Canterbury grades C− overall and ranks #62 of 87 in Kent. On that grade it does better than just over a fifth of UK towns. The weak point is safety: police record 61.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 23.2 home and vehicle crimes. Set beside UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, its crime per resident is higher than in 91%. It also trails on health (C): men here can expect to live to 78.5, women to 83. Homes sell for a median £300,000, about 5.4 years of what households in the Canterbury council area earn. Its best grade is for walkability (A+) — 43% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Natural hazards weigh more here: 5.5% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Canterbury is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Canterbury.
Who lives here
Students and young workers shape Canterbury: 33% are 15 to 24, above Kent’s towns and England’s towns
Degrees are held by 36% of adults, above both Kent’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%). The under-15s are 13% of the population here. Typical age in Canterbury: 27.5, the median. 13% of residents are 65 or over.
27.5median age
CanterburyKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
33%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship3%
A levels or similar31%
Degree level36%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsB−
Results at Canterbury’s schools trail 52% of towns in England
Between them, ten primaries and seven secondaries teach 11,317 pupils in Canterbury. Barton Court Grammar School’s results beat 96% of schools in England like it. Below are three of its 19 schools, each with why it was picked. At the town’s 9 primary schools, 53% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 19 schools →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
The car carries only 54% of commuters in Canterbury, fewer than in Kent’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
57% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Unemployment benefit claims came to 3.8% of 16 to 64s in 2026, higher than both Kent’s towns (2.7%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Jobs per working resident: 1.7. About 53% of its commuters stay in Canterbury for work.
43%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving54%
On foot29%
Bus6%
Train4%
Bicycle4%
57%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£57K
mean household income, before tax
3.8%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A+
Walkability: more walkable than almost every UK town
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
More crimes per resident in Canterbury than in 97% of UK towns
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 7,603 crimes and 1,889 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Canterbury’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences accounted for two fifths of recorded crime.
61.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearD−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 9% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3,014
Shoplifting1,449
Damage & arson809
Other theft596
Drugs388
Public order366
Vehicle crime266
Burglary174
Anti-social1,889
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.
61.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
23.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
27.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
History
36 Grade I buildings among Canterbury’s 913 listed
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Canterbury’s listed buildings include Blackfriars Monastery Guest House, Grade I. Relative to its size, Canterbury keeps 166 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. It is part of the Canterbury Cathedral, St. Augustine's Abbey and St. Martin's Church World Heritage Site. Conservation areas cover 21% of the town’s land, higher than both Kent’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
84% of residents say their health is good or very good
The nearest A&E to Canterbury is William Harvey Hospital, 12 miles away. 4 GP practices serve the town; 77% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Women here live to 83 on average and men to 78.5 (2019–23).
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
HousingCost of living grade C
Fewer households own their home in Canterbury than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 43%
Social housing holds 21% of households. 34% rent privately, higher than both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). The median sale, £300,000, comes from 1,711 standard sales inside Canterbury’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
£300Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Canterbury£300K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£525,000
273
Semi-detached
£335,000
448
Terraced
£287,500
528
Flat or maisonette
£205,500
462
43%
of households own their home · England 61%
34%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,280
average private rent a month, Canterbury council area
Orlando Bloom: Kevin Payravi, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Aphra Behn: Peter Lely, Public domain · William Sealy Gosset: User Wujaszek on pl.wikipedia, Public domain · George Rooke: Michael Dahl, Public domain · Trevor Pinnock: Andrew Stepan: http://www.andrewstepanphotography.co.uk/, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rough Common, Blean, Bridge, Littlebourne 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 Canterbury
How many listed buildings are there in Canterbury?
That is 6.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Canterbury Castle. It also has 22 scheduled monuments. Part of it is in the Canterbury Cathedral, St. Augustine's Abbey and St. Martin's Church World Heritage Site.
Does Canterbury flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Canterbury
Large town in Kent, England
Canterbury is a built-up area of 55,107 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
55,107 (Census 2021)
Council
Canterbury
County
Kent
Region
South East
Area
5.3 sq mi (13.6 km²)
ONS code
E63005410
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.
