Grain’s story
Historic England lists 3 buildings inside Grain’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
7% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
GrainKent
A village of 1,728 in Kent, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,728
Census 2021 · Medway council
Median home
£250K
59 sales in 3 years
Median age
41.4
18% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
17%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Grain a good place to live?
Grain has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (B+): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is jobs & income (D): mean household income £47,794; 3% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. The median home sold for £250,000 in the last three years, 4.5 times what households in the Medway council area earn in a year.
What makes Grain stand out
The 2 things Grain does most differently from other towns.
How Grain grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Grain is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeDOpen →WalkabilityDOpen →HealthLife expectancy 75.6 for men, 83.6 for womenDOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 35% of towns in EnglandCOpen →Hazard riskB+Open →Safety25.7 violent and sexual offences and 10.2 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026C+Open →Cost of livingrent £1,232 a monthB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History3 listed buildings, 1 Grade IC−Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 13 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsAOpen →Civic life0.6 local charities per 1,000 residents; 100% live within 1 km of a libraryB−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Grain.
Who lives here
Fewer people in Grain hold a degree than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 17%
That puts Grain below both Kent’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%). 20% of residents are children under 15. Half the people of Grain are older than 41.4.
41.4median age
GrainKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
18%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications24%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level17%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Grain | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 24% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 17% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsC
Results at Grain’s schools trail 69% of towns in England
Its one school is below.
CSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St James Church of England Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 176 | C |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Grain than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 7%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 16% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
On this, Grain is below both Kent’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (27%). For 19% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot3%
Train2%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
19%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
16%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£48K
mean household income, before tax
3%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D
Walkability: more walkable than 7% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
Bad health is more common in Grain than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 7.8% of residents
In the comparison, Grain comes above both Kent’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Grain has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.3 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.
78%good or very good healthDHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 8%
| Census 2021 | Grain | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.8% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
75.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
3 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grain has 3 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 7% of its homes were built before 1919.
3listed buildingsC−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II2
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St James Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
7%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
17
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Grain has more crime per resident than 57% of UK towns
Police recorded 75 crimes inside Grain’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 9 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 55% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking, so it runs higher than U.S. “violent crime”.
25.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 23% 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 & sexual41
Damage & arson14
Other theft8
Public order5
Other crime4
Weapons2
Shoplifting1
Burglary0
Anti-social9
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.
25.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
75
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 B−
More households own their home in Grain than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 74%
For Grain, that is above both Kent’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). 10% of households live in social housing.
£250Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Grain£250K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £299,995 | 7 |
| Semi-detached | £250,000 | 25 |
| Terraced | £242,500 | 26 |
74%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,232
average private rent a month, Medway council area
£2,517
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Grain Fort and 4 more in and around Grain
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Grain. Best known first.
FortFortGrain Fort100 m outside town, to the northeast
CastleQueenborough Castle3.4 km outside town, to the southeast
FortSlough Fort5 km outside town, to the northwest
FortDummy Battery100 m outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumQueenborough Guildhall Museum3 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleQueenborough Castle3.4 km outside town, to the southeastFortSlough Fort5 km outside town, to the northwestFortDummy Battery100 m outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumQueenborough Guildhall Museum3 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 (3)
- Queenborough Castle: Richard Dorrell, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Slough Fort: Prioryman, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dummy Battery: Phillip Perry, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Grain
14pages on Grain
The big questions
SafetyC+25.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingB−Median home £250K · rent £1,232 a monthHousing21 sold in 12 months · busiest street Pannell RoadSchoolsC1 state schoolHealthDLife expectancy 75.6 (men), 83.6 (women)Work & commuteD50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB+0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Grain’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
SheernessAllhallowsQueenboroughHalfway HousesMinster (Swale)IwadeLower HalstowGrain
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grain | 1,728 | — | — | B− | C+ | D |
| Sheerness | 13,253 | 2.5 | D | B+ | D− | D− |
| Allhallows | 1,684 | 3.1 | — | C− | D | C− |
| Queenborough | 3,915 | 3.2 | D | B | D | C− |
| Halfway Houses | 4,396 | 3.4 | C | B− | C+ | C |
| Minster (Swale) | 16,735 | 4.6 | D | C+ | C | C− |
| Iwade | 4,533 | 5.5 | C+ | C | A− | C+ |
| Lower Halstow | 1,210 | 6 | — | C− | A | B− |
Allhallows and Lower Halstow have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Grain
Who lives in Grain?
At the 2021 Census, 9.8% of Grain’s 1,728 residents were 15 to 24 and 18% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
Is Grain safe?
Burglary was rare, with 0 reports in the year.
Are schools in Grain good?
Primary results trail 66% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Medway council.
About Grain
Village in Kent, England
Grain is a built-up area of 1,728 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
- 1,728 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Medway
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005016
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.