Wattisfield’s story
20 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Wattisfield’s built-up area.
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
WattisfieldSuffolk
A village of 501 in Suffolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Geographer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
501
Census 2021 · Mid Suffolk council
Median home
£355K
19 sales in 3 years
Median age
53
29% are 65+ · Suffolk 23%
Degree level
28%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Wattisfield a good place to live?
Wattisfield has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Wattisfield stand out
The 3 things Wattisfield does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
2 Grade II*, including Church of St Margaret; 16.4 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
29% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Wattisfield.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Wattisfield than in Suffolk’s towns or England’s towns: 12% are under 15
Degrees are held by 28% of adults. 29% of residents are 65 or over, above Suffolk’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The 15-to-24 age group makes up 8.6% of residents. The median resident of Wattisfield is 53 years old.
53median age
WattisfieldSuffolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
29%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications20%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level28%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Wattisfield | Suffolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.6% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Suffolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Only 6% of commuters in Wattisfield go to work without a car, fewer than in Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 29% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
18% of commuters travelled under 5 km, below Suffolk’s towns (44%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. Driving is how 93% of commuters got to work at the census. After the car, walking came next, for 4% of commuters.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving93%
On foot4%
Train1%
Underground, tram1%
18%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
29%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£58K
mean household income, before tax
2.2%
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
Most households in Wattisfield own their home: 82%, more than in Suffolk’s towns or across England’s towns
Social housing holds 6% of households, lower than both Suffolk’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). The private rented sector houses 11% of households. Private rents average £1,005 a month across the Mid Suffolk council area.
£355Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Wattisfield£355K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £481,500 | 8 |
| Semi-detached | £355,000 | 7 |
82%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,005
average private rent a month, Mid Suffolk council area
£2,282
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
Wattisfield records less burglary and damage per resident than Suffolk’s towns or England’s towns, at 4.7 per 1,000 a year
Violent crime ran at 13.3 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Suffolk’s towns (19) and England’s towns (22). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 11 crimes and 6 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Wattisfield’s built-up area. Of all the crimes, 45% were violence and sexual offences.
13.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual5
Damage & arson3
Public order3
Shoplifting0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social6
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.
13.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.7
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% of people in Wattisfield say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Suffolk’s towns and England’s towns
Seeing a GP means leaving Wattisfield: the nearest practice is 2.7 miles away. The nearest A&E to Wattisfield is West Suffolk Hospital, 12.1 miles away. Disability touches 16% of the town’s population.
82%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Wattisfield | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3% | 5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
84
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.9
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
Much of Wattisfield is a conservation area: 66% of its land, more than Suffolk’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 27% of the total, above Suffolk’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Listed buildings per head: 399 for every 10,000 residents of Wattisfield. The town counts 20 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 2 Grade II*.
20listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*2
Grade II18
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Margaret Grade II*
- Wattisfield Hall, Garden Walls and Gate Piers Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
27%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
399
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 Wattisfield
12pages on Wattisfield
The big questions
Safety13.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £355K · rent £1,005 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 84 (men), 85.9 (women)Work & commute50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards5.8% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Wattisfield’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Walsham le WillowsRickinghall and BotesdaleStantonGislinghamIxworthBacton and CottonElmswellWattisfield
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wattisfield | 501 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Walsham le Willows | 1,258 | 1.9 | — | A− | A | A |
| Rickinghall and Botesdale | 1,842 | 2.4 | — | A− | A | A |
| Stanton | 2,316 | 2.8 | — | B− | A | B |
| Gislingham | 1,172 | 4.3 | — | A | A | A |
| Ixworth | 2,296 | 5.3 | — | C | B | A− |
| Bacton and Cotton | 1,567 | 5.3 | — | A− | A | A− |
| Elmswell | 4,446 | 6.5 | A− | A− | B | A− |
Walsham le Willows, Rickinghall and Botesdale, Stanton, Gislingham, Ixworth and Bacton and Cotton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Wattisfield
How many listed buildings are there in Wattisfield?
That is 16.4 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Wattisfield expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £355,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £355,000 and detached houses £481,500.
About Wattisfield
Village in Suffolk, England
Wattisfield is a built-up area of 501 people, in the Mid 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
- 501 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Mid Suffolk
- County
- Suffolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003104
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.