Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,691 in Kent, South East.
Newington grades C overall against UK towns: better than 30% of UK towns, and #52 of 87 in Kent. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is safety (C−): 40.4 violent and sexual offences and 14.9 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 13%. The median home sold for £305,000 in the last three years, 5.5 times what households in the Swale council area earn in a year.
The 2 things Newington 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 Newington is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 17 buildings inside Newington’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
19% 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 Newington.
Violence and sexual offences made up 58% of the total. Reported offences in Newington came to 184 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 59. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 12.5 reports per 1,000, above Kent’s towns (9.3) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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.
At the 10 primary schools within 3 km, 59% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below. Attainment 8 at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km averages 43.2, and a third of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newington Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 242 | C |
At the census, 6% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. Newington has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.2 miles away. The nearest A&E to Newington is Medway Maritime Hospital, 5.7 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Newington | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Newington’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. For its size, Newington has 63 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. 19% of its homes were built before 1919, near Kent’s towns (18%) and higher than England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Owners make up 67% of households, close to Kent’s towns (65%) and above England’s towns (61%). The £305,000 median rests on 104 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026). 18% of households live in social housing.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £472,500 | 28 |
| Semi-detached | £362,500 | 24 |
| Terraced | £282,500 | 41 |
| Flat or maisonette | £152,000 | 11 |
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 29% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.9% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below Kent’s towns (2.7%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. At the census, 85% of commuters went by car. Of the commuters living in Newington, 3% work in the town itself. Also worth knowing: household income averages £62K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
19% are under 15, near Kent’s towns (18%) and higher than England’s towns (18%). The median resident of Newington is 39.1 years old. The 15-to-24 age group makes up 12% of residents.
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Newington | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
17 listed buildings in Newington, 1 of them Grade I.
Newington Manor: Photo: Penny Mayes · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Bull Public House: Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Holme: Photo: David Anstiss · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph · George Inn: Photo: Richard Dorrell · CC BY-SA 2.0
3 notable people were born in Newington.
Don Potter: Jpbowen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Albert Elms: G. Weir1, CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newington | 2,691 | — | C | C+ | C− | C+ |
| Lower Halstow | 1,210 | 1.5 | — | C− | A | B− |
| Upchurch | 1,727 | 1.8 | — | C− | A− | B− |
| Iwade | 4,533 | 3.2 | C+ | C | A− | C+ |
| Sittingbourne | 54,385 | 3.2 | C | B− | D | C |
| Gillingham | 108,485 | 4.3 | C− | C+ | D | C− |
| Queenborough | 3,915 | 5.7 | D | B | D | C− |
| Chatham | 76,956 | 5.9 | D | B− | D | D |
Lower Halstow and Upchurch have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary.
GCSE results trail 81% of towns in England, and primary results trail 66% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Kent council.
Town in Kent, England
Newington is a built-up area of 2,691 people, in the Swale 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.