Sea Palling’s story
2 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Sea Palling’s built-up area.
35% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Sea PallingNorfolk
A village of 389 in Norfolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Church of St Margaret · Photo: Robert Cutts from Bristol, England, UK · CC BY 2.0
Population
389
Census 2021 · North Norfolk council
Median home
£305K
23 sales in 3 years
Median age
55.2
30% are 65+ · Norfolk 24%
Degree level
20%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
13%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Sea Palling a good place to live?
Sea Palling has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Sea Palling stand out
The 3 things Sea Palling does most differently from other towns.
Homes built before 1919
History
35% of homes built before 1919
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
13% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Norfolk 26%.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sea Palling.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Sea Palling than in Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 11% are under 15
Nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24. People 65 and over make up 30% of the town, above both Norfolk’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). Half of Sea Palling is older than 55.2, half younger. Among adults, 20% have a degree.
55.2median age
Sea PallingNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications21%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level20%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 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.
| Sea Palling | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 12% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 39% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.4% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 20% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Sea Palling walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 13%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 25% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
1.7% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, below both Norfolk’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Driving is how 85% of commuters got to work at the census. For a quarter of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
13%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving85%
On foot11%
Bicycle2%
Underground, tram1%
25%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
25%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£42K
mean household income, before tax
1.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Sea Palling is a town of owners: 69% of households own their home, above Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
23% rent privately, above Norfolk’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Social renters account for 8% of households. Private rents average £865 a month across the North Norfolk council area.
£305Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Sea Palling£305K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £305,000 | 15 |
| Semi-detached | £290,000 | 5 |
69%
of households own their home · England 61%
23%
rent privately · England 21%
£865
average private rent a month, North Norfolk council area
£2,426
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Crime recorded by police in Sea Palling
Homes saw 5.1 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, close to Norfolk’s towns (6.1) and below England’s towns (9.4). The 12 months to August 2026 brought 9 recorded crimes inside Sea Palling’s built-up area, and 5 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence accounts for 24.9 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
24.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual8
Public order1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social5
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.
24.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
9
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Only 73% of people in Sea Palling say their health is good or very good, fewer than in Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
7% of residents report bad or very bad health. At the census, a quarter of people here had a disability, above both Norfolk’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). Sea Palling has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.6 miles away.
73%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 73%Fair 20%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Sea Palling | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 73% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 25% | 20% | 17% |
80.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Sea Palling keeps more of its old housing than Norfolk or England’s towns: 35% 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 names 2 listed buildings in Sea Palling: 1 Grade II*. For its size, Sea Palling has 51 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, about level with both Norfolk’s towns (44) and England’s towns (39).
2listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II1
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Margaret Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
35%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
51
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sea Palling
13pages on Sea Palling
The big questions
Safety24.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £305K · rent £865 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street Waxham RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 80.4 (men), 84.4 (women)Work & commute46% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Sea Palling’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
SuttonStalhamMarthamHemsbyOrmesby St MargaretNorth WalshamHoveton and WroxhamSea Palling
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Palling | 389 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sutton | 1,026 | 3.3 | — | C+ | A | C+ |
| Stalham | 3,383 | 3.6 | C+ | C | C+ | C+ |
| Martham | 3,633 | 5.6 | C | D | A− | B− |
| Hemsby | 5,724 | 7.1 | D | D | C+ | C |
| Ormesby St Margaret | 2,741 | 8.6 | C+ | D | A | C |
| North Walsham | 12,829 | 9.2 | D | C− | C+ | C |
| Hoveton and Wroxham | 3,620 | 9.4 | C− | D− | B− | B− |
Sutton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Sea Palling
How many listed buildings are there in Sea Palling?
2 on Historic England’s list, 1 of them Grade II*. That is 2.1 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Sea Palling expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £305,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £290,000 and detached houses £305,000.
About Sea Palling
Village in Norfolk, England
Sea Palling is a built-up area of 389 people, in the North 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
- Population
- 389 (Census 2021)
- Council
- North Norfolk
- County
- Norfolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002192
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.