East Harling’s story
26 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside East Harling’s built-up area.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
East HarlingNorfolk
2,490 people call this village in Norfolk, East of England home.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Adrian Cable · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,490
Census 2021 · Breckland council
Median home
£335K
160 sales in 3 years
Median age
49.4
29% are 65+ · Norfolk 24%
Degree level
25%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is East Harling a good place to live?
Safety is its strong suit: 13.1 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 5 home and vehicle crimes. Buying the median home, at £335,000, takes 6.8 years of household income in the Breckland council area. School results trail most towns: primary results beat 18% of towns in England. The rest of its grades are middling: B for health and C+ for jobs & income.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP. East Harling has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes East Harling stand out
The 3 things East Harling does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Church of St Peter and St Paul; 4.3 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
29% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How East Harling grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far East Harling is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SchoolsPrimary results beat 18% of towns in EnglandDOpen →SafetyNear the top of the towns comparedAOpen →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →Cost of livingRent £928 a monthC−Open →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carCOpen →HealthLife expectancy 82.6 for men, 83.9 for womenBOpen →Jobs & income2.2% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryMore history than most townsB+Open →Outdoors85% live within 400 m of a park; 1.7 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsDOpen →Civic life3.2 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryB−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in East Harling.
Who lives here
Older residents shape East Harling: 29% are 65 or over, above Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
Half of East Harling is older than 49.4, half younger. People aged 15 to 24 make up 7.8% of the town, below both Norfolk’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). One measure of family life: 16% of residents are under 15.
49.4median age
East HarlingNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
29%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications21%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level25%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| East Harling | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.7% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsD
East Harling’s schools fall behind 88% of towns in England on results
At the one primary school within 3 km, 54% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The one school in town appears below. Its one primary school teaches 191 pupils.
DSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Harling Primary School and NurseryLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 191 | C |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Safety
East Harling has less crime per resident than 87% of UK towns
Police figures for East Harling’s built-up area: 70 crimes and 3 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. For its size, East Harling records less crime per resident than 76% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people. Nearly half of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. There were 2.3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both Norfolk’s towns (5) and England’s towns (7.8).
13.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearASafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 76% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual34
Damage & arson9
Public order7
Vehicle crime6
Other theft5
Burglary3
Drugs2
Other crime2
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.
13.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
70
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.
HousingCost of living grade C−
Most households in East Harling own their home: 73%, more than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns
Social housing holds 12% of households, below both Norfolk’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Renting privately is how 14% of households live. Also worth knowing: half of the 160 standard sales inside East Harling’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £335,000.
£335Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
East Harling£335K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £430,000 | 88 |
| Semi-detached | £275,000 | 45 |
| Terraced | £242,000 | 27 |
73%
of households own their home · England 61%
14%
rent privately · England 21%
£928
average private rent a month, Breckland council area
£2,421
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Work tends to be further away for East Harling: 23% commute under 5 km, below Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income came to £57K a year before tax, above Norfolk’s towns (£50K) and close to England’s towns (£55K). Walking, cycling and public transport carried 10% of commuters at the census. Work in town: just over a tenth of resident commuters. Driving is how 87% of commuters got to work at the census.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot7%
Bicycle1%
Train1%
Bus1%
23%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
27%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£57K
mean household income, before tax
2.2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C
Walkability: more walkable than 28% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
A town of 26 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
East Harling’s listed buildings include the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Grade I. It has 104 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, higher than both Norfolk’s towns (42) and England’s towns (39). 19% of homes were built before 1919.
26listed buildingsB+History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II25
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Peter and St Paul Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
19%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
104
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
81% of residents say their health is good or very good
One GP practice serves the town; 54% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to East Harling is West Suffolk Hospital, 17 miles away. Women here live to 83.9 on average and men to 82.6 (2019–23).
81%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 81%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | East Harling | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.7% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 20% | 17% |
82.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.9
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
Keep exploring
Everything we know about East Harling
13pages on East Harling
The big questions
SafetyA13.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingC−Median home £335K · rent £928 a monthHousing42 sold in 12 months · busiest street Windmill WaySchoolsD1 state schoolHealthBLife expectancy 82.6 (men), 83.9 (women)Work & commuteC+51% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
East Harling’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
AttleboroughBesthorpeRickinghall and BotesdaleRoydon (South Norfolk)StantonThetfordDissEast Harling
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Harling | 2,490 | — | — | C− | A | B |
| Attleborough | 11,236 | 6.3 | C | C+ | B− | C+ |
| Besthorpe | 1,007 | 7.2 | — | C+ | A+ | A− |
| Rickinghall and Botesdale | 1,842 | 7.3 | — | A− | A | A |
| Roydon (South Norfolk) | 1,117 | 7.4 | — | A | A− | B− |
| Stanton | 2,316 | 8 | — | B− | A | B |
| Thetford | 25,502 | 8 | C− | B | D | C− |
| Diss | 9,599 | 8.6 | C+ | A | C+ | C+ |
Besthorpe, Rickinghall and Botesdale, Roydon (South Norfolk) and Stanton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about East Harling
How many listed buildings are there in East Harling?
That is 4.3 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Peter and St Paul.
Are schools in East Harling good?
Primary results trail 83% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Norfolk council.
About East Harling
Village in Norfolk, England
East Harling is a built-up area of 2,490 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
- 2,490 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Breckland
- County
- Norfolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi (0.9 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002914
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.