Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a village of 2,248 residents in Kent, South East.
Wateringbury’s strongest subject is schools — primary results beat 88% of towns in England. It is strong on health as well: men here can expect to live to 83, women to 87.8. The weak point is hazard risk (C−) — 2.6% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. Homes sell for a median £416,500, about 6.2 years of what households in the Tonbridge and Malling council area earn. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for safety and B− for walkability.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021. Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Wateringbury has its subject grades alone.
The 3 things Wateringbury 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 Wateringbury is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Wateringbury has its subject grades alone.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Wateringbury’s built-up area.
34% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Wateringbury.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Wateringbury counts 49 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 3 Grade I, 4 Grade II*. Its listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. Per 10,000 residents, Wateringbury counts 218 listed buildings, above both Kent’s towns (52) and England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Key Stage 2 results at the 6 primary schools within 3 km: 70% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wateringbury Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 134 | C |
One GP practice serves the town; 84% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 4.2% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below Kent’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. A disability affects 16% of people in Wateringbury.
| Census 2021 | Wateringbury | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.2% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
10% live in social housing, below both Kent’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). The private rented sector houses 16% of households. 71 standard sales inside Wateringbury’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £416,500.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £520,000 | 25 |
| Semi-detached | £430,000 | 18 |
| Terraced | £325,000 | 19 |
| Flat or maisonette | £194,000 | 9 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for nearly a third of recorded crime. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 65 recorded crimes inside Wateringbury’s built-up area, and 13 reports of anti-social behaviour. Homes saw 13.3 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, above both Kent’s towns (12.3) and England’s towns (9.4).
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 · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 36% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For every resident in work, Wateringbury has 0.6 jobs. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 18%, below both Kent’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%), and at the census, 14% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train. About 3% of its commuters stay in Wateringbury for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
People 65 and over make up nearly a quarter of the town, above both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). The age that splits Wateringbury in two is 48.7. Among adults, 33% have a degree.
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Wateringbury | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.1% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Wateringbury. Best known first.
CastleMereworth Castle1.2 km outside town, to the west
Fort · English HeritageSt Leonards Tower3.3 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionTeapot Island2.3 km outside town, to the southAttractionAttractionQuintain4.3 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
5 notable people were born in Wateringbury.
Jack Hubble: William G Evans, CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wateringbury | 2,248 | — | — | C+ | B | A |
| Kings Hill | 9,963 | 1.4 | A− | C− | B+ | A+ |
| Yalding | 1,549 | 2 | — | C | C | B+ |
| West Malling | 4,251 | 3.1 | B | C+ | C | A− |
| East Peckham | 2,144 | 3.2 | — | C | B | B− |
| Larkfield | 26,147 | 3.4 | C+ | C+ | C+ | B− |
| Coxheath | 8,453 | 3.8 | C+ | C | B− | B |
| Hadlow | 3,168 | 4.1 | C+ | C+ | B | B− |
Yalding and East Peckham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 8.9 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Church of St Mary.
Primary results beat 88% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Kent council.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £416,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £194,000, terraced houses £325,000, semi-detached houses £430,000 and detached houses £520,000.
Village in Kent, England
Wateringbury is a built-up area of 2,248 people, in the Tonbridge and Malling 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.