Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 3,895 residents and lies in Suffolk, East of England.
Mostly strong, with a single weak spot. Crime is low (A−): 15.2 violent and sexual offences and 7.9 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Long Melford ranks #15 of 34 in Suffolk, with a B+ overall. It comes out better than 68% of UK towns. Jobs and pay trail most towns (C): mean household income £51,606; 2.9% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Hazards are a real consideration: 1.4% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. At a median £365,000, a home costs 6.5 times the yearly income of households in the Babergh council area.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · income, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Long Melford 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 Long Melford is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 184 buildings inside Long Melford’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
28% 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 Long Melford.
12% are under 15, lower than both Suffolk’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 7.6% of the town. Ages in Long Melford split evenly at 54.5: half are older, half younger. Degrees are held by 27% of adults.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Long Melford | Suffolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.6% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 35% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.9% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Suffolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 43.2, with 34% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. The one school in town appears below. Key Stage 2 results at the 6 primary schools within 3 km: 63% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Melford Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 207 | B− |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Long Melford’s land, 32% lies in conservation areas, higher than both Suffolk’s towns (6%) and England’s towns (7%). Historic England’s list names 184 listed buildings here: 2 Grade I, 6 Grade II*. The town’s listed buildings include the Church of the Holy Trinity, Grade I. Before 1919: that is when 28% of homes were built.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 59% of recorded crime. 116 crimes and 9 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Long Melford’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. There were 3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Suffolk’s towns (4) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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.
Long Melford has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.3 miles away. Nearly four fifths of people in Long Melford rate their own health good or very good. The nearest A&E to Long Melford is West Suffolk Hospital, 10.7 miles away. At the census, 20% of people here had a disability, above Suffolk’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%) alike.
| Census 2021 | Long Melford | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.5% | 5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
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.
Home ownership stands at 68% of households. Long Melford is the second most expensive of the 35 towns in Suffolk, at £365,000. From September 2023 to August 2026, 230 homes sold inside the town’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £365,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £470,000 | 107 |
| Semi-detached | £325,000 | 54 |
| Terraced | £285,000 | 51 |
| Flat or maisonette | £178,000 | 18 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
16% of commuters who live in Long Melford also work there. At the census, 14% of commuters got to work without a car. What’s more, short trips to work, under 5 km: 40%, below both Suffolk’s towns (44%) and England’s towns (45%). The town counts 0.7 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Long Melford. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustMelford Hall100 m outside town, to the north
Historic houseKentwell Hall700 m outside town, to the north
MuseumGainsborough's House2.7 km outside town, to the south
MuseumLittle Hall4.9 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseum · National TrustLavenham Guildhall4.9 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseum · National TrustGuildhall of Corpus Christi4.9 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
184 listed buildings in Long Melford, 2 of them Grade I.
Trinity Hospital Trinity Hosptial: Photo: Oxyman · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kentwell Hall: Photo: Achilver · Public domain · Church House Mill Ford House West Lynn: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Scutchers Arms: Photo: Michael Dibb · CC BY-SA 2.0
9 notable people were born in Long Melford.
Wickham Steed: Charles Haslewood Shannon, Public domain · Andrew Phillips, Baron Phillips of Sudbury: Keith Edkins, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sir Roger Martin, 2nd Baronet: Mary Beale, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Melford | 3,895 | — | B+ | B | A− | B+ |
| Acton | 1,666 | 2 | — | A− | A | B+ |
| Glemsford | 3,693 | 2.6 | A | A | B+ | B+ |
| Sudbury | 23,922 | 2.9 | B− | A | C− | C |
| Great Waldingfield | 1,377 | 3 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Lavenham | 1,224 | 3.9 | — | B | B− | A |
| Clare | 2,278 | 5.9 | — | C− | B+ | A− |
| Bures | 1,183 | 7.6 | — | B− | B− | B+ |
Acton, Great Waldingfield, Lavenham, Clare and Bures have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 19.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Church of the Holy Trinity. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Suffolk, England
Long Melford is a built-up area of 3,895 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
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.