Melton’s story
22 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Melton’s built-up area.
15% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
MeltonSuffolk
A village of 1,608 in Suffolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Adrian Cable · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,608
Census 2021 · East Suffolk council
Median home
£308K
80 sales in 3 years
Median age
50.3
26% are 65+ · Suffolk 23%
Degree level
36%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
18%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Melton a good place to live?
Melton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is health (A): life expectancy 83.3 for men, 86.6 for women. Its weakest is hazard risk (D): 9.3% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. The median home sold for £307,500 in the last three years, 5.9 times what households in the East Suffolk council area earn in a year.
What makes Melton stand out
The 3 things Melton does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 5.6 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Flood risk, against UK towns
Flood risk
9% of homes at risk
High or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea: more than in 95% of UK towns
Environment Agency flood maps, defences counted.
Life expectancy, against UK towns
Health
86.6 and 83.3 years
OHID Fingertips, 2019–23.
How Melton grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Melton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Hazard riskDOpen →HealthAOpen →Cost of livingrent £842 a monthB+Open →WalkabilityB+Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 72% of towns in England; secondary results beat 41% of towns in EnglandBOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £58,590; 2% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsB−Open →Safety23.6 violent and sexual offences and 9.5 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026B−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryBOpen →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 33% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeA+Open →Civic life2.5 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryCOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Melton.
Health
Life expectancy in Melton is longer than in 93% of UK towns
Women here live to 86.6 on average and men to 83.3 (2019–23). Melton has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1 miles away. At the census, 20% of people here had a disability, above both Suffolk’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%).
80%good or very good healthAHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Melton | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
83.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
SchoolsB
Results at Melton’s schools beat 59% of towns in England
Its one school is below.
BSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melton Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 163 | D |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
HousingCost of living grade B+
Few households rent privately in Melton: 14%, fewer than in Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
For Melton, that is below both Suffolk’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). 22% of households live in social housing.
£308Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Melton£308K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £423,500 | 34 |
| Semi-detached | £275,250 | 24 |
| Terraced | £250,000 | 18 |
64%
of households own their home · England 61%
14%
rent privately · England 21%
£842
average private rent a month, East Suffolk council area
£2,306
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Fewer commuters in Melton work nearby than in Suffolk’s towns or England’s towns: 33% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Melton sits below both Suffolk’s towns (44%) and England’s towns (45%) on this measure. At the census, 18% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
18%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving79%
On foot13%
Bicycle3%
Bus1%
Train1%
33%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
32%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£59K
mean household income, before tax
2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B+
Walkability: more walkable than 70% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
22 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Melton has 22 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 15% of its homes were built before 1919.
22listed buildingsBHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II22
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
15%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
137
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Melton has more crime per resident than 52% of UK towns
Police recorded 66 crimes inside Melton’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 9 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 53% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking, so it runs higher than U.S. “violent crime”.
23.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 28% 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 & sexual35
Damage & arson11
Shoplifting4
Public order4
Other theft4
Burglary3
Drugs3
Other crime2
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.
23.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.5
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)
66
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Who lives here
Older residents shape Melton: 26% are 65 or over, above Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
That puts Melton above both Suffolk’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (18%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 8.5% of residents. Half the people of Melton are older than 50.3.
50.3median age
MeltonSuffolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
26%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level36%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 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.
| Melton | Suffolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 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 →Woodbridge Tide Mill and 3 more in and around Melton
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Melton. Best known first.
MuseumWoodbridge Tide Mill1.2 km outside town, to the southHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustSutton Hoo Archeological Site1.4 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumWoodbridge Museum1.2 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseum493rd Bomb Group Museum4.9 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Woodbridge Tide Mill: Circuitsight at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Melton
15pages on Melton
The big questions
SafetyB−23.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingB+Median home £308K · rent £842 a monthHousing24 sold in 12 months · busiest street RiverviewSchoolsB1 state schoolHealthALife expectancy 83.3 (men), 86.6 (women)Work & commuteB−50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsD9.3% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Famous people from Melton
4 notable people were born in Melton.
D
David Henley-WelchEnglish cricketer (1923-2006)Photo credits
Brian Eno: How We Get To Next, CC BY 3.0 · Douglas Reith: Vbrunophotog, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edwin Lankester: Barraud & Jerrard, Photographers, Public domain
Melton’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WoodbridgeSutton CommonMartleshamGrundisburghWickham MarketMartlesham HeathRendleshamMelton
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melton | 1,608 | — | — | B+ | B− | A |
| Woodbridge | 10,146 | 1.1 | A− | B− | B | A− |
| Sutton Common | 1,262 | 2.9 | — | A | A+ | B+ |
| Martlesham | 1,976 | 3.3 | — | B− | C+ | A− |
| Grundisburgh | 1,424 | 3.4 | — | B− | A | A |
| Wickham Market | 2,231 | 3.6 | — | A− | B+ | A |
| Martlesham Heath | 2,730 | 3.9 | B+ | B | D | A− |
| Rendlesham | 3,185 | 4 | B+ | B+ | A− | B+ |
Sutton Common, Martlesham, Grundisburgh and Wickham Market have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Melton
How many listed buildings are there in Melton?
That is 5.6 times the typical UK town for its size.
Does Melton flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Melton
Village in Suffolk, England
Melton is a built-up area of 1,608 people, in the East 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
- 1,608 (Census 2021)
- Council
- East Suffolk
- County
- Suffolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003587
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.