Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 404 in Norfolk, East of England.
Hillington has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Hillington does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 12 buildings inside Hillington’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
43% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Hillington. Best known first.
Historic houseSandringham House3.8 km outside town, to the northwest
Castle · English HeritageCastle Rising4.9 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseAnmer Hall4.2 km outside town, to the northeastCastleCastleSandringham Estate Visitors' entrance3.9 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hillington.
Residents of Hillington have a median age of 54.2. People 65 and over make up 29% of the town, above both Norfolk’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). Nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24.
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Hillington | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.2% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.2% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 35% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.1% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · 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.
In 2026, 1.4% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits. 87% of commuters drove, above Norfolk’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Households take home £46K a year before tax, on average. Also worth knowing: of the commuters living in Hillington, 4% work in the town itself.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
8% live in social housing, below both Norfolk’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). The £338,750 median rests on 16 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026). Private rents average £941 a month across the King's Lynn and West Norfolk council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £472,500 | 8 |
| Semi-detached | £270,000 | 7 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The violent crime rate is 7.4 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 8 crimes inside Hillington’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 25% of the total.
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 police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
6.2% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, higher than both Norfolk’s towns (5.6%) and England’s towns (5.2%). There is no GP practice in Hillington: the nearest is 1.8 miles off. The nearest A&E to Hillington is The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 5.3 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Hillington | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.2% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 26% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. For its size, Hillington has 297 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above both Norfolk’s towns (44) and England’s towns (39). This Norfolk town has 12 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillington | 404 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Gayton | 1,522 | 3.9 | — | C− | B− | B− |
| Dersingham | 4,753 | 3.9 | B | C− | A | B− |
| Snettisham | 2,709 | 5.8 | B− | D | A | C |
| King's Lynn | 47,604 | 6.2 | D | B− | D | D |
| Heacham | 3,978 | 7.9 | C | C− | B+ | C |
| Narborough | 1,362 | 8.1 | — | B− | B− | C+ |
| West Winch | 2,828 | 8.3 | C+ | D | A− | B |
Gayton and Narborough have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 12.2 times the typical UK town for its size. 43% of Hillington’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 29% of residents were 65 or over and 35% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 9.2% were under 15.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £338,750, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £270,000 and detached houses £472,500.
Village in Norfolk, England
Hillington is a built-up area of 404 people, in the King's Lynn and West 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.