Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 2,608 people live in this town, in Norfolk, East of England.
One weak subject stands out against an otherwise good record. Crime is low (B+): 16.6 violent and sexual offences and 7 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Taken together, its subjects give Costessey a B+ overall, better than 69% of UK towns. It ranks #13 of 51 in Norfolk. Add cost of living to its strengths — the median home sold for £325,000, 5.7 years of area income. The drawback is walkability: just over one in ten commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for health, B for jobs & income and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency.
The 3 things Costessey 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 Costessey is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 30 buildings inside Costessey’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1914.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Costessey.
Violence and sexual offences were 53% of the crimes. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 105 recorded crimes inside Costessey’s built-up area, and 33 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 8.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), about level with England’s towns (7.8) and above Norfolk’s towns (5).
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.
At the 14 primary schools within 3 km, just over three in five pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below. GCSE results at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km: 40% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 43.6.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, CostesseyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 315 | C− |
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.
Before tax, the average household brings in £67K a year. 85% of commuters drove, above Norfolk’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. For 40% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Work in town: 2% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
8% rent privately, below Norfolk’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Social renters account for 13% of households. Private rents average £981 a month across the South Norfolk council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £413,750 | 48 |
| Semi-detached | £280,000 | 21 |
| Terraced | £230,000 | 9 |
| Flat or maisonette | £142,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Scaled to its population, that is 115 listed buildings for every 10,000 people in Costessey. The town’s listed buildings include the Church of St Edmund, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up nearly a tenth of the total, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Costessey has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 0.8 miles away. 83% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above Norfolk’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. A disability affects 18% of people here.
| Census 2021 | Costessey | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
Degrees are held by 34% of adults, above Norfolk’s towns (26%) and close to England’s towns (34%). 27% of residents have reached 65. The age that splits Costessey in two is 49.4.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Costessey | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.4% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.8% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 34% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Costessey. Best known first.
CathedralSt John the Baptist Cathedral4.9 km outside town, to the southeast
Art galleryThe Sainsbury Centre4 km outside town, to the south
MuseumCity of Norwich Aviation Museum3.9 km outside town, to the northeastHistoric siteHistoric siteAvro Vulcan (XM612)3.9 km outside town, to the northeastHistoric siteHistoric siteFokker F27-600P (G-BHMY)3.8 km outside town, to the northeastHistoric siteHistoric siteHandley Page Herald (G-ASKK)3.8 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
30 listed buildings in Costessey, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of St Edmund: Photo: Katy Walters · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Our Lady and St Walstan RC Church: Photo: Katy Walters · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costessey | 2,608 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ | B− |
| Queen's Hills | 4,465 | 1.4 | A | A | A− | B− |
| Taverham and Drayton | 14,989 | 1.7 | A | B | A | B+ |
| Easton | 1,436 | 2.3 | — | A− | C− | A− |
| Horsford | 4,396 | 3.1 | A− | A− | B | B |
| Little Melton | 1,049 | 3.2 | — | C+ | A− | A |
| Norwich | 200,744 | 3.4 | D | C− | D | C |
| Horsham St Faith | 1,051 | 3.6 | — | B | A | B+ |
Easton, Little Melton and Horsham St Faith have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 4.7 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Edmund.
Band D council tax in Costessey is £2,522 for 2026–27, more than in 69% 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.
Town in Norfolk, England
Costessey is a built-up area of 2,608 people, in the South 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
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.
