Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It skews older: 30% of residents are 65 or over. Population 2,741: a town in Norfolk, East of England.
A town of contrasts. Homes are dear: a typical home costs £278,975 and rent runs £841 a month. With a C+ overall, Ormesby St Margaret is better than 35% of UK towns and ranks #23 of 51 in Norfolk. Police record less crime here than in most towns (A): police record 14.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 3.4 home and vehicle crimes.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Ormesby St Margaret is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Ormesby St Margaret does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 6 buildings inside Ormesby St Margaret’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade II*.
10% 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 Ormesby St Margaret.
Graduates make up 22% of adults. People 65 and over make up 30% of the town, above Norfolk’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Ages in Ormesby St Margaret split evenly at 52.9: half are older, half younger. The 15-to-24 age group makes up one in ten residents.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Ormesby St Margaret | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.4% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 22% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 47.9, with 38% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Of its 2 schools, one is shown below, with the reason. Key Stage 2 results at the 4 primary schools within 3 km: three in five pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ormesby Village Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 114 | C |
Social housing holds 6% of households. 11% rent privately, below both Norfolk’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). From September 2023 to August 2026, 88 homes sold inside Ormesby St Margaret’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £278,975.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £321,750 | 57 |
| Semi-detached | £217,500 | 20 |
| Terraced | £195,000 | 11 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 74 crimes and 5 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Ormesby St Margaret’s built-up area. Half of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. There were 2.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both Norfolk’s towns (5) and England’s towns (7.8).
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 Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households had £45K a year before tax, below both Norfolk’s towns (£50K) and England’s towns (£55K). At the census, 10% of commuters got to work without a car. Also worth knowing: 4% of commuters who live in Ormesby St Margaret also work there. 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
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
A tenth of its homes were built before 1919, below both Norfolk’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%). Ormesby St Margaret has 22 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Women here live to 81.3 on average and men to 79.7 (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Ormesby St Margaret is James Paget Hospital, 7.8 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 85% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Ormesby St Margaret | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.9% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Ormesby St Margaret. Best known first.
CastleCaister Castle1.9 km outside town, to the south
MuseumBlitz and Pieces1 km outside town, to the northeastZooZooThrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens3.7 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumCaister Lifeboat Visitors Centre3.2 km outside town, to the southeastRuinsRuinsCaister Roman Fort2.2 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Town in Norfolk, England
Ormesby St Margaret is a built-up area of 2,741 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ormesby St Margaret | 2,741 | — | C+ | D | A | C |
| Hemsby | 5,724 | 1.7 | D | D | C+ | C |
| Caister-on-Sea | 9,095 | 2.1 | D | D | C+ | C |
| Martham | 3,633 | 3.3 | C | D | A− | B− |
| Great Yarmouth | 28,979 | 4.8 | D− | B− | D− | D− |
| Acle | 2,268 | 6.2 | — | A− | C+ | B− |
| Bradwell | 11,632 | 6.6 | C− | D | B | C+ |
| Gorleston-on-Sea | 24,474 | 7 | D | C | C− | D |
Acle has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets 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.
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.