Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,957 in Northumberland, North East. 14% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
Natural hazards are few (A). Overall, Seaton Sluice earns a B−: better than 54% of UK towns, and #8 of 20 in Northumberland. Its weakest is health — life expectancy is 78.8 for men and 83.9 for women. The median home sold for £265,000, 5.7 times what households in the Northumberland council area earn in a year. The rest of its grades are middling: B for safety, B− for schools, C+ for jobs & income and B− for walkability.
Figures: flood risk, Environment Agency · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021.
Northumbria Police published 34 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
The 3 things Seaton Sluice does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Seaton Sluice is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 17 buildings inside Seaton Sluice’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade II*.
11% 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 Seaton Sluice.
Over-65s are 34% of the population. 7.5% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below Northumberland’s towns (9.4%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Residents of Seaton Sluice have a median age of 55.4.
52% women, 48% men
About 91 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.
| Seaton Sluice | Northumberland | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.5% | 9.4% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 34% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.6% | 7.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Northumberland and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
At the 6 primary schools within 3 km, 57% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its two schools are listed below. Some 501 pupils attend Seaton Sluice’s one primary and one secondary.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seaton Sluice First SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 187 | – |
| Seaton Sluice Middle SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 314 | C− |
6.7% of residents report bad or very bad health. At the census, 21% of people here had a disability, about level with Northumberland’s towns (22%) and above England’s towns (17%). Seeing a GP means leaving Seaton Sluice: the nearest practice is 2.1 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Seaton Sluice | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 75% | 78% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.7% | 6.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 22% | 17% |
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.
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 22.4 reports per 1,000, above Northumberland’s towns (16.8) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Police figures for Seaton Sluice’s built-up area: 126 crimes and 54 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 36% of the total.
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 3 of them. Homes from before 1919 make up just over a tenth of the total. Of Seaton Sluice’s land, 14% lies in conservation areas, above both Northumberland’s towns (2%) and England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
83% of commuters drove, above both Northumberland’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (70%). A household here earns £44K a year before tax, on average. About 6% of its commuters stay in Seaton Sluice for work. Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.9% of 16 to 64s in 2026.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
76% of households own their home, above both Northumberland’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). The social rented sector houses 14% of households. Private rents average £695 a month across the Northumberland council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £430,000 | 14 |
| Semi-detached | £285,000 | 67 |
| Terraced | £234,975 | 46 |
| Flat or maisonette | £103,250 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Seaton Sluice. Best known first.
Theme parkSpanish City3.2 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric houseHistoric house · National TrustSeaton Delaval Hall700 m outside town, to the westArt galleryArt galleryLinks Art Gallery2.5 km outside town, to the southeastFortFortFort on Blyth Links900 m outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
17 listed buildings in Seaton Sluice.
Kings Arms Hotel with Coach House to East: Photo: Rob Farrow · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Watch House on Rocky Island: Photo: D stoker2 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Primrose Cottage: Photo: Geoff Holland · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph · The Octagon: Photo: Antonia · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seaton Sluice | 2,957 | — | B− | B− | B | C |
| New Hartley | 1,764 | 1.9 | — | B | B− | C |
| Seaton Delaval | 8,012 | 2 | B− | A− | C | C− |
| Whitley Bay | 36,876 | 2.6 | A− | C | B− | B− |
| Seghill | 2,799 | 3.2 | C | A− | C− | D |
| Blyth | 39,731 | 3.3 | C | A | D | D |
| Shiremoor | 6,965 | 3.4 | B+ | A− | C | C− |
| Backworth | 4,483 | 3.8 | C+ | C+ | C− | C− |
New Hartley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
An older town. At the 2021 Census, 34% of residents were 65 or over and 30% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 11% were under 15.
That is 2.4 times the typical UK town for its size.
Band D council tax in Seaton Sluice is £2,639 for 2026–27, more than in 91% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Town in Northumberland, England
Seaton Sluice is a built-up area of 2,957 people, in the Northumberland 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.