Leavenheath’s story
2 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Leavenheath’s built-up area.
17% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
LeavenheathSuffolk
A village of 981 in Suffolk, East of England. 10% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Geographer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
981
Census 2021 · Babergh council
Median home
£420K
53 sales in 3 years
Median age
56.9
37% are 65+ · Suffolk 23%
Degree level
32%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Leavenheath a good place to live?
Leavenheath has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Leavenheath stand out
The 3 things Leavenheath does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
37% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Own outright
Housing
57% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Leavenheath.
Who lives here
Children make up only 11% of Leavenheath, fewer than in both Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
7.4% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below Suffolk’s towns (10%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. People 65 and over make up 37% of the town. Ages in Leavenheath split evenly at 56.9: half are older, half younger. Among adults, 32% have a degree.
56.9median age
LeavenheathSuffolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
37%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level32%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 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.
| Leavenheath | Suffolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.4% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 37% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.1% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 32% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Suffolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Leavenheath: just 11% travel under 5 km, below Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 39% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 88% of commuters, above Suffolk’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. The average household earns £65K a year before tax. Of the commuters living in Leavenheath, 2% work in the town itself. 0.8% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot8%
Train1%
Bus1%
11%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
39%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£65K
mean household income, before tax
0.8%
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
Housing
Private renting is less common in Leavenheath than in Suffolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 8%
Owners make up nine in ten households, above both Suffolk’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Council and housing-body homes hold 1% of households. Also worth knowing: 53 standard sales inside Leavenheath’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £420,000.
£420Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Leavenheath£420K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £432,500 | 36 |
| Semi-detached | £275,000 | 7 |
| Terraced | £255,500 | 10 |
90%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£965
average private rent a month, Babergh council area
£2,274
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 Leavenheath: 4.1 per 1,000 residents a year, under Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
Burglary and damage came to 2 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Suffolk’s towns (6.8) and England’s towns (9.4). Over the year to August 2026, 11 offences were reported in Leavenheath. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 64% of recorded crime.
4.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual7
Vehicle crime2
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
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.
4.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2
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)
11
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 3.4% of people in Leavenheath say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in both Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
Seeing a GP means leaving Leavenheath: the nearest practice is 5.4 miles away. The nearest A&E to Leavenheath is Colchester General Hospital, 6.3 miles away. Disability touches 19% of the town’s population.
81%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 81%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Leavenheath | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.4% | 5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
82.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Leavenheath’s listed buildings: 2, all Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Scaled to its population, Leavenheath has 20 listed buildings per 10,000 people, below both Suffolk’s towns (89) and England’s towns (39). The pre-1919 share of homes is 17%.
2listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II2
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
17%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
20
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Leavenheath
13pages on Leavenheath
The big questions
Safety4.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £420K · rent £965 a monthHousing20 sold in 12 months · busiest street Wrights WaySchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82.2 (men), 86.2 (women)Work & commute56% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Leavenheath’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BuresGreat HorkesleyGreat WaldingfieldSudburyWest BergholtActonHadleighLeavenheath
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leavenheath | 981 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bures | 1,183 | 2.9 | — | B− | B− | B+ |
| Great Horkesley | 2,232 | 4.7 | — | B− | B+ | A |
| Great Waldingfield | 1,377 | 5 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Sudbury | 23,922 | 5.1 | B− | A | C− | C |
| West Bergholt | 3,175 | 5.6 | A+ | B− | B+ | A |
| Acton | 1,666 | 6.1 | — | A− | A | B+ |
| Hadleigh | 8,638 | 6.4 | A− | B+ | B− | B+ |
Bures, Great Horkesley, Great Waldingfield and Acton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Leavenheath
Who lives in Leavenheath?
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 37% of residents were 65 or over and 28% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 11% were under 15.
Is Leavenheath 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 £255,500, semi-detached houses £275,000 and detached houses £432,500. Private rents in the Babergh council area averaged £965 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Leavenheath?
Band D council tax in Leavenheath is £2,274 for 2026–27, less than in 78% 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 Leavenheath
Village in Suffolk, England
Leavenheath is a built-up area of 981 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
- 981 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Babergh
- County
- Suffolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003904
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.