Croydon’s grades pull in different directions. Walking, cycling and public transport work well here: on the way to work, 49% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. School results are strong: primary results beat 77% of towns in England; secondary results beat 54% of towns in England. Where it falls short is safety (D) — police record 36.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 20.5 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has less crime per resident than 59%. It takes 5.7 years of household income in the Croydon council area to buy the median home, at £420,500. Health is a weak point (C): life expectancy 78.8 for men, 83.7 for women. The overall grade comes out at B−, better than 54% of UK towns. That places it #18 of 33 in London.
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.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Croydon is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Croydon.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
6.5% of 16 to 64s in Croydon claim unemployment benefits, more than in London’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 47% of commuters went by car. About 37% of its commuters stay in Croydon for work. There are 0.7 jobs in Croydon for each resident in work. Household income came to £74K a year before tax, close to London’s towns (£74K) and above England’s towns (£55K).
49%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving47%
Bus17%
Train15%
On foot8%
Underground, tram7%
Bicycle2%
38%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
37%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£74K
mean household income, before tax
6.5%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A+
Walkability: more walkable than almost every UK town
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
SchoolsB+
Results at Croydon’s schools beat 70% of towns in England
Heathfield Academy’s results beat nearly every one of schools in England like it. 67% of pupils at the town’s 79 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Of its 126 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. Secondary results at the town’s 22 secondary schools: an Attainment 8 score of 46.5, with 46% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
Crime per resident in Croydon is higher than in 86% of UK towns
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 33,474 crimes and 8,711 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Croydon’s built-up area. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 22.5 reports per 1,000, between London’s towns (25.2) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences made up 38% of the total.
36.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearDSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 59% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual12,724
Vehicle crime3,697
Shoplifting3,640
Other theft2,710
Public order2,388
Drugs2,110
Burglary1,700
Damage & arson1,692
Anti-social8,711
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.
36.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
20.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
22.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
History
Croydon has 168 listed buildings, 14 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 29% of the total, higher than both London’s towns (27%) and England’s towns (16%). Croydon’s listed buildings include the Church of All Saints, Grade I. 6 scheduled monuments lie in the town.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
85% of people in Croydon rate their health good or very good
14% of residents have a disability, above London’s towns (13%) but below England’s towns (17%). 47 GP practices serve the town; nearly four in five patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Women here live to 83.7 on average and men to 78.8 (2019–23).
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 B
The median home in Croydon sells for £421K, against £544K in London’s towns and £308K in England’s towns
Private tenants account for 26% of households. Croydon is the second cheapest of the 33 towns in London, at £420,500. Owners make up 55% of households, between London’s towns (45%) and England’s towns (61%).
£421Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Croydon£421K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£736,500
1,234
Semi-detached
£543,000
2,198
Terraced
£435,000
3,366
Flat or maisonette
£280,000
3,604
55%
of households own their home · England 61%
26%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,582
average private rent a month, Croydon council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Who lives here
Children make up 19% of Croydon, above London’s towns and England’s towns
The middle age in Croydon is 37.6. Just over two in five adults hold a degree, between London’s towns (47%) and England’s towns (34%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are 11% of the population.
37.6median age
CroydonLondonEngland
Ages · share of residents
11%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level41%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Kate Moss: Crooked House Films, CC BY 3.0 · David Lean: Kalervo Manninen, Public domain · G. E. Moore: Ray Strachey, born Rachel Pearsall Conn Costelloe (4 June 1887 London – 16 July 1940), Public domain · Peter Cushing: Hammer films, Public domain · Havelock Ellis: Smithsonian Institution from United States, Public domain · Roy Hodgson: Mikhail Slain, CC BY-SA 3.0
Its Grade I buildings include Church of All Saints.
Is Croydon safe?
Against all UK towns, most of them far smaller, it grades D.
Does Croydon flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Is Croydon expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £420,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £280,000, terraced houses £435,000, semi-detached houses £543,000 and detached houses £736,500. Household incomes are higher than in 94% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B.
About Croydon
London borough in London
Croydon is a built-up area of 389,242 people, in the Croydon 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
389,242 (Census 2021)
Council
Croydon (mostly)
City
London
Region
London
Area
26.7 sq mi (69.2 km²)
ONS code
E63005267
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.
