Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This village in Norfolk, East of England has a population of 1,172.
North Elmham’s strongest subject is safety (A) — 11.4 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 5.1 home and vehicle crimes. Homes sell for a median £299,975, about 6.1 years of what households in the Breckland council area earn. It is hard to get around without a car: on the way to work, 9% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Work and incomes lag: households earn a mean £53,448 a year, and 2.1% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS · claimants, DWP. With fewer than 2,500 residents, North Elmham has subject grades but no overall one.
The state schools in and within 3 km of this town had fewer than 30 pupils in published KS2 or GCSE results, too few to grade, so it has no School Grade.
The 3 things North Elmham 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 North Elmham is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside North Elmham’s built-up area.
30% 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 North Elmham.
Aged 15 to 24: nearly one in ten residents; what’s more, 14% are under 15, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). The median resident of North Elmham is 53.5 years old. Among adults, 25% have a degree.
53% women, 47% men
About 88 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.
| North Elmham | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 32% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.4% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The one school in town appears below. Its one primary school teaches 60 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Elmham Church of England Primary Academy & NurseryLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 60 | D− |
Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, North Elmham has less crime per resident than just over four fifths of them. 36 crimes and 9 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside the town’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 58% of recorded 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 police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
For its size, North Elmham has 128 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, higher than both Norfolk’s towns (42) and England’s towns (39). The town’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. Grade II* covers 1 of them, Grade I 2. Historic England’s list names 15 listed buildings locally: 2 Grade I, 1 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 33% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
89% of commuters drove, above Norfolk’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Jobs per working resident: 0.4. The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 2.1%.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The private rented sector houses 11% of households. Social housing holds 14% of households, below Norfolk’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £928 a month across the Breckland council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £550,000 | 39 |
| Semi-detached | £220,000 | 21 |
| Terraced | £238,000 | 7 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
One GP practice serves the town; 72% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 21% of residents have a disability, higher than both Norfolk’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). Also worth knowing: the nearest A&E to North Elmham is Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, 14.6 miles away.
| Census 2021 | North Elmham | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.6% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near North Elmham. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageNorth Elmham Chapel100 m outside town, to the north
Historic houseSennowe Hall3.6 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumGressenhall Farm and Workhouse3.6 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Elmham | 1,172 | — | — | C | A | B |
| Swanton Morley | 2,175 | 2.7 | — | C+ | A− | B |
| Foulsham | 1,025 | 3.6 | — | A | B+ | B |
| Dereham | 20,788 | 4.8 | C− | B− | C− | C+ |
| Mattishall | 2,203 | 7 | — | C | A− | B+ |
| Reepham | 2,317 | 7.2 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Fakenham | 8,390 | 7.2 | D | D | B− | C |
| Shipdham | 2,459 | 8.2 | — | C+ | A− | B− |
Swanton Morley, Foulsham, Mattishall, Reepham and Shipdham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 5.3 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Church of St Mary.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Village in Norfolk, England
North Elmham is a built-up area of 1,172 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
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.