Beetley’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Beetley’s built-up area.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BeetleyNorfolk
A village of 959 in Norfolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Adrian S Pye · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
959
Census 2021 · Breckland council
Median home
£353K
48 sales in 3 years
Median age
53.3
30% are 65+ · Norfolk 24%
Degree level
26%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Beetley a good place to live?
Beetley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Beetley stand out
The 3 things Beetley does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
25% of commuters travel under 5 km.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
30% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Own outright
Housing
53% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Beetley.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Beetley: 30% are 65 or over, above Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
That puts Beetley above both Norfolk’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). Children under 15 make up 14% of residents. The median resident of Beetley is 53.3 years old.
53.3median age
BeetleyNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level26%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Beetley | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.4% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.9% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Beetley
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Community Primary School, BeetleyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 156 | D− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Beetley than in Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 7%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
On this, Beetley is below both Norfolk’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (27%). The car carried 92% of commuters at the census.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
Bicycle3%
On foot2%
Bus2%
25%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
30%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£52K
mean household income, before tax
1.6%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
More households own their home in Beetley than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 89%
In the comparison, Beetley comes above both Norfolk’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Social housing holds 2% of households.
£353Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Beetley£353K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £412,500 | 34 |
| Semi-detached | £257,000 | 13 |
89%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£928
average private rent a month, Breckland council area
£2,368
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Burglary and damage are rarer in Beetley than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 2.4 per 1,000 residents a year
For Beetley, that is below both Norfolk’s towns (6.1) and England’s towns (9.4). Violent crime runs at 8.7 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 14 crimes inside Beetley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 3 reports of anti-social behaviour.
8.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual7
Damage & arson3
Drugs2
Public order1
Weapons1
Shoplifting0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Anti-social3
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.
8.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
14
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
82% of residents say their health is good or very good
82% of Beetley’s residents described their health as good or very good in 2021, against 79% across Norfolk’s towns. 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 health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Beetley | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.6% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 20% | 17% |
81.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
1 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Beetley has 1 listed building inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 19% of its homes were built before 1919.
1listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
19%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
10
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse and 2 more in and around Beetley
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Beetley. Best known first.
MuseumMuseumGressenhall Farm and Workhousein town
Castle · English HeritageNorth Elmham Chapel3.8 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumMid-Norfolk Railway Museum Room4.2 km outside town, to the south
Castle · English HeritageNorth Elmham Chapel3.8 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumMid-Norfolk Railway Museum Room4.2 km outside town, to the southPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- North Elmham Chapel: Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Beetley
13pages on Beetley
The big questions
Safety8.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £353K · rent £928 a monthHousing17 sold in 12 months · busiest street Ashley RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 81.2 (men), 83 (women)Work & commute47% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Beetley’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
North ElmhamSwanton MorleyDerehamFoulshamMattishallShipdhamNectonBeetley
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beetley | 959 | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Elmham | 1,172 | 2.2 | — | C | A | B |
| Swanton Morley | 2,175 | 2.5 | — | C+ | A− | B |
| Dereham | 20,788 | 2.8 | C− | B− | C− | C+ |
| Foulsham | 1,025 | 5.7 | — | A | B+ | B |
| Mattishall | 2,203 | 5.8 | — | C | A− | B+ |
| Shipdham | 2,459 | 6 | — | C+ | A− | B− |
| Necton | 1,742 | 7.8 | — | C+ | A | B− |
North Elmham, Swanton Morley, Foulsham, Mattishall, Shipdham and Necton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Beetley
Is Beetley expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £352,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £257,000 and detached houses £412,500. Private rents in the Breckland council area averaged £928 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Beetley?
Band D council tax in Beetley is £2,368 for 2026–27, less than in 64% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Beetley
Village in Norfolk, England
Beetley is a built-up area of 959 people, in the Breckland 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
- 959 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Breckland
- County
- Norfolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002358
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.