Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 4,943 people, lies in Kent, South East.
Hildenborough’s strongest is schools — primary results beat 97% of towns in England; secondary results beat 99% of towns in England. With an A+ overall, Hildenborough is better than 96% of UK towns and ranks #1 of 87 in Kent. Jobs & income is a strength too — the mean household earns £75,899 a year. Buying in is costly: the median home sold for £602,500, 9 years of area income. Hazard risk is weaker too (D−) — just over a tenth of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea.
Figures: income, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency.
The 3 things Hildenborough 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 Hildenborough is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 45 buildings inside Hildenborough’s built-up area.
13% 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 Hildenborough.
Between them, three primaries teach 784 pupils in Hildenborough. St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School’s results beat 96% of schools in England like it. Just over three quarters of pupils at the town’s 3 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 367 | A+ |
14% of residents in Hildenborough live with a disability, and at the census, 3.8% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below Kent’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. Self-reported good health: 86% of the town’s residents. One GP practice serves the town; 78% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Hildenborough | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.8% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
Per 1,000 residents, 7.5 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded a year. Violent crime ran at 11.3 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Kent’s towns (24.1) and England’s towns (22). Of all the crimes, 37% were violence and sexual offences. Hildenborough logged 145 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 14 complaints of anti-social conduct.
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.
5% of households live in social housing. Private renters make up 9% of households, below Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Behind the median of £602,500: 219 standard sales inside Hildenborough’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £764,727 | 86 |
| Semi-detached | £547,500 | 79 |
| Terraced | £457,500 | 18 |
| Flat or maisonette | £407,500 | 36 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 48% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Walking, cycling and public transport carried 19% of commuters at the census. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.4% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below Kent’s towns (2.7%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. Home was the main workplace for 48% of workers at the census. Nearly one in ten commuters who live in Hildenborough also work there.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 13% of the total, below both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (16%). Listed buildings per head: 91 for every 10,000 residents of Hildenborough.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Hildenborough has a median age of 47.5. 24% of residents are 65 or over, above Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The share aged 15 to 24 is 9.8%.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Hildenborough | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.5% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Hildenborough. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustKnole House4.4 km outside town, to the northwest
CastleTonbridge Castle Gatehouse400 m outside town, to the southeast
Historic house · National TrustIghtham Mote3.2 km outside town, to the north
CastleSomerhill House2.8 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseRiverhill House2.5 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionLavender Plantation3.5 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
45 listed buildings in Hildenborough.
Lodge at the Entrance to Sackville School: Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mountains Lodge: Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Parish Church of St John: Photo: The Voice of Hassocks · CC0 · Little Foxbush: Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hildenborough | 4,943 | — | A+ | C− | A | A |
| Tonbridge | 36,136 | 1.4 | B+ | C+ | C | B− |
| Leigh | 1,104 | 1.8 | — | D | A | A+ |
| Southborough | 9,632 | 3.8 | A− | C | B− | B− |
| Hadlow | 3,168 | 3.9 | C+ | C+ | B | B− |
| Plaxtol | 1,137 | 4.1 | — | D | A+ | A |
| Five Oak Green | 1,436 | 4.9 | — | C+ | B | B− |
| Ightham | 2,037 | 5.1 | — | D | A+ | A |
Leigh, Plaxtol, Five Oak Green and Ightham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Among the strongest in England: GCSE results beat 99% of towns in England, and primary results beat 97% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Hildenborough has 3 state schools; places are handled by Kent council.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £602,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £407,500, terraced houses £457,500, semi-detached houses £547,500 and detached houses £764,727.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
That is 3.7 times the typical UK town for its size.
Town in Kent, England
Hildenborough is a built-up area of 4,943 people, in the Tonbridge and Malling 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.