Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In Norfolk, East of England, this village has 250 residents.
Grades need 1,000 residents, so St Olaves has none; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 5% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 7 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. Over-65s are 31% of the population.
The 3 things St Olaves does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside St Olaves’ built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
21% 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 St Olaves.
People 65 and over make up 31% of the town, above Norfolk’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The median resident of St Olaves is 57.1 years old. Graduates make up 30% of adults.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| St Olaves | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 7.6% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 12% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 42% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.6% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car carried 88% of commuters at the census. Households had £46K a year before tax, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (£50K) and England’s towns (£55K). Among 16 to 64s, 1.6% claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. About 3% of its commuters stay in St Olaves for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The private rented sector houses nearly one in ten households. Social housing holds 2% of households, below both Norfolk’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £841 a month across the Great Yarmouth council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £487,500 | 11 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Each year, 5.3 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded per 1,000 residents. There were 1.3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both Norfolk’s towns (5) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for three quarters 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.
Disability touches 15% of St Olaves’ population. 78% of St Olaves’ residents described their health as good or very good at the census, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (82%). There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 5.2 miles off.
| Census 2021 | St Olaves | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
St Olaves’s listed buildings include St. Olave's Priory, Grade I. Before 1919: that is when 21% of homes were built. The national list protects one ancient monument in the town.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near St Olaves. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · English HeritageSt Olave's Prioryin town
Historic houseSomerleyton Hall and Gardens3 km outside town, to the southeastZooZooPettitts Animal Adventure Park4.1 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionHerringfleet Windmill900 m outside town, to the southPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Olaves | 250 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Belton | 3,603 | 2.7 | D | D | B+ | C |
| Thurlton | 1,145 | 2.9 | — | A− | A− | B |
| Hopton on Sea | 2,575 | 4.2 | C− | D | C | C |
| Bradwell | 11,632 | 4.3 | C− | D | B | C+ |
| Freethorpe | 1,050 | 4.7 | — | A− | A− | B− |
| Gorleston-on-Sea | 24,474 | 4.8 | D | C | C− | D |
| Corton | 1,134 | 5.2 | — | A | B+ | B− |
Thurlton, Freethorpe and Corton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 31% of residents were 65 or over and 42% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 7.6% were under 15.
That is 11.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is St. Olave's Priory. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £441,250, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
Village in Norfolk, England
St Olaves is a built-up area of 250 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
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.