Preston’s story
Preston: 31% of homes built before 1919
Historic England lists 15 buildings inside Preston’s built-up area.
31% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PrestonKent
A village of 587 in Kent, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Whn64 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
587
Census 2021 · Dover council
Median home
£487K
27 sales in 3 years
Median age
43.1
17% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
40%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Preston a good place to live?
Preston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Preston stand out
The 3 things Preston does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 10.5 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
£487K median home
1.8 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Preston.
Work & commute
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Preston than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 6%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Preston sits below both Kent’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (27%) on this measure. 5% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
Train3%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
On foot1%
5%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
35%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£59K
mean household income, before tax
3%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Schools
The schools around Preston
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preston Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 129 | A− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Preston is a town of owners: 84% of households own their home, above Kent’s towns and England’s towns
That puts Preston above both Kent’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). Private renters make up 5% of households.
£487Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Preston£487K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £635,000 | 20 |
| Semi-detached | £300,000 | 5 |
84%
of households own their home · England 61%
5%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,021
average private rent a month, Dover council area
£2,437
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Burglary and damage in Preston run at 8 per 1,000 a year, against 12.3 in Kent’s towns and 9.4 in England’s towns
Police recorded 21 crimes inside Preston’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 4 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violent crime ran at 18.7 per 1,000 residents a year, below Kent’s towns (24) and close to England’s towns (22). Violence and sexual offences were 48% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
18.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual10
Damage & arson4
Drugs2
Other crime2
Public order1
Other theft1
Burglary1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social4
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.
18.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
21
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Disability is less common in Preston, 10% of residents, than in Kent’s towns and England’s towns
On this, Preston is below both Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). Preston has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.9 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.
87%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 9%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Preston | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.8% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 10% | 18% | 17% |
82.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.3
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
More of the land in Preston is conservation area than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 100%
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 100% of Preston’s land, above both Kent’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (7%). For its size, Preston has 256 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Preston has 15 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*.
15listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II15
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
31%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
256
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
More people in Preston hold a degree than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 40%
In the comparison, Preston comes above both Kent’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%). 8.4% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Preston has a median age of 43.1.
43.1median age
PrestonKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
17%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications10%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level40%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Preston | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.4% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 9.7% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.2% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 40% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Preston
12pages on Preston
The big questions
Safety18.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £487K · rent £1,021 a monthHousing9 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 82.2 (men), 85.3 (women)Work & commute50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Preston’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WinghamAsh (Dover)HersdenLittlebourneSturryMinster (Thanet)SandwichPreston
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston | 587 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wingham | 1,313 | 2.4 | — | C− | A | B+ |
| Ash (Dover) | 2,529 | 2.9 | B− | C− | C | B+ |
| Hersden | 2,118 | 3.1 | — | C+ | D | C |
| Littlebourne | 1,596 | 3.4 | — | C− | B− | C+ |
| Sturry | 4,857 | 4.4 | D | C | C | C |
| Minster (Thanet) | 4,739 | 4.6 | D− | D− | D | C+ |
| Sandwich | 4,258 | 5.2 | C− | C− | D | C+ |
Wingham, Hersden and Littlebourne have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Preston
How many listed buildings are there in Preston?
That is 10.5 times the typical UK town for its size. 31% of Preston’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Is Preston expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £300,000 and detached houses £635,000. Private rents in the Dover council area averaged £1,021 a month in August 2026.
About Preston
Village in Kent, England
Preston is a built-up area of 587 people, in the Dover 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
- Population
- 587 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Dover
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005324
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.