Chattenden’s story
No listed buildings inside Chattenden’s built-up area
4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ChattendenKent
A village of 2,417 in Kent, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: David Anstiss · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,417
Census 2021 · Medway council
Median home
£368K
85 sales in 3 years
Median age
34.1
11% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
23%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Chattenden a good place to live?
Chattenden has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (B): 0.1% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is safety (D): 40.6 violent and sexual offences and 19.3 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, it has less crime per resident than 5%. The median home sold for £367,500 in the last three years, 6.5 times what households in the Medway council area earn in a year.
What makes Chattenden stand out
The 3 things Chattenden does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
30% of commuters travel under 5 km.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
Only 11% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Kent 29%.
How Chattenden grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Chattenden is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SafetyDOpen →Cost of livingrent £1,232 a monthC−Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 39% of towns in England; secondary results beat 19% of towns in EnglandCOpen →WalkabilityCOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £62,406; 3.8% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsC+Open →HealthLife expectancy 79.3 for men, 85.1 for womenC+Open →Hazard riskBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsD−Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 1.4 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsBOpen →Civic life0.4 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Rochester Castle and 23 more in and around Chattenden
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Chattenden. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageRochester Castle3.5 km outside town, to the southwest
CathedralRochester Cathedral3.5 km outside town, to the southwest
Castle · English HeritageUpnor Castle1000 m outside town, to the south
Historic shipHMS Cavalier2.3 km outside town, to the south
Historic shipHMS Gannet2.2 km outside town, to the south
Historic shipHMS Ocelot2.3 km outside town, to the southPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Rochester Castle: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rochester Cathedral: Raggatt2000, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Upnor Castle: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- HMS Cavalier: en:User:Swpmre, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- HMS Gannet: Paul Englefield from Leamington Spa, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- HMS Ocelot: Mark.murphy at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Chattenden.
History
Most of Chattenden is newer: only 4% of homes were built before 1919, below Kent’s towns and England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
That puts Chattenden below both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (16%).
0listed buildingsD−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
4%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
SchoolsC
Results at Chattenden’s schools trail 75% of towns in England
Its one school is below.
CSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattenden Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 203 | B− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Who lives here
Children make up 23% of Chattenden, above Kent’s towns and England’s towns
On this, Chattenden is above both Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Those 65 and older account for 11% of residents. Chattenden has a median age of 34.1.
34.1median age
ChattendenKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
13%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar21%
Degree level23%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Chattenden | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 23% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 11% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 23% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Safety
Chattenden has more crime per resident than 88% of UK towns
Burglary and damage came to 19.3 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Kent’s towns (12.3) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 170 crimes inside Chattenden’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 43 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 48% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
40.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearDSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 5% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual81
Damage & arson30
Drugs13
Vehicle crime12
Other theft10
Other crime10
Burglary5
Shoplifting4
Anti-social43
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.
40.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
19.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
17.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
170
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 C−
Private renting is less common in Chattenden than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 12%
In the comparison, Chattenden comes below both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%).
£368Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Chattenden£368K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £490,000 | 27 |
| Semi-detached | £353,250 | 30 |
| Terraced | £295,000 | 19 |
| Flat or maisonette | £205,000 | 9 |
65%
of households own their home · England 61%
12%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,232
average private rent a month, Medway council area
£2,365
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Fewer commuters in Chattenden walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 10%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 25% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For Chattenden, that is below both Kent’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (27%). 87% of commuters drove to work at the census.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
Train4%
On foot3%
Bus2%
Bicycle1%
30%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
25%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£62K
mean household income, before tax
3.8%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C
Walkability: more walkable than 28% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
Just 3.4% of people in Chattenden say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Kent’s towns and England’s towns
Chattenden sits below both Kent’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%) on this measure. Chattenden has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.1 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
86%good or very good healthC+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 86%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Chattenden | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.4% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
79.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Chattenden
14pages on Chattenden
The big questions
SafetyD40.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingC−Median home £368K · rent £1,232 a monthHousing31 sold in 12 months · busiest street Lodge Hill LaneSchoolsC1 state schoolHealthC+Life expectancy 79.3 (men), 85.1 (women)Work & commuteC+47% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB0.1% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Chattenden’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Hoo St WerburghCliffe WoodsHigh HalstowRochesterCliffeHighamGillinghamChattenden
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattenden | 2,417 | — | — | C− | D | C+ |
| Hoo St Werburgh | 8,758 | 1.2 | D | C− | C− | C |
| Cliffe Woods | 2,689 | 1.7 | B | D | A | B |
| High Halstow | 1,823 | 2.6 | — | D | A | B− |
| Rochester | 67,279 | 2.9 | C | C+ | D | C− |
| Cliffe | 2,531 | 3.1 | B− | C | B− | B− |
| Higham | 2,642 | 3.2 | B− | D | B− | A− |
| Gillingham | 108,485 | 3.7 | C− | C+ | D | C− |
High Halstow has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Chattenden
Are schools in Chattenden good?
GCSE results trail 81% of towns in England, and primary results trail 61% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Medway council.
Is Chattenden expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £367,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £205,000, terraced houses £295,000, semi-detached houses £353,250 and detached houses £490,000.
About Chattenden
Village in Kent, England
Chattenden is a built-up area of 2,417 people, in the Medway 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
- 2,417 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Medway
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005068
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.