Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This village in Suffolk, East of England has a population of 1,567.
Police record less crime here than in most towns: 13.2 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 4.9 home and vehicle crimes. School results trail most towns: primary results beat 12% of towns in England. It takes 5.7 years of household income in the Mid Suffolk council area to buy the median home, at £331,500. Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work: 7% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS. With fewer than 2,500 residents, Bacton and Cotton has subject grades but no overall one.
The 3 things Bacton and Cotton 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 Bacton and Cotton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Bacton and Cotton’s built-up area.
17% 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 Bacton and Cotton.
9% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below Suffolk’s towns (10%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. The age that splits Bacton and Cotton in two is 53.9. Among adults, 26% have a degree.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bacton and Cotton | Suffolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Suffolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The town has one school, shown below. Key Stage 2 results at the one primary school within 3 km: 52% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacton Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 111 | C− |
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.
By car: that was how nine in ten commuters travelled at the census. 2.6% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, higher than both Suffolk’s towns (2.2%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Jobs per working resident: 0.6. Work in town: 8% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 42 crimes and 2 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Bacton and Cotton’s built-up area. For its size, Bacton and Cotton records less crime per resident than just over three quarters of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people. Violence and sexual offences were 45% of the crimes.
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.
Households that own their home make up 86%. Social housing holds 5% of households, below both Suffolk’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Half of the 172 standard sales inside Bacton and Cotton’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £331,500.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £375,000 | 120 |
| Semi-detached | £275,000 | 43 |
| Terraced | £245,000 | 9 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
There is no GP practice in Bacton and Cotton: the nearest is 3 miles off. Life expectancy here is 86.4 for women and 81.3 for men (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Bacton and Cotton is West Suffolk Hospital, 13.1 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Bacton and Cotton | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4% | 5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like 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.
The top grade, Grade I, goes to 2 of them. Bacton and Cotton’s listed buildings include the Church of St Andrew, Grade I. Of the town’s 28 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, Grade I counts 2 and Grade II* 1.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacton and Cotton | 1,567 | — | — | A− | A | A− |
| Gislingham | 1,172 | 2.9 | — | A | A | A |
| Mendlesham | 1,018 | 3 | — | A | A | B+ |
| Haughley | 1,316 | 3.7 | — | A | C | B+ |
| Walsham le Willows | 1,258 | 4 | — | A− | A | A |
| Stowupland | 2,019 | 4.6 | — | A | C+ | B+ |
| Elmswell | 4,446 | 4.6 | A− | A− | B | A− |
| Rickinghall and Botesdale | 1,842 | 5.2 | — | A− | A | A |
Gislingham, Mendlesham, Haughley, Walsham le Willows, Stowupland and Rickinghall and Botesdale have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 7.3 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Church of St Andrew.
Primary results trail 88% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Suffolk council.
Village in Suffolk, England
Bacton and Cotton is a built-up area of 1,567 people, in the Mid Suffolk 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.