Cromer grades C− overall against UK towns: better than 19% of UK towns, and #34 of 51 in Norfolk. Its strongest subject is walkability (A+): 34% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is jobs & income (D): mean household income £37,933; 3.6% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. The median home sold for £255,000 in the last three years, 5.7 times what households in the North Norfolk council area earn in a year.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Cromer is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cromer.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Cromer: 37% are 65 or over, above Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
That puts Cromer above both Norfolk’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). 11% of residents are children under 15. The median resident of Cromer is 56.2 years old.
56.2median age
CromerNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
37%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications23%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level25%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
Old homes shape Cromer: 33% were built before 1919, more than in Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
On this, Cromer is above both Norfolk’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%). For its size, Cromer has 113 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Cromer’s listed buildings include Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, Grade I.
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
More people in Cromer live with a disability than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 26%
In the comparison, Cromer comes above both Norfolk’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Cromer is Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, 21.5 miles away. 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.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Safety
Violent crime runs high in Cromer: 31.1 per 1,000 residents a year, above Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
For Cromer, that is above both Norfolk’s towns (18.9) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 455 crimes inside Cromer’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 88 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 45% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
31.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 34% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: 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 & sexual207
Shoplifting72
Damage & arson52
Public order47
Other theft23
Drugs14
Burglary9
Weapons9
Anti-social88
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.
31.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
James Dyson: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer: Contemporary photograph. Image part of the Hulton archive. Getty image library lists no named author, recorded as by a stringer., Public domain · Gillian Shephard: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0 · Malcolm Sayer: Pat Sayer (deceased), wife of Malcolm Sayer., CC BY-SA 4.0 · Emma Marshall: Marshall, Beatrice, Public domain · Henry Blogg: Stavros1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain
West Runton and Beeston Regis and Briston have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Cromer
How many listed buildings are there in Cromer?
That is 4.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul.
Are schools in Cromer good?
Cromer has 3 state schools; places are handled by Norfolk council.
Is Cromer safe?
About the middle for its size: 66% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, it grades C+. Burglary was rare, with 9 reports in the year.
About Cromer
Town in Norfolk, England
Cromer is a built-up area of 7,522 people, in the North 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
7,522 (Census 2021)
Council
North Norfolk
County
Norfolk
Region
East of England
Area
1.1 sq mi (2.8 km²)
ONS code
E63001993
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.
