Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Over-65s are 33% of the population. 3,035 residents make their home in this town in West Sussex, South East.
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Arundel ranks #16 of 40 in West Sussex, with a B overall. On that grade it does better than just over three fifths of UK towns. School results are strong (A+): primary results beat 95% of towns in England. What holds it back is cost of living — a typical home costs £425,000 and rent runs £1,231 a month. Hazards are a real consideration: 12.6% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Arundel is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Arundel does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 192 buildings inside Arundel’s built-up area, 4 of them Grade I, and 2 scheduled monuments.
36% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 3 old photos and postcards going back to 1866.
192 listed buildings in Arundel, 4 of them Grade I.
Arundel Castle: Photo: Tim Sheerman-Chase · CC BY 4.0 · Arundel Cathedral of Our Lady & St Philip Howard and piers surrounding churchyard: Photo: The Voice of Hassocks · CC0 · Fitzalan Chapel: Photo: Bigup sim · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Windmill: Photo: Peter Trimming · CC BY-SA 2.0
Arundel, Maine, is named after Arundel.
USUS editionArundel, Maine, settled in 1807, takes its name from this town.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Arundel.
12% are under 15, below West Sussex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike, and people aged 15 to 24 make up nearly a tenth of the town. Ages in Arundel split evenly at 54.2: half are older, half younger. Graduates make up 39% of adults.
53% women, 47% men
About 87 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.
| Arundel | West Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.4% | 9.8% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 33% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 39% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Some 422 pupils attend Arundel’s two primaries. Arundel CofE Primary School’s results beat 94% of schools in England like it. 74% of pupils at the town’s 2 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arundel CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 213 | A |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Arundel’s listed buildings include Arundel Castle, Grade I. Relative to its size, Arundel keeps 633 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Of the town’s land, 29% lies in conservation areas, above West Sussex’s towns (4%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. It has 192 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 4 Grade I, 5 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Social housing holds just over one in ten households, below West Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The owner-occupied share of households is 68%. The £425,000 median rests on 159 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £777,500 | 24 |
| Semi-detached | £372,500 | 30 |
| Terraced | £467,500 | 70 |
| Flat or maisonette | £245,000 | 35 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
One GP practice serves the town; nearly nine in ten patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Arundel is St Richard's Hospital, 9 miles away. Also worth knowing: at the census, 4.5% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2021 | Arundel | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.5% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 19% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, lower than both West Sussex’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (27%). For every resident in work, Arundel has 1.1 jobs. Of the commuters living in the town, 17% work in the town itself. Before tax, the average household brings in £58K a year.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Police recorded 176 crimes inside Arundel’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 50 reports of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 18.5 reports per 1,000, higher than both West Sussex’s towns (11.5) and England’s towns (7.8). Of all the crimes, 29% were violence and sexual offences.
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.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Arundel. Best known first.
CastleArundel Castlein town
CathedralArundel Cathedralin town
MuseumArundel Museum & Heritage Centrein town
MuseumAmberley Museum and Heritage Centre4.7 km outside town, to the north
Heritage railwayAmberley Museum Railway4.9 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumLittlehampton Museum4.5 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
13 notable people were born in Arundel.
Judy Geeson: 20th Century Fox/Studio, Public domain
Town in West Sussex, England
Arundel is a built-up area of 3,035 people, in the Arun 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arundel | 3,035 | — | B | D− | C | A− |
| Wick | 13,231 | 2.1 | D− | D | C− | C− |
| Walberton | 1,236 | 2.6 | — | D− | B+ | B |
| Yapton | 6,337 | 2.8 | D− | D− | C− | C |
| Littlehampton | 19,060 | 2.9 | D− | D | D | C− |
| Barnham | 10,139 | 3.8 | C− | D− | C | B− |
| Rustington | 33,885 | 4.1 | C+ | D− | B+ | B |
| Bognor Regis | 68,443 | 6.6 | D | D | C− | C |
Walberton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Primary results beat 95% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). Arundel has 2 state schools; places are handled by West Sussex council.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
That is 26 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Arundel Castle. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
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.