Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 20,701 people live in this large town, in Lincolnshire, East Midlands.
A tough set of grades. Its weakest is safety: police record 79.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 27.6 home and vehicle crimes. Skegness grades D− overall, better than 2% of UK towns. Residents’ health trails most towns (D−): life expectancy is 73.9 for men and 78.4 for women. It is easy to get around without a car: 28% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Buying the median home, at £179,975, takes 4.5 years of household income in the East Lindsey council area. Jobs & income is weaker too (D−) — households earn a mean £33,322 a year, and 6.1% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · claimants, DWP.
The 3 things Skegness 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 Skegness is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 14 buildings inside Skegness’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
17% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 6 old photos and postcards going back to 1890.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Skegness. Best known first.
MuseumChurch Farmin town
Theme parkCaptain Kids Adventure Worldin town
Theme parkFantasy Island2.1 km outside town, to the northZooZooNatureland Seal Sanctuaryin townAquariumAquariumSkegness Aquariumin townWater parkWater parkFairy Dell Paddling Poolin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Skegness.
People aged 15 to 24 make up a tenth of the town. Just over a quarter of residents are 65 or over, higher than both Lincolnshire’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (18%). Skegness has a median age of 48.1 years.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Skegness | Lincolnshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 32% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 15% | 25% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lincolnshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Between them, five primaries and two secondaries teach 3,004 pupils in Skegness. Skegness Grammar School’s results beat 87% of schools in England like it. Attainment 8 at the town’s 2 secondary schools averages 39.6, and 31% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. Below are three of its 7 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Richmond Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 374 | C− |
| Skegness AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 939 | D− |
| Skegness Grammar SchoolTop results in townSecondary | Secondary | 622 | A |
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 42.7 reports per 1,000, higher than both Lincolnshire’s towns (9.5) and England’s towns (7.8). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 3,644 crimes and 855 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Skegness’s built-up area.
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 nearest A&E to Skegness is Pilgrim Hospital, 17.9 miles away. At the census, 27% of people here had a disability, above Lincolnshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. 2 GP practices serve the town; 64% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Skegness | Lincolnshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 70% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 10% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 27% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · 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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 12% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Working mainly from home: just over one in ten workers, lower than both Lincolnshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (31%). 70% of commuters drove to work at the census. About 53% of its commuters stay in Skegness for work. The town counts 1.1 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. Per 10,000 residents, Skegness counts 7 listed buildings, lower than both Lincolnshire’s towns (42) and England’s towns (39). One registered park or garden lies locally.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Half of households are owner-occupiers. Private rents average £704 a month across the East Lindsey council area. The median sale, £179,975, comes from 730 standard sales inside Skegness’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £230,000 | 285 |
| Semi-detached | £170,000 | 238 |
| Terraced | £153,000 | 130 |
| Flat or maisonette | £100,000 | 77 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
14 listed buildings in Skegness.
Church of St Clement: Photo: Richard Croft · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Jubilee Clock Tower: Photo: Steve Daniels · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Skegness Signal Box: Photo: Dave Bevis · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Church of St Matthew: Photo: Dasteeluk · CC BY-SA 4.0
22 notable people were born in Skegness.
Ray Clemence: Marcel Antonisse / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl · Elizabeth Allan: Russell Ball (1896-1942), Public domain · Graham Bonnet: Eetwartti, Public domain · Debbie Jenner: Robert Hoetink, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carol Shanahan: EchetusXe, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skegness | 20,701 | — | D− | B− | D− | D− |
| Ingoldmells | 1,928 | 3 | — | B− | D− | D− |
| Burgh le Marsh | 2,159 | 3.8 | — | C+ | A− | C− |
| Wainfleet All Saints | 1,802 | 4.8 | — | B− | C | D |
| Chapel St Leonards | 3,435 | 5.4 | D− | B− | D− | D− |
| Wainfleet St Mary | 1,045 | 5.6 | — | B− | A− | D |
| Alford | 3,831 | 10 | C | B− | C | C− |
| Spilsby | 3,671 | 10 | D | B− | C− | C− |
Ingoldmells, Burgh le Marsh, Wainfleet All Saints and Wainfleet St Mary have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Police recorded 3,644 crimes inside Skegness’ built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 43% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
GCSE results trail 89% of towns in England, and primary results trail 76% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Large town in Lincolnshire, England
Skegness is a built-up area of 20,701 people, in the East Lindsey 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.