Sutton Valence’s story
60 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Sutton Valence’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
28% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Sutton ValenceKent
A village of 1,457 in Kent, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Marathon · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,457
Census 2021 · Maidstone council
Median home
£462K
57 sales in 3 years
Median age
45.8
21% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
20%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Sutton Valence a good place to live?
Sutton Valence has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. 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 cost of living (C−): median sale £462,000, 7.6 years of area income; rent £1,297 a month.
What makes Sutton Valence stand out
The 3 things Sutton Valence does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 16.9 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.7 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
How Sutton Valence grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Sutton Valence is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Hazard riskAOpen →Cost of livingC−Open →WalkabilityA−Open →Safety24 violent and sexual offences and 13.3 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026C+Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 44% of towns in EnglandC+Open →Jobs & incomeMean household income £62,122; 2.4% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsBOpen →HealthLife expectancy 81.6 for men, 84 for womenBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryAOpen →Outdoors71% live within 400 m of a park; 1% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeC+Open →Civic life4.8 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryB+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Sutton Valence Castle and 4 more in and around Sutton Valence
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Sutton Valence. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageSutton Valence Castlein town
CastleLeeds Castle3.3 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic house · National TrustStoneacre2.7 km outside town, to the north
MuseumDog collar museum3.2 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionFalconry Shows3.3 km outside town, to the northeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Sutton Valence Castle: Ukiws, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Leeds Castle: Misterzee, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stoneacre: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dog collar museum: Basher Eyre, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sutton Valence.
History
More buildings in Sutton Valence are listed than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 412 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Sutton Valence sits above both Kent’s towns (52) and England’s towns (39) on this measure. Sutton Valence has 60 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. Homes from before 1919 make up 28% of the total.
60listed buildingsAHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II60
1
scheduled monument
0
registered parks and gardens
28%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
412
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
SchoolsC+
Results at Sutton Valence’s schools trail 58% of towns in England
Its one school is below.
C+School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton Valence Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 203 | C− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
HousingCost of living grade C−
Sutton Valence gets a C− for cost of living grade
The median sale price was £462K, above both Kent’s towns (£380K) and England’s towns (£308K). 17% of households rent privately.
£462Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Sutton Valence£462K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £622,500 | 32 |
| Semi-detached | £387,500 | 12 |
| Terraced | £315,000 | 11 |
65%
of households own their home · England 61%
17%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,297
average private rent a month, Maidstone council area
£2,564
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 B
Commuters in Sutton Valence travel far: only 31% go under 5 km, fewer than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Sutton Valence below both Kent’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). At the census, 20% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
20%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving78%
On foot14%
Bus3%
Train2%
Bicycle1%
31%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£62K
mean household income, before tax
2.4%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A−
Walkability: more walkable than 76% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Sutton Valence has more crime per resident than 60% of UK towns
Police recorded 71 crimes inside Sutton Valence’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 13 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 45% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking, so it runs higher than U.S. “violent crime”.
24violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 21% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual32
Other theft7
Burglary7
Other crime7
Vehicle crime5
Public order4
Damage & arson3
Drugs3
Anti-social13
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.
24
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
71
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
More people in Sutton Valence say their health is bad than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 6.4%
On this, Sutton Valence is above both Kent’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). The nearest A&E to Sutton Valence is Maidstone Hospital, 6.2 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.
82%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Sutton Valence | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.4% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
81.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Who lives here
Children make up only 15% of Sutton Valence, fewer than in Kent’s towns and England’s towns
In the comparison, Sutton Valence comes below both Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Over-65s are 21% of the population. Half the people of Sutton Valence are older than 45.8.
45.8median age
Sutton ValenceKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
21%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Sutton Valence | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.1% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sutton Valence
15pages on Sutton Valence
The big questions
SafetyC+24 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingC−Median home £462K · rent £1,297 a monthHousing11 sold in 12 months · busiest street Chart RoadSchoolsC+1 state schoolHealthBLife expectancy 81.6 (men), 84 (women)Work & commuteB57% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Sutton Valence’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
KingswoodHeadcornStaplehurstBearstedCoxheathLenham and HarrietshamMaidstoneSutton Valence
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton Valence | 1,457 | — | — | C− | C+ | B |
| Kingswood | 1,371 | 1.9 | — | C− | A− | B |
| Headcorn | 3,293 | 3.4 | C− | C− | D | B |
| Staplehurst | 6,181 | 3.8 | C | C | C+ | B− |
| Bearsted | 8,349 | 3.9 | A | C− | A− | A |
| Coxheath | 8,453 | 4.1 | C+ | C | B− | B |
| Lenham and Harrietsham | 4,763 | 4.5 | C− | C | C− | B+ |
| Maidstone | 109,503 | 4.8 | C+ | C+ | D | C |
Kingswood has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Sutton Valence
How many listed buildings are there in Sutton Valence?
That is 16.9 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Is Sutton Valence expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £462,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £315,000, semi-detached houses £387,500 and detached houses £622,500.
About Sutton Valence
Village in Kent, England
Sutton Valence is a built-up area of 1,457 people, in the Maidstone 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
- 1,457 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Maidstone
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005607
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.