Box Hill’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Box Hill’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
10% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Box HillSurrey
A village of 1,271 in Surrey, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jonathan Hutchins · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,271
Census 2021 · Mole Valley council
Median age
65.2
50% are 65+ · Surrey 19%
Degree level
25%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Box Hill a good place to live?
Box Hill has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is schools (A): primary results beat 79% of towns in England; secondary results beat 92% of towns in England. Its weakest is walkability (C−): 9% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
What makes Box Hill stand out
The 3 things Box Hill does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
9% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
50% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Own outright
Housing
76% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
How Box Hill grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Box Hill is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SchoolsPrimary results beat 79% of towns in England; secondary results beat 92% of towns in EnglandAOpen →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →WalkabilityC−Open →SafetyA−Open →HealthLife expectancy 80.3 for men, 84 for womenBOpen →Cost of livingBOpen →Jobs & incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History1 listed buildingDOpen →Outdoors12% live within 400 m of a park; 39% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeAOpen →Civic life2.4 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryCOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Polesden Lacey Estate and 10 more in and around Box Hill
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Box Hill. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustPolesden Lacey Estate5 km outside town, to the west
CastleBetchworth Castle1 km outside town, to the south
Historic houseBeaverbrook2.7 km outside town, to the northwest
CastleReigate Castle5 km outside town, to the east
MuseumDorking Museum2.9 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumLeatherhead Museum of Local History5 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 (6)
- Polesden Lacey Estate: Martyn Davies, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Betchworth Castle: Peter van der Linden, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Beaverbrook: Ian Capper, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Reigate Castle: Rjwilmsi, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Dorking Museum: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Leatherhead Museum of Local History: Stefan Czapski, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Box Hill.
Who lives here
An older town: 50% of people in Box Hill are 65 or over, more than in Surrey’s towns or England’s towns
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 4.1% of residents, below both Surrey’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). The under-15s are 4.4% of the population here. A quarter of adults hold a degree.
65.2median age
Box HillSurreyEngland
Ages · share of residents
50%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications27%
Apprenticeship9%
A levels or similar12%
Degree level25%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About 104 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Box Hill | Surrey | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 4.4% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 4.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 9.4% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 50% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 27% | 13% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.9% | 4.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Surrey and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
History
Box Hill’s one listed building is Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
One in ten homes date from before 1919. For its size, Box Hill has 8 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. The national list protects one ancient monument here.
1listed buildingsDHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
1
scheduled monument
0
registered parks and gardens
10%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
8
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Box Hill is a driving town: 88% of commuters go by car, above Surrey’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 33% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Short trips to work, under 5 km: 22%, below Surrey’s towns (40%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. Households take home £58K a year before tax, on average. Of the commuters living in Box Hill, 1% work in the town itself. 3% of people aged 16 to 64 were on unemployment benefits in 2026.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot3%
Train3%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
Underground, tram1%
22%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
33%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£58K
mean household income, before tax
3%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C−
Walkability: more walkable than 15% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Box Hill records less burglary and damage per resident than Surrey’s towns or England’s towns, at 4.7 per 1,000 a year
Police figures for Box Hill’s built-up area: 43 crimes and 12 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. 77% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 5.3 reports per 1,000, lower than both Surrey’s towns (7.5) and England’s towns (7.8).
16violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearA−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 65% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual33
Public order2
Other theft2
Vehicle crime2
Other crime2
Damage & arson1
Drugs1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social12
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.
16
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
5.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
43
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
Bad health is more common in Box Hill than in Surrey’s towns or across England’s towns: 7.3% of residents
At the census, a quarter of people here had a disability, above Surrey’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Self-reported good health: 73% of Box Hill’s residents. The nearest A&E to Box Hill is Epsom General Hospital, 5 miles away.
73%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 73%Fair 19%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Box Hill | Surrey | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 73% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.3% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 25% | 14% | 17% |
80.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
HousingCost of living grade B
Box Hill is a town of owners: 87% of households own their home, above Surrey’s towns and England’s towns
Social housing holds 1% of households, lower than both Surrey’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,551 a month across the Mole Valley council area. That is the middle of 5 standard sales inside Box Hill’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Box Hill£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £820,000 | 5 |
87%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,551
average private rent a month, Mole Valley council area
£2,509
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Box Hill
13pages on Box Hill
The big questions
Out and about
Box Hill’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BrockhamDorkingLower KingswoodLeatherheadLangley ValeWestcottReigateBox Hill
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box Hill | 1,271 | — | — | B | A− | B |
| Brockham | 2,206 | 1.7 | — | C− | A− | B+ |
| Dorking | 17,463 | 2.7 | A− | C+ | C | B+ |
| Lower Kingswood | 2,029 | 3.3 | — | C− | B+ | A |
| Leatherhead | 11,482 | 3.7 | B+ | B | D | B− |
| Langley Vale | 1,515 | 3.7 | — | C− | A− | A |
| Westcott | 2,275 | 4 | — | C+ | C+ | A− |
| Reigate | 23,774 | 4 | A | C− | B | A− |
Brockham, Lower Kingswood, Langley Vale and Westcott have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Box Hill
Are schools in Box Hill good?
GCSE results beat 92% of towns in England, and primary results beat 79% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Places are handled by Surrey council.
Is Box Hill safe?
Against all UK towns, it grades A−.
About Box Hill
Village in Surrey, England
Box Hill is a built-up area of 1,271 people, in the Mole Valley 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
- 1,271 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Mole Valley
- County
- Surrey
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005544
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.