Rackheath’s story
No listed buildings inside Rackheath’s built-up area
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
RackheathNorfolk
A village of 1,761 in Norfolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Nigel Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,761
Census 2021 · Broadland council
Median home
£303K
174 sales in 3 years
Median age
41.4
18% are 65+ · Norfolk 24%
Degree level
25%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Rackheath a good place to live?
Rackheath has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is safety (D): 46.9 violent and sexual offences and 11.7 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, it has less crime per resident than 5%. The median home sold for £302,500 in the last three years, 5.5 times what households in the Broadland council area earn in a year.
What makes Rackheath stand out
The 2 things Rackheath does most differently from other towns.
How Rackheath grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Rackheath is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SafetyDOpen →Hazard riskAOpen →Cost of livingB+Open →WalkabilityCOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 14% of towns in England; secondary results beat 61% of towns in EnglandC+Open →HealthBOpen →Jobs & incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsD−Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 14% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeBOpen →Civic life1.1 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryDOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rackheath.
History
Rackheath has fewer old homes than Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 2% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Rackheath’s built-up area.
0listed buildingsD−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
2%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
SchoolsC+
Rackheath’s schools fall behind 65% of towns in England on results
Key Stage 2 results at the 4 primary schools within 3 km: 53% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Rackheath Primary School’s results beat just over four in five schools in England like it. There is one school here; it is shown below. Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 47.9, with 47% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
C+School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rackheath Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 214 | A− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Safety
More crimes per resident in Rackheath than in 87% of UK towns
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 131 crimes and 41 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Rackheath’s built-up area. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 18.6 reports per 1,000, higher than both Norfolk’s towns (5) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences were nearly two thirds of the crimes.
46.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearDSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 5% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual86
Damage & arson15
Public order15
Other theft3
Burglary3
Drugs3
Other crime3
Vehicle crime2
Anti-social41
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.
46.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
18.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
131
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
HousingCost of living grade B+
More households own their home in Rackheath than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 78%
Renting privately is how nearly one in ten households live. Social housing holds just over one in ten households, below Norfolk’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £938 a month across the Broadland council area.
£303Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Rackheath£303K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £395,000 | 95 |
| Semi-detached | £255,000 | 54 |
| Terraced | £245,000 | 25 |
78%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£938
average private rent a month, Broadland council area
£2,475
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Fewer commuters in Rackheath walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 11%
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.
Households had £58K a year before tax, above both Norfolk’s towns (£50K) and England’s towns (£55K). 87% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Also worth knowing: about 7% of its commuters stay in Rackheath for work. For 27% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot5%
Bus3%
Bicycle2%
27%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
28%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£58K
mean household income, before tax
4.1%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C
Walkability: more walkable than 31% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
Is Rackheath a healthy place? 83% of its people say their health is good, above Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
Rackheath has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.3 miles away. The nearest A&E to Rackheath is Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, 7.4 miles away. Life expectancy here is 84.1 for women and 82.2 for men (2019–23).
83%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Rackheath | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.1% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 20% | 17% |
82.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
Who lives here
A typical mix of ages for England
A quarter of adults hold a degree. Children under 15 make up 18%, higher than Norfolk’s towns (16%) and near England’s towns (18%). People 65 and over make up 18% of the town. The median resident of Rackheath is 41.4 years old.
41.4median age
RackheathNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
18%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar23%
Degree level25%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Rackheath | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 23% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rackheath
14pages on Rackheath
The big questions
SafetyD46.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingB+Median home £303K · rent £938 a monthHousing38 sold in 12 months · busiest street Chapman RoadSchoolsC+1 state schoolHealthBLife expectancy 82.2 (men), 84.1 (women)Work & commuteC+46% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Rackheath’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Thorpe EndSalhouseLittle PlumsteadBlofield HeathSpixworthHoveton and WroxhamBlofieldRackheath
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rackheath | 1,761 | — | — | B+ | D | B |
| Thorpe End | 1,173 | 1.1 | — | C+ | A+ | A− |
| Salhouse | 1,431 | 1.6 | — | B | A+ | B+ |
| Little Plumstead | 1,915 | 1.9 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Blofield Heath | 1,430 | 2.8 | — | B− | A | B+ |
| Spixworth | 3,418 | 2.8 | A | A− | A | A− |
| Hoveton and Wroxham | 3,620 | 3.4 | C− | D− | B− | B− |
| Blofield | 2,667 | 3.5 | B | B+ | B+ | B |
Thorpe End, Salhouse, Little Plumstead and Blofield Heath have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Rackheath
Does Rackheath flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Are schools in Rackheath good?
GCSE results beat 61% of towns in England, and primary results trail 86% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Norfolk council.
About Rackheath
Village in Norfolk, England
Rackheath is a built-up area of 1,761 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
- Population
- 1,761 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Broadland
- County
- Norfolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002448
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.