Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
5,271 people live in this town in Kent, South East. Over-65s are 37% of the population.
The data are hard on it. Schools lag: primary results beat 3% of towns in England; secondary results beat 10% of towns in England. Littlestone-on-Sea grades D− overall, better than 3% of UK towns. That places it #82 of 87 in Kent. Homes are dear: a typical home costs £330,000 and rent runs £1,178 a month. Crime is low (B): 21.4 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 6.1 home and vehicle crimes.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Littlestone-on-Sea 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 Littlestone-on-Sea is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 4 buildings inside Littlestone-on-Sea’s built-up area, and 1 scheduled monument.
5% 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 Littlestone-on-Sea.
At 57.9, the median resident of Littlestone-on-Sea sits in the middle of the age range. 11% are under 15, below both Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Aged 15 to 24: 7.8% of residents.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Littlestone-on-Sea | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 37% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 23% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.8% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 21% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
45% of pupils at the 2 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The one school in town appears below. Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 38.7, and 33% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greatstone Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 215 | D− |
Private tenants account for 14% of households. From September 2023 to August 2026, 230 homes sold inside Littlestone-on-Sea’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £330,000. That is the middle of 230 standard sales inside the town’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £386,500 | 122 |
| Semi-detached | £325,000 | 61 |
| Terraced | £290,000 | 11 |
| Flat or maisonette | £176,500 | 36 |
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.
For its size, Littlestone-on-Sea has 8 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below Kent’s towns (53) and England’s towns (39) alike. 5% of homes were built before 1919. One scheduled monument lies locally.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
A disability affects just over a quarter of people in Littlestone-on-Sea. At the census, 7.5% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, higher than both Kent’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Seeing a GP means leaving Littlestone-on-Sea: the nearest practice is 1.3 miles away. Life expectancy here is 83.1 for women and 77.1 for men (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Littlestone-on-Sea | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 74% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.5% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 26% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, 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.
Littlestone-on-Sea counts 0.4 jobs per working resident. The car took 87% of commuters, above Kent’s towns (75%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. 26% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Work in town: 8% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 166 recorded crimes inside Littlestone-on-Sea’s built-up area, and 16 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 4.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both Kent’s towns (9.4) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for just over three fifths of recorded crime.
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.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Littlestone-on-Sea. Best known first.
Fort · English HeritageDymchurch Martello Tower4.1 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumRomney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway100 m outside town, to the northTheme parkTheme parkDymchurch Amusements4.1 km outside town, to the northWater parkWater parkAction Water Sports3.8 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumLydd Town Museum3.8 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Littlestone-on-Sea | 5,271 | — | D− | D | B | C− |
| New Romney | 3,870 | 1.4 | D− | D | C− | C− |
| Lydd | 3,911 | 2.6 | D | C | C+ | C− |
| St Mary's Bay | 2,966 | 2.9 | D− | C− | B− | C− |
| Dymchurch | 3,097 | 4.6 | D | D | C | C |
| Camber | 1,132 | 7.7 | — | D− | D− | C+ |
| Lympne | 1,074 | 7.9 | — | D | A+ | B− |
| Hamstreet | 1,738 | 8 | — | C | B− | B |
Camber, Lympne and Hamstreet have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results trail 90% of towns in England, and primary results trail 98% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Kent council.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Kent, England
Littlestone-on-Sea is a built-up area of 5,271 people, in the Folkestone and Hythe 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.