Bircham Newton’s story
No listed buildings inside Bircham Newton’s built-up area
28% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Bircham NewtonNorfolk
It is a village of 274 residents in Norfolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: John Salmon · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
274
Census 2021 · King's Lynn and West Norfolk council
Median age
39.1
19% are 65+ · Norfolk 24%
Degree level
14%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Bircham Newton a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Bircham Newton is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. Nearly one in ten commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. 14% of adults are qualified to degree level. 28% of homes were built before 1919.
What makes Bircham Newton stand out
The 3 things Bircham Newton does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
9% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Norfolk 26%.
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bircham Newton.
Who lives here
Children make up 22% of Bircham Newton, above Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
Line up the people of Bircham Newton by age and the one in the middle is 39.1. People 65 and over make up 19% of the town, about level with England’s towns (18%) and below Norfolk’s towns (24%). The share aged 15 to 24 is 12%.
39.1median age
Bircham NewtonNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
19%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications29%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level14%
Women and men · all residents
55% women, 45% men
About 80 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. A large institution, such as a prison, barracks, boarding school, university or care home, can tilt a town’s split: the census counts the people living there as residents.
| Bircham Newton | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 29% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.8% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 14% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Bircham Newton work nearby than in Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 13% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 20% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car carried 87% of commuters at the census. At the census, 9% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below both Norfolk’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (27%). Also worth knowing: the average household earns £48K a year before tax.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot8%
Bicycle1%
13%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
20%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£48K
mean household income, before tax
2.5%
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 in Bircham Newton live in social housing than in Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 42%
49% of households own their home, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Private renters make up 10% of households. That is the middle of 8 standard sales inside Bircham Newton’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Bircham Newton£0K
Typical UK town£277K
49%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£941
average private rent a month, King's Lynn and West Norfolk council area
£2,402
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
Violent crime runs high in Bircham Newton: 31.6 per 1,000 residents a year, above Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
Reported offences in Bircham Newton came to 19 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 2. Homes saw 2.4 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below Norfolk’s towns (6.1) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. Violence and sexual offences were 63% of the crimes.
31.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual12
Public order3
Drugs2
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Shoplifting0
Burglary0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social2
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.
31.6
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
4.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
19
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Is Bircham Newton a healthy place? 84% of its people say their health is good, above Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
Bircham Newton has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 5.4 miles away. At the census, 4.4% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. The nearest A&E to Bircham Newton is The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 12.3 miles away.
84%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Bircham Newton | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
83
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.3
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Bircham Newton keeps more of its old housing than Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 28% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Bircham Newton’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
28%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bircham Newton
12pages on Bircham Newton
The big questions
Bircham Newton’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
SnettishamDersinghamHeachamHunstantonFakenhamWells-next-the-SeaGaytonBircham Newton
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bircham Newton | 274 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Snettisham | 2,709 | 6.9 | B− | D | A | C |
| Dersingham | 4,753 | 7.1 | B | C− | A | B− |
| Heacham | 3,978 | 7.6 | C | C− | B+ | C |
| Hunstanton | 4,230 | 8.3 | D | C− | C | C− |
| Fakenham | 8,390 | 8.4 | D | D | B− | C |
| Wells-next-the-Sea | 2,151 | 9.5 | — | D− | C+ | A− |
| Gayton | 1,522 | 10 | — | C− | B− | B− |
Wells-next-the-Sea and Gayton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Bircham Newton
How much is council tax in Bircham Newton?
Band D council tax in Bircham Newton is £2,402 for 2026–27, less than in 58% 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 Bircham Newton
Village in Norfolk, England
Bircham Newton is a built-up area of 274 people, in the King's Lynn and West Norfolk 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
- 274 (Census 2021)
- Council
- King's Lynn and West Norfolk
- County
- Norfolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002094
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.