Thompson’s story
9 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Thompson’s built-up area.
31% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ThompsonNorfolk
A village of 368 in Norfolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Deben Dave at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
368
Census 2021 · Breckland council
Median home
£335K
17 sales in 3 years
Median age
57.4
34% are 65+ · Norfolk 24%
Degree level
30%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
5%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Thompson a good place to live?
Thompson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Thompson stand out
The 3 things Thompson does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
5% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
28% of commuters travel under 5 km.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 10 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
34% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Thompson.
Who lives here
Thompson skews older, with 34% of residents 65 or over, more than Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns
In the comparison, Thompson comes above both Norfolk’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). 11% of residents are children under 15. Thompson has a median age of 57.4.
57.4median age
ThompsonNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
34%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level30%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Thompson | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 4.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 34% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.8% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Thompson
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thompson Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 93 | C |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Thompson walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 5%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For Thompson, that is below both Norfolk’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (27%). The car carried 91% of commuters at the census.
5%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
On foot3%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
28%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
38%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£53K
mean household income, before tax
1.3%
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
More households own their home in Thompson than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 80%
Thompson sits above both Norfolk’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%) on this measure. 8% of households live in social housing.
£335Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Thompson£335K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £425,000 | 10 |
80%
of households own their home · England 61%
13%
rent privately · England 21%
£928
average private rent a month, Breckland council area
£2,371
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 Thompson
Police recorded 21 crimes inside Thompson’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 4 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 48% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking, so it runs higher than U.S. “violent crime”.
22.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual10
Other theft4
Damage & arson3
Public order3
Weapons1
Shoplifting0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Anti-social4
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.
22.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
21
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
Bad health is less common in Thompson than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.5% of residents
That puts Thompson below both Norfolk’s towns (5.6%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Thompson has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.6 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
82%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Thompson | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 20% | 17% |
79.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.8
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
More buildings in Thompson are listed than in Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 245 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
On this, Thompson is above both Norfolk’s towns (44) and England’s towns (39). Thompson has 9 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. Homes from before 1919 make up 31% of the total.
9listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II9
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
31%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
245
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 Thompson
12pages on Thompson
The big questions
Safety22.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £335K · rent £928 a monthHousing4 sold in 12 months · busiest street Pockthorpe LaneSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 79.2 (men), 83.8 (women)Work & commute58% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Thompson’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
GristonWattonSaham ToneyAshillShipdhamHinghamMundfordThompson
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thompson | 368 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Griston | 1,361 | 1.8 | — | C− | C− | C |
| Watton | 11,549 | 2.6 | C+ | B− | C+ | C |
| Saham Toney | 1,287 | 3.9 | — | C | A | B− |
| Ashill | 1,252 | 5.4 | — | C+ | B | B− |
| Shipdham | 2,459 | 7.3 | — | C+ | A− | B− |
| Hingham | 2,304 | 7.3 | — | A− | A− | B+ |
| Mundford | 1,563 | 7.6 | — | B− | A+ | B− |
Griston, Saham Toney, Ashill, Shipdham, Hingham and Mundford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Thompson
How many listed buildings are there in Thompson?
That is 10 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Thompson expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £335,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. Private rents in the Breckland council area averaged £928 a month in August 2026.
About Thompson
Village in Norfolk, England
Thompson is a built-up area of 368 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
- Population
- 368 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Breckland
- County
- Norfolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002765
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.