Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 24,873 people live in this large town, in Kent, South East. Over-65s are 29% of the population.
Schools lag (D−): primary results beat 7% of towns in England; secondary results beat 2% of towns in England. It also trails on safety — police record 40.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 15 home and vehicle crimes. Against UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has more crime per resident than 71%. Its strongest is walkability: a fifth of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. A median £327,500 buys a home here, 5.9 times what households in the Canterbury council area earn in a year. The overall grade lands at D−, #85 of 87 in Kent. On that grade it does behind almost every UK town.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS.
The 3 things Herne Bay does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Herne Bay is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 58 buildings inside Herne Bay’s built-up area.
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 8 old photos and postcards going back to 1890.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Herne Bay.
Below is one of its 4 schools, and why it was picked. Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 35.5, with 23% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Herne Bay’s four primaries have 1,753 pupils between them.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 679 | C |
The median resident of Herne Bay is 49.9 years old. 14% are under 15, below Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. On top of that, people aged 15 to 24 make up 9.9% of the town.
52% women, 48% men
About 91 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.
| Herne Bay | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 22% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.4% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Of all the crimes, 44% were violence and sexual offences. Police recorded 2,006 crimes inside Herne Bay’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 618 reports of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 19 reports per 1,000, above both Kent’s towns (9.3) and England’s towns (7.8).
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 · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Asked at the census, 77% of residents of Herne Bay said they were in good or very good health. 6.8% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, above Kent’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. The nearest A&E to Herne Bay is Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital, 11.2 miles away. Women here live to 82.4 on average and men to 77.6 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Herne Bay | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.8% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
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.
The car took 78% of commuters, higher than both Kent’s towns (75%) and England’s towns (70%). Work in town: 23% of resident commuters. Herne Bay counts 0.6 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Council and housing-body homes hold 9% of households. Private rents average £1,280 a month across the Canterbury council area. Half of the 1,128 standard sales inside Herne Bay’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £327,500.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £412,000 | 445 |
| Semi-detached | £327,500 | 307 |
| Terraced | £295,000 | 150 |
| Flat or maisonette | £171,750 | 226 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Herne Bay’s land, 22% lies in conservation areas, above both Kent’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (7%). Its heritage register entries (58 listed buildings) are all Grade II. Scaled to its population, that is 23 listed buildings for every 10,000 people here.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Herne Bay. Best known first.
MuseumThe Seaside Museumin town
MuseumWhitstable Museum and Gallery4.1 km outside town, to the west
CastleWhitstable Castle3.2 km outside town, to the westArt galleryArt galleryBay Art Galleryin townAttractionAttractionClock Towerin townAttractionAttractionHerne Bay Pierin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
58 listed buildings in Herne Bay.
Forge House: Photo: Michael Dibb · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Pier Hotel: Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Baptist Church Including the Parish Room: Photo: DaveWalsh1562 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Clock Tower: Photo: Alex Liivet from Chester, United Kingdom · CC0
13 notable people were born in Herne Bay.
Kevin Ayers: TimDuncan, CC BY 3.0 · Dave Sinclair: British Talent Managers, Public domain · Richard Coughlan: Rcarlberg, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fabia Drake: Claude Harris, Public domain · Rusty Goffe: Rusty Goffe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nicki Chapman: Steve Schofield, CC BY-SA 3.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herne Bay | 24,873 | — | D− | C− | C− | C− |
| Herne | 14,874 | 0.8 | C | C− | B | C |
| Hersden | 2,118 | 4 | — | C+ | D | C |
| Whitstable | 32,185 | 4.2 | C− | D | C | B− |
| Sturry | 4,857 | 4.6 | D | C | C | C |
| Blean | 1,327 | 5.6 | — | D | A | A− |
| Rough Common | 1,291 | 6.3 | — | D | A− | A− |
| Canterbury | 55,107 | 6.4 | C− | C | D− | C |
Hersden, 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.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Large town in Kent, England
Herne Bay is a built-up area of 24,873 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
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.