St Mary's Bay’s story
No listed buildings inside St Mary's Bay’s built-up area
3% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
St Mary's BayKent
It is a town of 2,966 residents in Kent, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Ian Dunster · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,966
Census 2021 · Folkestone and Hythe council
Median home
£295K
161 sales in 3 years
Median age
60.8
42% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
18%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · England 27%
TownGrade
D−
#83 of 87 in Kent
Is St Mary's Bay a good place to live?
Schools lag: primary results beat 12% of towns in England; secondary results beat 10% of towns in England. Buying the median home, at £295,000, takes 5.7 years of household income in the Folkestone and Hythe council area. Work and incomes lag: the mean household earns £43,207 a year. The overall grade comes out at D−, #83 of 87 in Kent. Nationally, it does better than 3% of UK towns. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for safety and B− for walkability.
Figures: income, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021.
What makes St Mary's Bay stand out
The 3 things St Mary's Bay does most differently from other towns.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
42% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
14% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Degree level, 16+
Education
18% have a degree
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Kent 29%.
How St Mary's Bay grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far St Mary's Bay is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeNear the bottom of the towns comparedDOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 12% of towns in England; secondary results beat 10% of towns in EnglandDOpen →HealthLife expectancy 77.5 for men, 81.7 for womenC−Open →Hazard risk2.6% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC−Open →Cost of livingRent £1,178 a monthC−Open →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carB−Open →SafetyClose to the middle of the towns comparedB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsD−Open →Outdoors0% live within 400 m of a park; 0 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsDOpen →Civic life0.3 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in St Mary's Bay.
Who lives here
Children make up only 9.3% of St Mary's Bay, fewer than in Kent’s towns and across England’s towns
The share aged 15 to 24 is 6.3%. Just over two in five residents are 65 or over, higher than both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). Half of St Mary's Bay is older than 60.8, half younger.
60.8median age
St Mary's BayKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
42%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications27%
Apprenticeship9%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level18%
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.
| St Mary's Bay | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.3% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 42% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 27% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.6% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 18% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
History
St Mary's Bay has fewer old homes than Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 3% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside St Mary's Bay’s built-up area.
0listed buildingsD−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
3%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
Disability is more common in St Mary's Bay than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 28% of residents
Women here live to 81.7 on average and men to 77.5 (2019–23). St Mary's Bay’s share in bad or very bad health, 10%, is the highest of the 149 towns in Kent. 67% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, lower than both Kent’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%). It has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.3 miles away.
67%good or very good healthC−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 67%Fair 22%Bad or very bad 10%
| Census 2021 | St Mary's Bay | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 67% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 10% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 28% | 18% | 17% |
77.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
81.7
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
HousingCost of living grade C−
More households own their home in St Mary's Bay than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 84%
5% of households live in social housing. Private renters make up just over one in ten households, below both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). 161 standard sales inside St Mary's Bay’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £295,000.
£295Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
St Mary's Bay£295K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £325,000 | 51 |
| Semi-detached | £290,000 | 91 |
| Terraced | £340,000 | 13 |
| Flat or maisonette | £198,750 | 6 |
84%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,178
average private rent a month, Folkestone and Hythe council area
£2,502
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Work tends to be further away for St Mary's Bay: 19% commute under 5 km, below Kent’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 20% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
2.9% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. At the census, 14% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, lower than both Kent’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (27%). Driving is how 84% of commuters got to work at the census. Of the commuters living in St Mary's Bay, 3% work in the town itself.
14%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving84%
On foot7%
Bus4%
Train2%
Bicycle2%
19%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
20%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£43K
mean household income, before tax
2.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B−
Walkability: more walkable than 52% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Per resident, St Mary's Bay sees more crime than 51% of UK towns
There were 4.4 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Kent’s towns (9.4) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 86 recorded crimes inside St Mary's Bay’s built-up area, and 12 reports of anti-social behaviour. Burglary and damage come to 9.1 per 1,000 residents a year. 59% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
23.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 50% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual51
Damage & arson8
Other theft5
Other crime5
Public order4
Drugs4
Vehicle crime3
Weapons3
Anti-social12
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.
23.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
86
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway and 3 more in and around St Mary's Bay
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near St Mary's Bay. Best known first.
Heritage railwayRomney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway1.8 km outside town, to the northeast
Fort · English HeritageDymchurch Martello Tower800 m outside town, to the northeastTheme parkTheme parkDymchurch Amusements700 m outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumRomney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway2 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway: Ben Salter from Wales, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dymchurch Martello Tower: Steve Ward, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about St Mary's Bay
14pages on St Mary's Bay
The big questions
SafetyB−23.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingC−Median home £295K · rent £1,178 a monthHousing47 sold in 12 months · busiest street Cedar CrescentSchoolsDHealthC−Life expectancy 77.5 (men), 81.7 (women)Work & commuteD42% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC−2.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
St Mary's Bay’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
DymchurchNew RomneyLittlestone-on-SeaLyddLympneAldingtonHytheSt Mary's Bay
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Bay | 2,966 | — | D− | C− | B− | C− |
| Dymchurch | 3,097 | 1.9 | D | D | C | C |
| New Romney | 3,870 | 2.1 | D− | D | C− | C− |
| Littlestone-on-Sea | 5,271 | 2.9 | D− | D | B | C− |
| Lydd | 3,911 | 5 | D | C | C+ | C− |
| Lympne | 1,074 | 5.1 | — | D | A+ | B− |
| Aldington | 1,280 | 5.8 | — | C− | A− | B+ |
| Hythe | 14,613 | 6.2 | C | D | B− | C+ |
Lympne and Aldington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about St Mary's Bay
Are schools in St Mary's Bay good?
GCSE results trail 90% of towns in England, and primary results trail 88% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Places are handled by Kent council.
Does St Mary's Bay flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About St Mary's Bay
Town in Kent, England
St Mary's Bay is a built-up area of 2,966 people, in the Folkestone and Hythe 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
- 2,966 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Folkestone and Hythe
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi (1 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006103
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.