Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 963 in Suffolk, East of England.
Nayland has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Nayland does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Nayland’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
41% 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 Nayland.
15% of residents are children under 15, and on top of that people aged 15 to 24 make up 5.1% of the town, below both Suffolk’s towns (10%) and England’s towns (12%). Half the people of Nayland are older than 55.3. Among adults, 39% have a degree.
53% women, 47% men
About 88 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.
| Nayland | Suffolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 5.1% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 37% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.5% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 39% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Suffolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Key Stage 2 results at the 2 primary schools within 3 km: just over two thirds of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Nayland Primary School’s results beat 87% of schools in England like it. The town has one school, shown below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nayland Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 197 | A |
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.
For every resident in work, Nayland has 0.6 jobs. 45% of workers worked mainly from home, above both Suffolk’s towns (25%) and England’s towns (31%). Before tax, the average household brings in £65K a year. Work in town: 8% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The median sale price was £375K, above Suffolk’s towns (£309K) and England’s towns (£308K) alike. Private renters make up just over one in ten households. Council and housing-body homes hold 12% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £508,750 | 22 |
| Semi-detached | £377,500 | 14 |
| Terraced | £310,000 | 13 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Homes saw 10.4 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, above Suffolk’s towns (6.8) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. Reported offences in Nayland came to 29 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 3. Violence and sexual offences were 45% of the crimes.
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.
Asked at the census, 78% of residents of Nayland said they were in good or very good health. At the census, just over a fifth of people here had a disability, above both Suffolk’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 4.4 miles off.
| Census 2021 | Nayland | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.6% | 5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 58% of Nayland’s land, above Suffolk’s towns (6%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. Its listed buildings include Alston Court, Grade I. Of the town’s 109 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, Grade I counts 2 and Grade II* 6. Before 1919: that is when just over two in five homes were built.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Nayland. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustThorington Hall3.5 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumBoxted Airfield Museum4.9 km outside town, to the southeastCastleCastleGifford's Hall4.7 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
3 notable people were born in Nayland.
George Downing Liveing: George Reid, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nayland | 963 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Great Horkesley | 2,232 | 3.1 | — | B− | B+ | A |
| Bures | 1,183 | 4 | — | B− | B− | B+ |
| West Bergholt | 3,175 | 4.3 | A+ | B− | B+ | A |
| Eight Ash Green | 1,769 | 5.6 | — | B− | C+ | A |
| Colchester | 130,259 | 5.9 | B | A− | D | C |
| Ardleigh | 1,042 | 5.9 | — | D− | C+ | B |
| Hadleigh | 8,638 | 6.3 | A− | B+ | B− | B+ |
Great Horkesley, Bures, Eight Ash Green and Ardleigh have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 46.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Alston Court. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
By type: terraced houses £310,000, semi-detached houses £377,500 and detached houses £508,750. Private rents in the Babergh council area averaged £965 a month in August 2026.
Village in Suffolk, England
Nayland is a built-up area of 963 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.