Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 739 people, this village lies in Norfolk, East of England.
Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen is below the 1,000 residents fair grades need, but every figure on this page is real. 4% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 7, with 1 at Grade I. 29% of residents are 65 or over.
The 3 things Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen’s built-up area.
26% 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 Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen.
Nearly a quarter of adults hold a degree. People 65 and over make up 29% of the town, above Norfolk’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The share aged 15 to 24 is 7%. Half the people of Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen are older than 53.9.
47% women, 53% men
About 111 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 36% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.1% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 23% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
At the 3 primary schools within 3 km, 43% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magdalen AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 43 | D− |
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.
Driving is how 94% of commuters got to work at the census. Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen counts 0.3 jobs per working resident. A household here earns £53K a year before tax, on average.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds 13% of households. The £297,500 median rests on 20 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026). Private rents average £941 a month across the King's Lynn and West Norfolk council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £370,000 | 13 |
| Semi-detached | £208,750 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violent crime is recorded at 9 per 1,000 residents a year. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 10 recorded crimes inside Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen’s built-up area, and 3 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 60% 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.
Self-reported good health: 76% of Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen’s residents. At the census, 8% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, higher than both Norfolk’s towns (5.6%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Seeing a GP means leaving Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen: the nearest practice is 1.4 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 76% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 24% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen has 95 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Its listed buildings include the Church of St Mary Magdalen, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Village in Norfolk, England
Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen is a built-up area of 739 people, in the King's Lynn and West 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen | 739 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Watlington | 2,593 | 1.4 | D | C | B+ | C |
| West Winch | 2,828 | 3.9 | C+ | D | A− | B |
| Tilney St Lawrence | 1,504 | 4 | — | C+ | B | C |
| Marshland St James | 1,025 | 4.5 | — | D | B+ | C− |
| Downham Market | 11,349 | 4.6 | C | C− | B− | C |
| Clenchwarton | 2,020 | 6.1 | — | C | A | C |
| Terrington St Clement | 2,792 | 6.7 | D− | D | C | C |
Tilney St Lawrence, Marshland St James and Clenchwarton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 3.9 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary Magdalen. 26% of Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Close to the typical UK town: the median sale over three years was £297,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £208,750 and detached houses £370,000.
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.