Hartest’s story
32 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Hartest’s built-up area.
35% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
HartestSuffolk
A village of 471 in Suffolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: John Sutton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
471
Census 2021 · Babergh council
Median home
£543K
18 sales in 3 years
Median age
51.7
28% are 65+ · Suffolk 23%
Degree level
43%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
13%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Hartest a good place to live?
Hartest has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Hartest stand out
The 3 things Hartest does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
32 listed buildings
1 Grade I, including Church of All Saints; 27.9 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
13% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hartest.
Work & commute
Work tends to be further away for Hartest: 9% commute under 5 km, below Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 45% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
1.6% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, lower than both Suffolk’s towns (2.2%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Driving is how 85% of commuters got to work at the census. The census found 13% of commuters going to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
13%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving85%
On foot10%
Bicycle3%
Bus1%
9%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
45%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£56K
mean household income, before tax
1.6%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Schools
The schools around Hartest
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartest Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 42 | C+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Homes in Hartest cost more than in Suffolk’s towns and across England’s towns, with a median sale of £543K
10% of households rent privately. Social housing holds 5% of households, lower than both Suffolk’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). The owner-occupied share of households is 85%.
£543Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Hartest£543K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £622,500 | 14 |
85%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£965
average private rent a month, Babergh council area
£2,299
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violent crime runs low in Hartest: 7.1 per 1,000 residents a year, under Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
Police recorded 6 crimes inside Hartest’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 0.7 reports per 1,000, below both Suffolk’s towns (3.9) and England’s towns (7.8). Of all the crimes, 83% were violence and sexual offences.
7.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual5
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Anti-social0
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.
7.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
6
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
Just 2.3% of people in Hartest say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Suffolk’s towns and across England’s towns
At the census, 88% of people in Hartest called their health good or very good, above both Suffolk’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%). Disability touches 12% of the town’s population. This Suffolk town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 5.9 miles away.
88%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Hartest | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | 5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 18% | 17% |
80.1
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.1
life expectancy at birth, women
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.
History
Much of Hartest is a conservation area: 96% of its land, more than in Suffolk’s towns and across England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up just over a third of the total, higher than both Suffolk’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (16%). Hartest’s listed buildings include the Church of All Saints, Grade I. Relative to its size, Hartest keeps 679 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
32listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II31
Among them · Grade I
- Church of All Saints Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
35%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
679
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Hartest is a graduates’ town: 43% hold a degree, more than in Suffolk’s towns and across England’s towns
The age that splits Hartest in two is 51.7. People 65 and over make up 28% of the town, higher than both Suffolk’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (18%). Children under 15 count for 16% of the people here.
51.7median age
HartestSuffolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
28%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications10%
Apprenticeship3%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level43%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Hartest | Suffolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 13% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 2.9% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 43% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Suffolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Hartest
12pages on Hartest
The big questions
Safety7.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £543K · rent £965 a monthHousing2 sold in 12 months · busiest street The RowSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 80.1 (men), 86.1 (women)Work & commute65% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.4% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Hartest’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
GlemsfordLong MelfordLavenhamClareActonCock and EndGreat WaldingfieldHartest
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartest | 471 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Glemsford | 3,693 | 2.8 | A | A | B+ | B+ |
| Long Melford | 3,895 | 4.7 | B+ | B | A− | B+ |
| Lavenham | 1,224 | 5.5 | — | B | B− | A |
| Clare | 2,278 | 5.8 | — | C− | B+ | A− |
| Acton | 1,666 | 6.2 | — | A− | A | B+ |
| Cock and End | 1,346 | 7 | — | C+ | D− | B− |
| Great Waldingfield | 1,377 | 7.3 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
Lavenham, Clare, Acton, Cock and End and Great Waldingfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Hartest
How many listed buildings are there in Hartest?
That is 27.9 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of All Saints.
Is Hartest expensive to live in?
Private rents in the Babergh council area averaged £965 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Hartest?
Band D council tax in Hartest is £2,299 for 2026–27, less than in 75% 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 Hartest
Village in Suffolk, England
Hartest is a built-up area of 471 people, in the Babergh 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
- 471 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Babergh
- County
- Suffolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003550
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.