Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 298 in Kent, South East.
Dunkirk has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Dunkirk does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 4 buildings inside Dunkirk’s built-up area, and 1 scheduled monument.
33% 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 Dunkirk.
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 Dunkirk, that is below both Kent’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). 11% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Dunkirk sits above both Kent’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%) on this measure. 10% of households rent privately.
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
That puts Dunkirk below both Kent’s towns (24) and England’s towns (22). Burglary and damage come to 3.4 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 4 crimes inside Dunkirk’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 1 reports of anti-social behaviour.
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
On this, Dunkirk is above both Kent’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Dunkirk has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3 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.
| Census 2021 | Dunkirk | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.1% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
In the comparison, Dunkirk comes above both Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (16%). Dunkirk has 134 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Dunkirk has 4 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Under-15s account for 11% of the population. People 65 and over make up 31% of the town, above both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). The median resident of Dunkirk is 51.8 years old.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 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.
| Dunkirk | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.6% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunkirk | 298 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Boughton under Blean | 2,274 | 1 | — | C | B | B |
| Blean | 1,327 | 2.8 | — | D | A | A− |
| Rough Common | 1,291 | 2.9 | — | D | A− | A− |
| Chartham | 3,569 | 3.5 | C− | C− | C | B+ |
| Faversham | 20,941 | 4.3 | C+ | C | C− | C |
| Canterbury | 55,107 | 4.3 | C− | C | D− | C |
| Whitstable | 32,185 | 4.7 | C− | D | C | B− |
Boughton under Blean, Blean and Rough Common have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 5.5 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument. 33% of Dunkirk’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
At the 2021 Census, 12% of Dunkirk’s 298 residents were 15 to 24 and 31% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
Band D council tax in Dunkirk is £2,420 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
Dunkirk is a built-up area of 298 people, in the Swale 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.