,250.
About Blean
Village in Kent, England
Blean is a built-up area of 1,327 people, in the Canterbury 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
- 1,327 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Canterbury
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005318
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.