Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 4,396: a town in Norfolk, East of England.
A solid town with one catch. Prices are modest for what you get: homes sell for a median £290,000, about 5.3 times local household income. Taken together, its subjects give Horsford an A− overall, better than three quarters of UK towns. In the ranking it comes #11 of 51 in Norfolk. The catch is walkability: on the way to work, 10% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for safety, B− for schools, B for health and B for jobs & income.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP.
The thing Horsford 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 Horsford is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 7 buildings inside Horsford’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
4% 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 Horsford.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list puts 7 listed buildings inside Horsford’s built-up area (1 Grade II*). Homes from before 1919 make up 4% of the total.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
62% of pupils at the 4 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). There is one school here; it is shown below. 354 pupils attend Horsford’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horsford CofE VA Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 354 | C |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Average household income comes to £56K a year before tax. The car took 88% of commuters, above Norfolk’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. About 3% of its commuters stay in Horsford for work. There are 0.3 jobs in Horsford for each resident in work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds 11% of households, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Households that own their home make up 75%. Private rents average £938 a month across the Broadland council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £397,497 | 98 |
| Semi-detached | £260,000 | 102 |
| Terraced | £212,500 | 18 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Horsford logged 143 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 29 complaints of anti-social conduct. Violence and sexual offences were 52% of the crimes. Burglary and damage came to 7.1 per 1,000 residents a year, between Norfolk’s towns (6) and England’s towns (9.4).
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.
Self-reported good health: 87% of Horsford’s residents. 15% of residents have a disability, below Norfolk’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Seeing a GP means leaving Horsford: the nearest practice is 1.6 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Horsford | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.4% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
16% of residents are 65 or over, below Norfolk’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Half the people of Horsford are older than 38.8. Among adults, 25% have a degree.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Horsford | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 16% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Horsford. Best known first.
MuseumCity of Norwich Aviation Museum1.9 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric siteHistoric siteAvro Vulcan (XM612)1.9 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric siteHistoric siteFokker F27-600P (G-BHMY)1.8 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric siteHistoric siteHandley Page Herald (G-ASKK)1.8 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric siteHistoric siteHawker Siddeley Nimrod MRA.2 (XV255)1.8 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
7 listed buildings in Horsford.
The Dog Public House: Photo: JThomas · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Horsford Hall: Photo: JThomas · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horsford | 4,396 | — | A− | A− | B | B |
| Taverham and Drayton | 14,989 | 1.8 | A | B | A | B+ |
| Horsham St Faith | 1,051 | 2 | — | B | A | B+ |
| Hevingham | 1,039 | 3 | — | B+ | A | B− |
| Costessey | 2,608 | 3.1 | B+ | B+ | B+ | B− |
| Queen's Hills | 4,465 | 3.5 | A | A | A− | B− |
| Spixworth | 3,418 | 3.6 | A | A− | A | A− |
| Norwich | 200,744 | 4.8 | D | C− | D | C |
Horsham St Faith and Hevingham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About the middle for its size: 35% 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.
Band D council tax in Horsford is £2,397 for 2026–27, less than in 59% 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.
Town in Norfolk, England
Horsford is a built-up area of 4,396 people, in the Broadland 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.
