Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 31,709 people, this large town lies in West Sussex, South East.
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Safety is its weak spot (D) — police record 50.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 19.3 home and vehicle crimes. Against UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has more crime per resident than 87%. Homes are dear: homes sell for a median £375,000, about 6.5 times local household income. It is easy to get around without a car (A+): 37% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. The overall grade comes out at C−, better than 22% of UK towns. That places it #33 of 40 in West Sussex. The rest of its grades are middling: C+ for health, B− for jobs & income and B for hazard risk.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Chichester is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Chichester does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 520 buildings inside Chichester’s built-up area, 14 of them Grade I, and 11 scheduled monuments.
14% 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 1890 and a map from c. 1922.
Explore the history →520 listed buildings in Chichester, 14 of them Grade I.
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity and Cloisters: Photo: Evgeniy Podkopaev · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Canon Gate: Photo: Tilman2007 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Market Cross: Photo: Tilman2007 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Richmond Arms Public House: Photo: Djm-leighpark · CC BY-SA 4.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Chichester.
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.
Each working resident is matched by 1.9 jobs in Chichester. Work in town: 48% of resident commuters. The car carried 61% of commuters at the census. 60% of commuters travelled under 5 km, higher than both West Sussex’s towns (44%) and England’s towns (45%).
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
GCSE results at the town’s 2 secondary schools: 53% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 49.2. Bishop Luffa School, Chichester’s results beat 86% of schools in England like it. Below are two of its 13 schools, each with why it was picked. Between them, eight primaries and two secondaries teach 4,409 pupils in the town.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parklands Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 426 | C+ |
| Bishop Luffa School, ChichesterLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,600 | A |
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 4,111 recorded crimes inside Chichester’s built-up area, and 1,320 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 32.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both West Sussex’s towns (11.5) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences were 36% of the crimes.
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.
20% live in social housing, above West Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private tenants account for nearly a quarter of households. From September 2023 to August 2026, 1,450 homes sold inside Chichester’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £375,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £587,000 | 341 |
| Semi-detached | £399,950 | 327 |
| Terraced | £350,000 | 377 |
| Flat or maisonette | £225,000 | 405 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
At the top of the list, 14 are Grade I and 33 Grade II*. Chichester’s listed buildings include Bell Tower of the Cathedral, Grade I. Per 10,000 residents, Chichester counts 164 listed buildings, above both West Sussex’s towns (49) and England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
4 GP practices serve the town; 77% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Disability touches nearly a fifth of Chichester’s population. The nearest A&E to Chichester is St Richard's Hospital, 0.3 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Chichester | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Those 65 and older account for nearly a quarter of residents. Children under 15 make up 13%, below both West Sussex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Chichester has a median age of 42.2 years. Graduates make up 39% of adults.
53% women, 47% men
About 88 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.
| Chichester | West Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 16% | 9.8% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.1% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 39% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Chichester. Best known first.
CathedralChichester Cathedralin town
CastleChichester Castlein town
Art galleryPallant House Galleryin town
MuseumThe Noviumin town
MuseumFishbourne Roman Palace800 m outside town, to the west
Historic houseGoodwood House2.7 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
110 notable people were born in Chichester.
Tom Odell: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ed Speleers: Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Thomas Bradwardine: Dorieo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Timothy Peake: Robert Markowitz, Public domain · J. F. C. Fuller: Official portray made by UK goverment, Public domain
Large town in West Sussex, England
Chichester is a built-up area of 31,709 people, in the Chichester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chichester | 31,709 | — | C− | D | D | C+ |
| Westhampnett | 1,238 | 1.3 | — | D | D | A− |
| Fishbourne | 3,368 | 1.7 | B− | D | C | A− |
| Hunston | 1,154 | 2 | — | C− | B− | C+ |
| Mid Lavant | 1,441 | 2.3 | — | D | B+ | B+ |
| Tangmere | 4,000 | 2.7 | C | C | B | C+ |
| Bosham | 2,693 | 3.5 | A− | D | B | A− |
| Hambrook and Nutbourne | 2,752 | 4.9 | C | D | B− | B+ |
Westhampnett, Hunston and Mid Lavant have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 6.7 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Bell Tower of the Cathedral. It also has 11 scheduled monuments.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £375,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £225,000, terraced houses £350,000, semi-detached houses £399,950 and detached houses £587,000.
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.