Exning’s story
17 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Exning’s built-up area.
25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ExningSuffolk
A village of 2,049 in Suffolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,049
Census 2021 · West Suffolk council
Median home
£420K
186 sales in 3 years
Median age
40.2
18% are 65+ · Suffolk 23%
Degree level
36%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Exning a good place to live?
Exning has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is health (B): life expectancy 81.8 for men, 84 for women. Its weakest is cost of living (D): median sale £420,000, 7.6 years of area income; rent £1,183 a month.
What makes Exning stand out
The 3 things Exning does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
17 listed buildings
1 Grade I, including Church of St Martin; 3.4 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
12% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
38% of commuters travel under 5 km.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.5 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
How Exning grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Exning is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Cost of livingDOpen →Hazard risk3.1% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC−Open →SafetyCOpen →WalkabilityC+Open →HealthBOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £49,798; 2.7% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsC+Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 82% of towns in England; secondary results beat 29% of towns in EnglandBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryB+Open →Outdoors82% live within 400 m of a park; 3.6 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsB−Open →Civic life1.5 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryDOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Exning.
HousingCost of living grade D
Few households rent privately in Exning: 14%, fewer than in Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
For Exning, that is below both Suffolk’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). Owners make up 70% of households.
£420Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Exning£420K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £499,375 | 120 |
| Semi-detached | £320,000 | 25 |
| Terraced | £268,000 | 40 |
70%
of households own their home · England 61%
14%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,183
average private rent a month, West Suffolk council area
£2,376
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
SchoolsB
Results at Exning’s schools beat 58% of towns in England
Its one school is below.
BSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exning Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 223 | A− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
Much of Exning is a conservation area: 46% of its land, more than Suffolk’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Exning sits above both Suffolk’s towns (6%) and England’s towns (7%) on this measure. 25% of homes were built before 1919. Exning’s listed buildings include Church of St Martin, Grade I.
17listed buildingsB+History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*1
Grade II15
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Martin Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
25%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
83
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Homes in Exning see more burglary and damage than in Suffolk’s towns or England’s towns: 15.1 per 1,000 a year
That puts Exning above both Suffolk’s towns (6.7) and England’s towns (9.4). Violence comes to 28 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 114 crimes inside Exning’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 9 reports of anti-social behaviour.
28violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearCSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 14% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual54
Damage & arson15
Vehicle crime11
Other theft10
Public order7
Burglary7
Other crime7
Drugs3
Anti-social9
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.
28
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
15.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
114
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Only 12% of commuters in Exning go to work without a car, fewer than in Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
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.
On this, Exning is below both Suffolk’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (27%). The car carried 86% of commuters at the census.
12%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving86%
On foot6%
Bicycle4%
Bus1%
Train1%
38%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
31%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£50K
mean household income, before tax
2.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C+
Walkability: more walkable than 38% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
Disability is less common in Exning, 13% of residents, than in Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
In the comparison, Exning comes below both Suffolk’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). Exning has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.6 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.
85%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Exning | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
81.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Who lives here
Few people in Exning are 15 to 24: 7.9%, fewer than in Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
19% are under 15, above both Suffolk’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Over-65s are 18% of the population. The median resident of Exning is 40.2 years old.
40.2median age
ExningSuffolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
18%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level36%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Exning | Suffolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.9% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 30% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.8% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Suffolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →National Horse Racing Museum and 2 more in and around Exning
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Exning. Best known first.
MuseumNational Horse Racing Museum2.9 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumBurwell Museum1.8 km outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionNewmarket Racecourse2.5 km outside town, to the southPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- National Horse Racing Museum: Tony Lewis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Burwell Museum: Senra, John McCullough, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Exning
14pages on Exning
The big questions
SafetyC28 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingDMedian home £420K · rent £1,183 a monthHousing38 sold in 12 months · busiest street Glebe DriveSchoolsB1 state schoolHealthBLife expectancy 81.8 (men), 84 (women)Work & commuteC+47% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC−3.1% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Exning’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BurwellNewmarketFordhamSohamBottishamKentfordIslehamExning
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exning | 2,049 | — | — | D | C | B |
| Burwell | 5,912 | 1.8 | A+ | B+ | B+ | A |
| Newmarket | 18,857 | 2 | B− | B− | C− | B− |
| Fordham | 2,566 | 3.3 | B+ | B+ | B− | B |
| Soham | 10,609 | 5.1 | B+ | A | B− | C+ |
| Bottisham | 1,990 | 5.4 | — | B− | A− | B |
| Kentford | 1,124 | 5.4 | — | C− | B | A− |
| Isleham | 2,287 | 5.7 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
Bottisham, Kentford and Isleham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Exning
How many listed buildings are there in Exning?
That is 3.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Martin.
Is Exning safe?
Police recorded 114 crimes inside Exning’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 47% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Does Exning flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Is Exning expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £420,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £268,000, semi-detached houses £320,000 and detached houses £499,375.
About Exning
Village in Suffolk, England
Exning is a built-up area of 2,049 people, in the West 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
- Population
- 2,049 (Census 2021)
- Council
- West Suffolk
- County
- Suffolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi (1 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003290
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.