Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,603 in Norfolk, East of England.
Belton grades D overall against UK towns: better than 11% of UK towns, and #40 of 51 in Norfolk. Its strongest subject is safety (B+): 17.8 violent and sexual offences and 7.1 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Its weakest is hazard risk (D): 5% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. The median home sold for £235,000 in the last three years, 5.5 times what households in the Great Yarmouth council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Belton 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 Belton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 6 buildings inside Belton’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade II*.
14% 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 Belton.
Just over a quarter of residents are 65 or over, about level with Norfolk’s towns (24%) and above England’s towns (18%). One measure of family life: 15% of residents are under 15. The middle age in Belton is 47.5. Those aged 15 to 24 account for 10% of residents.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Belton | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 23% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.5% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 18% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Secondary results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 43.5, with 39% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. At the 6 primary schools within 3 km, 55% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moorlands CofE Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 282 | C− |
The social rented sector houses 6% of households. Private renters make up 11% of households, below both Norfolk’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). The £235,000 median rests on 129 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £308,500 | 48 |
| Semi-detached | £235,000 | 47 |
| Terraced | £187,500 | 34 |
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 18% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
By car: that was how 87% of commuters travelled at the census. Households had £46K a year before tax, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (£50K) and England’s towns (£55K). Working from home was the norm for 18% of workers at the census. Of the commuters living in Belton, 4% work in the town itself.
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.
Relative to its size, Belton keeps 17 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, about level with both Norfolk’s towns (45) and England’s towns (39). Homes from before 1919 make up 14% of the total.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
At the census, 6.2% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. Seeing a GP means leaving Belton: the nearest practice is 2.9 miles away. Life expectancy here is 82.5 for women and 78.8 for men (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Belton | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.2% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
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.
Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Belton has less crime per resident than 76% of them. Police figures for the town’s built-up area: 124 crimes and 24 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 55% of the total.
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.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Belton. Best known first.
Historic houseSomerleyton Hall and Gardens4.4 km outside town, to the south
Abbey or priory · English HeritageSt Olave's Priory3.2 km outside town, to the southwestTheme parkTheme parkPleasure Beach4.9 km outside town, to the northeastZooZooPettitts Animal Adventure Park4.7 km outside town, to the westWater parkWater parkGorleston Splashpad4 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttractionHerringfleet Windmill4.6 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belton | 3,603 | — | D | D | B+ | C |
| Bradwell | 11,632 | 1.8 | C− | D | B | C+ |
| Gorleston-on-Sea | 24,474 | 2.5 | D | C | C− | D |
| Hopton on Sea | 2,575 | 3.4 | C− | D | C | C |
| Great Yarmouth | 28,979 | 4.1 | D− | B− | D− | D− |
| Freethorpe | 1,050 | 4.7 | — | A− | A− | B− |
| Corton | 1,134 | 5 | — | A | B+ | B− |
| Thurlton | 1,145 | 5.1 | — | A− | A− | B |
Freethorpe, Corton and Thurlton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
GCSE results trail 70% of towns in England, and primary results trail 79% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Belton has 2 state schools; places are handled by Norfolk council.
Town in Norfolk, England
Belton is a built-up area of 3,603 people, in the Great Yarmouth 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.