Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A large town of 27,067 in Surrey, South East.
Horley grades B overall against UK towns: better than 60% of UK towns, and #53 of 65 in Surrey. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): 23% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is cost of living (C+): median sale £418,000, 5.9 years of area income; rent £1,640 a month.
The 2 things Horley does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Horley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 49 buildings inside Horley’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1880.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Horley.
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.
39% of commuters travelled under 5 km, close to Surrey’s towns (40%) and below England’s towns (45%). Household income averages £65K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Langshott Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 411 | B |
| Oakwood SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,610 | C− |
Social housing holds 11% of households, close to Surrey’s towns (12%) and below England’s towns (18%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £594,975 | 280 |
| Semi-detached | £445,000 | 389 |
| Terraced | £382,000 | 222 |
| Flat or maisonette | £220,000 | 332 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
For Horley, that is above both Surrey’s towns (19.3) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 1,533 crimes inside Horley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 294 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 48% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Horley has 49 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 9% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
86% of Horley’s residents described their health as good or very good in 2021, against 87% across Surrey’s towns. 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.
| Census 2021 | Horley | Surrey | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 14% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Horley sits below both Surrey’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) on this measure. Children under 15 make up 20% of residents. Half the people of Horley are older than 39.2.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Horley | Surrey | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.4% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 31% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 13% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.3% | 4.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 34% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Surrey and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Horley. Best known first.
MuseumGatwick Aviation Museum3 km outside town, to the southwestPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustHarewoods3.2 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionLowfield Heath Windmill3.8 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
49 listed buildings in Horley, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of St Bartholomew: Photo: The Voice of Hassocks · CC0 · The Cambridge Hotel: Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Langshott Manor: Photo: Mark · CC BY 4.0 · Ye Olde Six Bells: Photo: Richard Rogerson · CC BY-SA 2.0
7 notable people were born in Horley.
Faye White: The original uploader was Wufong at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lol Tolhurst: W. bootz B. Photography, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Jack Fairman: Kevin Decherf from Nantes, France, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dick Morrissey: Capitol Records, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horley | 27,067 | — | B | C+ | C+ | B |
| Salfords | 1,873 | 1.7 | — | C− | D− | B− |
| Smallfield | 2,613 | 2 | C− | C | D | B |
| Copthorne | 4,917 | 3.4 | B− | B− | C− | A |
| South Nutfield | 1,951 | 3.7 | — | D | A | B |
| Redhill | 32,516 | 3.9 | B+ | C+ | C− | B |
| Reigate | 23,774 | 4.1 | A | C− | B | A− |
| Crawley | 120,567 | 4.7 | C− | C− | D | C+ |
Salfords and South Nutfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £418,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £220,000, terraced houses £382,000, semi-detached houses £445,000 and detached houses £594,975.
About the middle for its size: 37% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C+.
Band D council tax in Horley is £2,613 for 2026–27, more than in 87% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Large town in Surrey, England
Horley is a built-up area of 27,067 people, in the Reigate and Banstead 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.