Rough Common’s story
3 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Rough Common’s built-up area.
22% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Rough CommonKent
A village of 1,291 in Kent, South East. 49% of households own their home outright.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: David Long · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,291
Census 2021 · Canterbury council
Median home
£393K
32 sales in 3 years
Median age
42.5
24% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
46%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
27%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Rough Common a good place to live?
Rough Common has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is jobs & income (A+): mean household income £66,641; 1.6% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Its weakest is cost of living (D): median sale £392,500, 7 years of area income; rent £1,280 a month.
What makes Rough Common stand out
The 3 things Rough Common does most differently from other towns.
Own outright
Housing
49% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Kent 29%.
Rent against income, UK towns
Renting
£1,280 a month
Average private rent, 28% of what households in the area earn: more than in 90% of UK towns
ONS private rents, Canterbury council area.
How Rough Common grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Rough Common is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeA+Open →WalkabilityAOpen →Cost of livingDOpen →HealthLife expectancy 82.9 for men, 86.1 for womenA−Open →SafetyA−Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 27% of towns in England; secondary results beat 31% of towns in EnglandC−Open →Hazard risk0.2% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History3 listed buildingsCOpen →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 1% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeA+Open →Civic life0.8 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryDOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Canterbury Cathedral and 14 more in and around Rough Common
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Rough Common. Best known first.
CathedralCanterbury Cathedral2.3 km outside town, to the southeast
Abbey or priory · English HeritageSaint Augustine's Abbey2.7 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleCanterbury Castle2.2 km outside town, to the southeast
FortCanterbury city walls2.3 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumThe Marlowe Kit2.1 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumCanterbury Roman Museum2.3 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Canterbury Cathedral: Hans Musil, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Saint Augustine's Abbey: Rob Farrow, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canterbury Castle: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canterbury city walls: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Marlowe Kit: Storye book, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canterbury Roman Museum: Linda Spashett (Storye book), CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rough Common.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Rough Common is more walkable than 93% of UK towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 45% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Short trips to work, under 5 km: 53%, above both Kent’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). 27% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
27%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving72%
On foot17%
Bus5%
Bicycle3%
Train2%
53%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
45%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£67K
mean household income, before tax
1.6%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A
Walkability: more walkable than 93% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade D
More households own their home in Rough Common than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 78%
For Rough Common, that is above both Kent’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). Social housing holds 7% of households.
£393Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Rough Common£393K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £525,000 | 10 |
| Semi-detached | £380,000 | 19 |
78%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,280
average private rent a month, Canterbury council area
£2,436
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
Life expectancy in Rough Common is longer than in 88% of UK towns
Women here live to 86.1 on average and men to 82.9 (2019–23). Rough Common has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 0.6 miles away. 4.3% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below both Kent’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%).
84%good or very good healthA−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Rough Common | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.3% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 18% | 17% |
82.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Safety
Homes in Rough Common see less burglary and damage than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 5.9 per 1,000 a year
Rough Common sits below both Kent’s towns (12.3) and England’s towns (9.4) on this measure. Violent crime runs at 14.7 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 38 crimes inside Rough Common’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 10 reports of anti-social behaviour.
14.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearA−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 66% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual12
Vehicle crime9
Other theft6
Burglary3
Weapons2
Other crime2
Damage & arson1
Public order1
Anti-social10
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.
14.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
38
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Who lives here
Rough Common is a graduates’ town: 46% hold a degree, more than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns
That puts Rough Common above both Kent’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%). People 65 and over make up 24% of the town. Rough Common has a median age of 42.5.
42.5median age
Rough CommonKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
24%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level46%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Rough Common | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.9% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 46% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
History
3 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Rough Common has 3 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 22% of its homes were built before 1919.
3listed buildingsCHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II3
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
22%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
23
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rough Common
14pages on Rough Common
The big questions
SafetyA−14.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingDMedian home £393K · rent £1,280 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 months · busiest street Rough Common RoadSchoolsC−HealthA−Life expectancy 82.9 (men), 86.1 (women)Work & commuteA+55% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB−0.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Rough Common’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BleanCanterburyCharthamSturryBoughton under BleanWhitstableBridgeRough Common
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rough Common | 1,291 | — | — | D | A− | A− |
| Blean | 1,327 | 1.1 | — | D | A | A− |
| Canterbury | 55,107 | 1.6 | C− | C | D− | C |
| Chartham | 3,569 | 3.3 | C− | C− | C | B+ |
| Sturry | 4,857 | 3.4 | D | C | C | C |
| Boughton under Blean | 2,274 | 3.9 | — | C | B | B |
| Whitstable | 32,185 | 4.1 | C− | D | C | B− |
| Bridge | 1,539 | 4.6 | — | D | A− | B |
Blean, Boughton under Blean and Bridge have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Rough Common
Who lives in Rough Common?
At the 2021 Census, 13% of Rough Common’s 1,291 residents were 15 to 24 and 24% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
Is Rough Common safe?
Against all UK towns, it grades A−. Police recorded 38 crimes inside Rough Common’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 32% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Are schools in Rough Common good?
GCSE results trail 69% of towns in England, and primary results trail 73% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Places are handled by Kent council.
Is Rough Common expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £392,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £380,000 and detached houses £525,000.
About Rough Common
Village in Kent, England
Rough Common is a built-up area of 1,291 people, in the Canterbury 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
- 1,291 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Canterbury
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005368
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.