Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,251 in Kent, South East.
West Malling grades B overall against UK towns: better than 58% of UK towns, and #22 of 87 in Kent. Its strongest subject is health (A−): life expectancy 81.3 for men, 85.2 for women. Its weakest is safety (C): 28.5 violent and sexual offences and 15.8 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 25%. The median home sold for £385,000 in the last three years, 5.8 times what households in the Tonbridge and Malling council area earn in a year.
The 3 things West Malling 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 West Malling is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 168 buildings inside West Malling’s built-up area, 7 of them Grade I, and 2 scheduled monuments.
22% 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 West Malling.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
West Malling has 168 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 7 Grade I, 11 Grade II*. West Malling has 395 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, above both Kent’s towns (52) and England’s towns (39). West Malling’s listed buildings include Gatehouse and Chapel to St Mary's Abbey, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Invicta Primary School At Leybourne ChaseLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 230 | A |
| More Park Catholic Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 183 | A |
For West Malling, that is below both Kent’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). West Malling has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.3 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.
| Census 2021 | West Malling | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Police recorded 269 crimes inside West Malling’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 60 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 46% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking, so it runs higher than U.S. “violent crime”.
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
West Malling sits below both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%) on this measure. Owners make up 70% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £605,000 | 67 |
| Semi-detached | £422,000 | 69 |
| Terraced | £355,000 | 64 |
| Flat or maisonette | £236,997 | 64 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 42% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts West Malling below both Kent’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). 14% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
On this, West Malling is below both Kent’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Under-15s account for 19% of the population.
54% women, 46% men
About 87 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| West Malling | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 32% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 22% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 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 West Malling. Best known first.
Fort · English HeritageSt Leonards Towerin town
CastleLeybourne Castle600 m outside town, to the northeast
CastleMereworth Castle3 km outside town, to the south
Museum · National TrustColdrum Long Barrow2.3 km outside town, to the northwest
Abbey or prioryThe Friars - Aylesford Priory4 km outside town, to the eastZooZooHemsley Conservation Centre4.8 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
168 listed buildings in West Malling, 7 of them Grade I.
Gatehouse and Chapel to St Mary's Abbey: Photo: Tilman2007 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Ancient House, and 65 and 67 High Street: Photo: Tilman2007 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Forge Cottages Forge House: Photo: Tilman2007 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Wheatsheaf Inn: Photo: Stacey Harris · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Malling | 4,251 | — | B | C+ | C | A− |
| Larkfield | 26,147 | 1.5 | C+ | C+ | C+ | B− |
| Kings Hill | 9,963 | 1.8 | A− | C− | B+ | A+ |
| Snodland | 11,820 | 2.5 | C− | B | C− | C |
| Wateringbury | 2,248 | 3.1 | — | C+ | B | A |
| Vigo Village | 2,005 | 3.1 | — | D | B | B+ |
| Eccles | 1,706 | 3.3 | — | B+ | B | C+ |
| Culverstone Green | 2,038 | 3.8 | — | D− | A | B+ |
Wateringbury, Vigo Village, Eccles and Culverstone Green have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 16.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Gatehouse and Chapel to St Mary's Abbey. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
It has more crime per resident than most places its size: 75% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £385,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £236,997, terraced houses £355,000, semi-detached houses £422,000 and detached houses £605,000.
Town in Kent, England
West Malling is a built-up area of 4,251 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.