Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 468 in Kent, South East.
Matfield has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Matfield does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 44 buildings inside Matfield’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I.
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 Matfield.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 52% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Matfield sits below both Kent’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%) on this measure. At the census, 13% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brenchley and Matfield Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 209 | A− |
That puts Matfield above both Kent’s towns (£380K) and England’s towns (£308K). Owners make up 79% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £810,000 | 12 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
On this, Matfield is above both Kent’s towns (12.3) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 21 crimes inside Matfield’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 5 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence comes to 27.8 per 1,000 residents a year.
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
In the comparison, Matfield comes above both Kent’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%). Matfield has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1 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 | Matfield | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 90% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.8% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 11% | 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.
For Matfield, that is above both Kent’s towns (53) and England’s towns (39). Matfield’s listed buildings include Matfield House, Grade I. Matfield has 44 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 2 Grade I, 4 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
7.7% of residents are 15 to 24, below both Kent’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). People 65 and over make up 22% of the town. Half the people of Matfield are older than 46.7.
54% women, 46% men
About 84 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Matfield | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.7% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 12% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 48% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matfield | 468 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Paddock Wood | 7,616 | 1.8 | C | C | C− | B |
| Pembury | 5,783 | 2.2 | B− | C | C− | B− |
| Five Oak Green | 1,436 | 2.4 | — | C+ | B | B− |
| Horsmonden | 1,580 | 2.6 | — | C | A− | A+ |
| East Peckham | 2,144 | 4.1 | — | C | B | B− |
| Goudhurst | 1,104 | 4.5 | — | B− | C+ | A |
| Royal Tunbridge Wells | 51,215 | 4.8 | A− | C+ | C | B |
Five Oak Green, Horsmonden, East Peckham and Goudhurst have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Private rents in the Tunbridge Wells council area averaged £1,533 a month in August 2026.
That is 38.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Matfield House. 33% of Matfield’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
At the 2021 Census, 7.7% of Matfield’s 468 residents were 15 to 24 and 22% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
Village in Kent, England
Matfield is a built-up area of 468 people, in the Tunbridge Wells 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.