Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,724 in Norfolk, East of England.
Hemsby grades D overall against UK towns: better than 6% of UK towns, and #48 of 51 in Norfolk. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is jobs & income (D): mean household income £45,025; 3.2% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. The median home sold for £250,000 in the last three years, 5.8 times what households in the Great Yarmouth council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Hemsby 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 Hemsby is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 13 buildings inside Hemsby’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
8% 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 1909.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hemsby.
Hemsby sits above both Norfolk’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%) on this measure. Under-15s account for 9.8% of the population. Half the people of Hemsby are older than 57.9.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Hemsby | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.8% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 37% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 28% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.2% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 16% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemsby Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 126 | D |
That puts Hemsby above both Norfolk’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Social housing holds 6% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £290,000 | 189 |
| Semi-detached | £235,000 | 99 |
| Terraced | £210,000 | 73 |
| Flat or maisonette | £115,000 | 11 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
On this, Hemsby is below both Norfolk’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (82%). Hemsby has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.7 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.
| Census 2021 | Hemsby | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 74% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.1% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 25% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Hemsby has 13 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 1 Grade II*. 8% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
In the comparison, Hemsby comes above both Norfolk’s towns (18.9) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 290 crimes inside Hemsby’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 28 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 64% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
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 Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 23% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For Hemsby, that is below both Norfolk’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). 13% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Hemsby. Best known first.
MuseumBlitz and Piecesin town
CastleCaister Castle2.5 km outside town, to the southZooZooThrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens4.9 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttraction · National TrustHorsey Windpump4.2 km outside town, to the northwestGardenGarden · National TrustButterfly Garden4.3 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumCaister Lifeboat Visitors Centre2.8 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
13 listed buildings in Hemsby, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of Holy Trinity and All Saints: Photo: John Salmon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hemsby War Memorial: Photo: Adrian S Pye · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hemsby | 5,724 | — | D | D | C+ | C |
| Ormesby St Margaret | 2,741 | 1.7 | C+ | D | A | C |
| Martham | 3,633 | 2.6 | C | D | A− | B− |
| Caister-on-Sea | 9,095 | 3.5 | D | D | C+ | C |
| Great Yarmouth | 28,979 | 6.4 | D− | B− | D− | D− |
| Acle | 2,268 | 7.1 | — | A− | C+ | B− |
| Sutton | 1,026 | 8 | — | C+ | A | C+ |
| Bradwell | 11,632 | 8.3 | C− | D | B | C+ |
Acle and Sutton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results trail 54% of towns in England, and primary results trail 96% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Hemsby has 2 state schools; places are handled by Norfolk council.
About the middle for its size: 58% 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 8 reports in the year.
Town in Norfolk, England
Hemsby is a built-up area of 5,724 people, in the Great Yarmouth 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.
