Great Blakenham’s story
9 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Great Blakenham’s built-up area.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Great BlakenhamSuffolk
Home to 2,188 people, this village lies in Suffolk, East of England. Over-65s are only 9% of the population.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Geographer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,188
Census 2021 · Mid Suffolk council
Median home
£262K
150 sales in 3 years
Median age
31.9
9% are 65+ · Suffolk 23%
Degree level
30%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Great Blakenham a good place to live?
Housing is within reach (A): the median home sold for £262,250, 4.5 years of area income. Its weakest is walkability — 6% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. The rest of its grades are middling: B for safety and B− for health. Schools lag: primary results beat a quarter of towns in England; secondary results beat 45% of towns in England.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy, ONS. Great Blakenham has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Great Blakenham stand out
The 2 things Great Blakenham does most differently from other towns.
How Great Blakenham grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Great Blakenham is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Great Blakenham has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
WalkabilityAmong the hardest places to get around without a carD−Open →Cost of livingNear the top of the towns comparedAOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £57,606AOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 25% of towns in England; secondary results beat 45% of towns in EnglandCOpen →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB+Open →SafetyAbout average among the towns comparedBOpen →HealthLife expectancy 80.2 for men, 82.9 for womenB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryLess recorded history than most townsCOpen →Outdoors70% live within 400 m of a park; 3.6 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC−Open →Civic life0.9 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 Great Blakenham.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Long commutes are the norm in Great Blakenham: just 19% travel under 5 km, below Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
92% of commuters drove to work at the census. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.6% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below Suffolk’s towns (2.2%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. Great Blakenham counts 1.8 jobs per working resident.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
On foot4%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
19%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
30%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£58K
mean household income, before tax
1.6%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D−
Walkability: more walkable than 4% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade A
Most households in Great Blakenham own their home: 77%, more than in Suffolk’s towns and across England’s towns
11% of households rent privately. Social housing holds 9% of households, below Suffolk’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £1,005 a month across the Mid Suffolk council area.
£262Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Great Blakenham£262K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £352,500 | 44 |
| Semi-detached | £261,250 | 44 |
| Terraced | £228,250 | 62 |
77%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,005
average private rent a month, Mid Suffolk council area
£2,283
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
History
The Church of St Mary (Grade I) heads Great Blakenham’s short list of listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Great Blakenham’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. 8% of its homes were built before 1919, below Suffolk’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. For its size, Great Blakenham has 41 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
9listed buildingsCHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II8
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Mary Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
8%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
41
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 Great Blakenham see more burglary and damage than in Suffolk’s towns or England’s towns: 12 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences were 48% of the crimes. Violent crime ran at 16.8 per 1,000 residents a year, below Suffolk’s towns (19.2) and England’s towns (22) alike. Reported offences in Great Blakenham came to 86 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 21.
16.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 38% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual41
Damage & arson12
Vehicle crime11
Other theft7
Burglary7
Public order4
Weapons2
Drugs1
Anti-social21
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.
16.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
86
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Is Great Blakenham a healthy place? 89% of its people say their health is good, above Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
At the census, 3% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. Just over one in ten residents have a disability, below both Suffolk’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Great Blakenham is Ipswich Hospital, 5.7 miles away.
89%good or very good healthB−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 89%Fair 8%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Great Blakenham | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 89% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3% | 5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 18% | 17% |
80.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.9
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
Who lives here
Great Blakenham has fewer older residents than Suffolk’s towns or England’s towns: 8.7% are 65 or over
The under-15s are 21% of the population here. Half the people of Great Blakenham are older than 31.9. 30% of adults hold a degree.
31.9median age
Great BlakenhamSuffolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
11%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications11%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar26%
Degree level30%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Great Blakenham | Suffolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 39% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 20% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 8.7% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.8% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 26% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Suffolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Great Blakenham
13pages on Great Blakenham
The big questions
SafetyB16.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingAMedian home £262K · rent £1,005 a monthHousing44 sold in 12 months · busiest street Limestone CloseSchoolsCHealthB−Life expectancy 80.2 (men), 82.9 (women)Work & commuteA47% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB+0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Great Blakenham’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
ClaydonBramfordNeedham MarketIpswichElmsettGreat BricettGrundisburghGreat Blakenham
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Blakenham | 2,188 | — | — | A | B | B− |
| Claydon | 3,140 | 0.8 | A− | A | A− | B− |
| Bramford | 2,335 | 2.4 | — | A− | B | B− |
| Needham Market | 5,055 | 3.6 | A− | A | B | B− |
| Ipswich | 151,566 | 4.7 | C | B | C− | C |
| Elmsett | 1,001 | 4.8 | — | B− | A+ | A− |
| Great Bricett | 1,518 | 5.4 | — | A | A+ | B |
| Grundisburgh | 1,424 | 6.5 | — | B− | A | A |
Bramford, Elmsett, Great Bricett and Grundisburgh have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Great Blakenham
Who lives in Great Blakenham?
A young village. At the 2021 Census, 21% of residents were under 15 and 39% were 25 to 44, against 18% and 27% across England’s towns; only 8.7% were 65 or over.
Are schools in Great Blakenham good?
GCSE results trail 55% of towns in England, and primary results trail 75% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Places are handled by Suffolk council.
How much is council tax in Great Blakenham?
Band D council tax in Great Blakenham is £2,283 for 2026–27, less than in 77% 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.
About Great Blakenham
Village in Suffolk, England
Great Blakenham is a built-up area of 2,188 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
- Population
- 2,188 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Mid Suffolk
- County
- Suffolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003596
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.