Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,018 in Norfolk, East of England.
Hethersett grades A overall against UK towns: better than 88% of UK towns, and #5 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. The median home sold for £310,000 in the last three years, 5.4 times what households in the South Norfolk council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Hethersett 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 Hethersett is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 20 buildings inside Hethersett’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hethersett.
On this, Hethersett is below both Norfolk’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). 18% of residents are children under 15. The median resident of Hethersett is 42.5 years old.
52% women, 48% men
About 92 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.
| Hethersett | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.3% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hethersett Woodside Primary & Nursery SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 508 | D |
| Hethersett AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,250 | A |
In the comparison, Hethersett comes below both Norfolk’s towns (5.6%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Hethersett has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.5 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.
| Census 2021 | Hethersett | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
For Hethersett, that is above both Norfolk’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). 12% of households rent privately.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £346,000 | 238 |
| Semi-detached | £270,750 | 139 |
| Terraced | £225,000 | 73 |
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.
Hethersett has 20 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 1 Grade II*. 5% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Police recorded 348 crimes inside Hethersett’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 49 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 51% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking, so it runs higher than U.S. “violent crime”.
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 34% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Hethersett sits below both Norfolk’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (27%) on this measure. The car carried 85% of commuters 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 Hethersett. Best known first.
Art galleryThe Sainsbury Centre3.1 km outside town, to the northeast
Abbey or prioryWymondham Abbey4.8 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumWymondham Bridewell4.3 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumWymondham Heritage Museum4.3 km outside town, to the southwestArt galleryArt galleryWymondham Arts Centre4.6 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionKeswick Hall4.2 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hethersett | 7,018 | — | A | B+ | B | B+ |
| Little Melton | 1,049 | 1 | — | C+ | A− | A |
| Cringleford | 4,686 | 2.5 | A− | B− | C+ | A |
| Wymondham | 16,334 | 2.9 | A | A− | C | B+ |
| Easton | 1,436 | 3.5 | — | A− | C− | A− |
| Mulbarton | 3,807 | 4.1 | A | A− | A+ | A− |
| Costessey | 2,608 | 4.2 | B+ | B+ | B+ | B− |
| Queen's Hills | 4,465 | 4.3 | A | A | A− | B− |
Little Melton and Easton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
An older town. At the 2021 Census, 24% of residents were 65 or over and 23% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 18% were under 15.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About the middle for its size: 37% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, it grades B.
Town in Norfolk, England
Hethersett is a built-up area of 7,018 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.