Otley’s story
Old homes in Otley: 41% built before 1919
Historic England lists 6 buildings inside Otley’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
41% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
OtleySuffolk
A village of 711 in Suffolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Mike Snoswell · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
711
Census 2021 · East Suffolk council
Median home
£450K
23 sales in 3 years
Median age
53.4
31% are 65+ · Suffolk 23%
Degree level
38%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Otley a good place to live?
Otley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Otley stand out
The 3 things Otley does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St Mary the Virgin; 3.5 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
14% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
31% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Otley.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Otley: 31% are 65 or over, above Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
Otley sits above both Suffolk’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (18%) on this measure. Children under 15 make up 14% of residents. The median resident of Otley is 53.4 years old.
53.4median age
OtleySuffolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level38%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Otley | Suffolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.7% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.5% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Suffolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Otley
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otley Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 51 | C− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Otley work nearby than in Suffolk’s towns or England’s towns: 14% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Otley below both Suffolk’s towns (44%) and England’s towns (45%). The car carried 84% of commuters at the census.
14%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving84%
On foot10%
Bicycle2%
Train1%
14%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
37%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£72K
mean household income, before tax
1.3%
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
More households own their home in Otley than in Suffolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 84%
On this, Otley is above both Suffolk’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Private renters make up 10% of households.
£450Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Otley£450K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £525,500 | 14 |
| Semi-detached | £294,000 | 8 |
84%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£842
average private rent a month, East Suffolk council area
£2,253
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
Homes in Otley see less burglary and damage than in Suffolk’s towns or England’s towns: 2.8 per 1,000 a year
In the comparison, Otley comes below both Suffolk’s towns (6.8) and England’s towns (9.4). Violent crime runs at 10.8 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 13 crimes inside Otley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 4 reports of anti-social behaviour.
10.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual8
Burglary2
Other theft1
Theft from person1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Anti-social4
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.
10.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.8
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
13
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Bad health is less common in Otley than in Suffolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.9% of residents
For Otley, that is below both Suffolk’s towns (5%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Otley has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 5.1 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
84%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Otley | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.9% | 5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
83.6
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
History
Otley keeps more of its old housing than Suffolk or England’s towns: 41% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Otley has 6 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 1 Grade II*.
6listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II5
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Mary the Virgin Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
41%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
84
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 Otley
14pages on Otley
The big questions
Safety10.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £450K · rent £842 a monthHousing10 sold in 12 months · busiest street Chapel RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 83.6 (men), 86.6 (women)Work & commute53% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Otley’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
GrundisburghDebenhamClaydonMeltonWoodbridgeGreat BlakenhamMartleshamOtley
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otley | 711 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grundisburgh | 1,424 | 3.1 | — | B− | A | A |
| Debenham | 2,294 | 5.3 | — | A− | A | A |
| Claydon | 3,140 | 5.4 | A− | A | A− | B− |
| Melton | 1,608 | 5.5 | — | B+ | B− | A |
| Woodbridge | 10,146 | 5.6 | A− | B− | B | A− |
| Great Blakenham | 2,188 | 5.9 | — | A | B | B− |
| Martlesham | 1,976 | 6.1 | — | B− | C+ | A− |
Grundisburgh, Debenham, Melton, Great Blakenham and Martlesham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Otley
How many listed buildings are there in Otley?
That is 3.5 times the typical UK town for its size. 41% of Otley’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Is Otley expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £450,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £294,000 and detached houses £525,500. Private rents in the East Suffolk council area averaged £842 a month in August 2026.
About Otley
Village in Suffolk, England
Otley is a built-up area of 711 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
- 711 (Census 2021)
- Council
- East Suffolk
- County
- Suffolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003493
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.