Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In West Sussex, South East, this town has 9,121 residents.
Billingshurst’s standout strength is health — life expectancy is 82.1 for men and 84.6 for women. What counts against it is cost of living (C+): homes sell for a median £400,000, about 6 times local household income. Put together, the subjects come to a B+ overall, ranking #13 of 40 in West Sussex. Nationally, it does better than 69% of UK towns. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for safety, B for schools and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Environment Agency.
The 2 things Billingshurst 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 Billingshurst is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 45 buildings inside Billingshurst’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
10% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Billingshurst.
The nearest A&E to Billingshurst is Worthing Hospital, 14.6 miles away. 3.2% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, lower than both West Sussex’s towns (4.5%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Disability touches 14% of the town’s population. One GP practice serves the town; just over four in five patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Billingshurst | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 50.8, with 52% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Both of the town’s schools appear below. Key Stage 2 results at the 3 primary schools within 3 km: 58% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billingshurst Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 596 | A− |
| Weald School, TheLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,800 | B+ |
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.
Just over four in five commuters took the car to work at the census. Household income came to £65K a year before tax, near West Sussex’s towns (£63K) and higher than England’s towns (£55K). For every resident in work, Billingshurst has 0.6 jobs. Work in town: 16% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
70% of households own their home. Private rents average £1,474 a month across the Horsham council area. Also worth knowing: half of the 446 standard sales inside Billingshurst’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £400,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £556,875 | 134 |
| Semi-detached | £425,000 | 126 |
| Terraced | £360,000 | 105 |
| Flat or maisonette | £175,000 | 81 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Police figures for Billingshurst’s built-up area: 437 crimes and 112 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 43% of the total. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 13 reports per 1,000, above both West Sussex’s towns (11.5) and England’s towns (7.8).
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 2 of them, Grade I 1. Billingshurst’s listed buildings include The Parish Church of St Mary, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up a tenth of the total, lower than both West Sussex’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
18% of residents are 65 or over. Billingshurst has a median age of 41.1. The 15-to-24 age group: 10%, between West Sussex’s towns (9.8%) and England’s towns (12%).
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Billingshurst | West Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 9.8% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.1% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 35% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
45 listed buildings in Billingshurst, 1 of them Grade I.
Ye Old Six Bells Inn: Photo: Antiquary · CC BY 4.0 · Fossbrooks and Parbrook: Photo: Adrian Cable · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Signal Box at Billinghurst Railway Station: Photo: Hassocks5489 at en · Public domain · The Unitarian and Free Christian Church: Photo: Charlesdrakew · Public domain
4 notable people were born in Billingshurst.
James Tilley: James Boyes from UK, CC BY 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billingshurst | 9,121 | — | B+ | C+ | C+ | B+ |
| Barns Green | 1,107 | 2.7 | — | C | A− | A− |
| Slinfold | 1,163 | 3.9 | — | C− | A− | A− |
| Codmore Hill | 1,288 | 4.2 | — | C+ | C+ | B+ |
| Southwater | 11,204 | 4.5 | A+ | C | A− | A |
| Loxwood | 1,026 | 4.8 | — | D | B+ | A |
| Pulborough | 3,651 | 4.8 | C+ | B− | B− | B+ |
| Rudgwick | 2,145 | 4.8 | — | C− | A | A− |
Barns Green, Slinfold, Codmore Hill, Loxwood and Rudgwick have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is The Parish Church of St Mary.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £400,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £175,000, terraced houses £360,000, semi-detached houses £425,000 and detached houses £556,875.
About the middle for its size: 58% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, it grades C+.
Town in West Sussex, England
Billingshurst is a built-up area of 9,121 people, in the Horsham 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.