Gressenhall’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Gressenhall’s built-up area.
15% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
GressenhallNorfolk
A village of 920 in Norfolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Tim Drury from Cambridge, Cambridgeshire · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
920
Census 2021 · Breckland council
Median home
£300K
27 sales in 3 years
Median age
57.8
39% are 65+ · Norfolk 24%
Degree level
26%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Gressenhall a good place to live?
Gressenhall has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Gressenhall stand out
The 3 things Gressenhall 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%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
39% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Own outright
Housing
58% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Gressenhall.
Who lives here
Gressenhall skews older, with 39% of residents 65 or over, more than Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns
Under 15: just over one in ten residents, and on top of that people aged 15 to 24 make up 7.9% of the town, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Ages in Gressenhall split evenly at 57.8: half are older, half younger. 26% of adults hold a degree.
57.8median age
GressenhallNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
39%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications25%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level26%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Gressenhall | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 39% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.7% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Gressenhall than in Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 9%
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.
88% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 23%, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). For every resident in work, Gressenhall has 0.6 jobs.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot6%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
23%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
27%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£50K
mean household income, before tax
2.6%
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
Gressenhall is a town of owners: 79% of households own their home, above Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
11% of households rent from a council or housing body. Private renters make up 9% of households, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). The median sale, £300,000, comes from 27 standard sales inside Gressenhall’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
£300Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Gressenhall£300K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £352,000 | 18 |
| Semi-detached | £245,000 | 8 |
79%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£928
average private rent a month, Breckland council area
£2,358
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 low in Gressenhall: 8 per 1,000 residents a year, under Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 1.5 reports per 1,000, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (5) and England’s towns (7.8). Per 1,000 residents, 1.1 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded a year. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 4 crimes and 2 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Gressenhall’s built-up area. Of all the crimes, 25% were violence and sexual offences.
8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Public order2
Violence & sexual1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Drugs0
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.
8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
4
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
Fewer people in Gressenhall say their health is good than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 75%
6.7% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, above Norfolk’s towns (5.6%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. Disability touches 24% of Gressenhall’s population. Seeing a GP means leaving Gressenhall: the nearest practice is 2.6 miles away.
75%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 75%Fair 18%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Gressenhall | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 75% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.7% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 24% | 20% | 17% |
79.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.2
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.
History
Gressenhall’s listed buildings: 1, all Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Listed buildings per head: 11 for every 10,000 residents of Gressenhall. 15% of its homes were built before 1919, near both Norfolk’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%).
1listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
15%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
11
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →North Elmham Chapel and 3 more in and around Gressenhall
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Gressenhall. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageNorth Elmham Chapel4.8 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumGressenhall Farm and Workhouse600 m outside town, to the eastCastleCastleMileham Castle4.8 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumMid-Norfolk Railway Museum Room4.1 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- North Elmham Chapel: Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Gressenhall
13pages on Gressenhall
The big questions
Safety8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £300K · rent £928 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street Litcham RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 79.9 (men), 84.2 (women)Work & commute50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Gressenhall’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
North ElmhamDerehamSwanton MorleyShipdhamFoulshamMattishallNectonGressenhall
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gressenhall | 920 | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Elmham | 1,172 | 2.8 | — | C | A | B |
| Dereham | 20,788 | 3 | C− | B− | C− | C+ |
| Swanton Morley | 2,175 | 3.4 | — | C+ | A− | B |
| Shipdham | 2,459 | 5.8 | — | C+ | A− | B− |
| Foulsham | 1,025 | 6.4 | — | A | B+ | B |
| Mattishall | 2,203 | 6.4 | — | C | A− | B+ |
| Necton | 1,742 | 7 | — | C+ | A | B− |
North Elmham, Swanton Morley, Shipdham, Foulsham, Mattishall and Necton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Gressenhall
How much is council tax in Gressenhall?
Band D council tax in Gressenhall is £2,358 for 2026–27, less than in 65% 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.
Is Gressenhall expensive to live in?
Close to the typical UK town: the median sale over three years was £300,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £245,000 and detached houses £352,000. Private rents in the Breckland council area averaged £928 a month in August 2026.
About Gressenhall
Village in Norfolk, England
Gressenhall is a built-up area of 920 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
- 920 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Breckland
- County
- Norfolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002365
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.