Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A large town of 67,279 in Kent, South East.
Rochester grades C overall against UK towns: better than 30% of UK towns, and #51 of 87 in Kent. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): 20% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is safety (D): 44.7 violent and sexual offences and 16.8 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has less crime per resident than 46%. The median home sold for £310,000 in the last three years, 5.5 times what households in the Medway council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Rochester 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 Rochester is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 279 buildings inside Rochester’s built-up area, 21 of them Grade I, and 8 scheduled monuments.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1890 and a map from 1882.
Explore the history →Two U.S. towns are named after Rochester. The oldest, Rochester, Massachusetts, was settled in 1679.
USUS editionRochester, Massachusetts, settled in 1679, takes its name from this large town.
Also named after Rochester:Rochester Township, ND44
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Rochester. Best known first.
CathedralRochester Cathedralin town
Historic house · English HeritageTemple Manorin town
MuseumGuildhall Museumin town
Historic houseRestoration Housein town
Castle · English HeritageRochester Castle100 m outside town, to the northeast
Castle · English HeritageUpnor Castle800 m outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rochester.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Violence came to 44.7 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Kent’s towns (23.9) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 5,399 crimes inside Rochester’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 1,318 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 47% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
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
Three of its 27 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Children's AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 627 | C |
| Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,555 | A+ |
| The Rochester Grammar SchoolTop results in townSecondary | Secondary | 1,206 | A+ |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Rochester has 279 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 21 Grade I, 26 Grade II*. Rochester’s listed buildings include Barn 30 Yards South West of the Manor House, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Women here live to 81.7 on average and men to 78.6 (2019–23). 7 GP practices serve the town; 59% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 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 | Rochester | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Rochester sits above both Kent’s towns (2.7%) and England’s towns (2.3%) on this measure. The car carried 77% of commuters at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £521,325 | 290 |
| Semi-detached | £342,000 | 696 |
| Terraced | £286,000 | 975 |
| Flat or maisonette | £195,000 | 343 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
That puts Rochester below both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). Half the people of Rochester are older than 38.8. Degrees are held by 28% of adults.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Rochester | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
279 listed buildings in Rochester, 21 of them Grade I.
Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Rochester (Formerly Priory of St Andrew Was Included): Photo: Tilman2007 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rochester Castle: Photo: Tilman2007 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Guildhall Including Ranges Running Parallel to Bull Lane: Photo: ClemRutter at en · CC BY 2.5 · The Dickens Hotel: Photo: ClemRutter · CC BY-SA 4.0
71 notable people were born in Rochester.
Kelly Brook: RedCarpetReport, CC BY-SA 2.0 · John Edensor Littlewood: Credited to "Stearn" (likely refers to Stearn and Sons), Public domain · John Stevens Henslow: Thomas Herbert Maguire, Public domain · John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey: Royal Navy official photographer, Public domain · Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington: Alexander Bassano, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | 67,279 | — | C | C+ | D | C− |
| Cuxton | 3,039 | 2 | B+ | C− | A | B− |
| Chatham | 76,956 | 2.3 | D | B− | D | D |
| Higham | 2,642 | 2.8 | B− | D | B− | A− |
| Chattenden | 2,417 | 2.9 | — | C− | D | C+ |
| Halling | 2,926 | 3 | C+ | C− | B | B− |
| Shorne | 1,038 | 3.2 | — | D | B | A− |
| Cliffe Woods | 2,689 | 3.4 | B | D | A | B |
Chattenden and Shorne have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 1.7 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Rochester (Formerly Priory of St Andrew Was Included). It also has 8 scheduled monuments.
About the middle for its size: 54% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them far smaller, it grades D.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Large town in Kent, England
Rochester is a built-up area of 67,279 people, in the Medway 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.