Overall, East Grinstead earns an A−: better than 85% of UK towns, and #9 of 40 in West Sussex. Its best grade is for walkability (A) — on the way to work, 24% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. It is strong on jobs & income as well (A−) — mean household income £66,924; 2.8% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. The median home sold for £400,000, 5.7 times what households in the Mid Sussex council area earn in a year. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for safety, B− for schools and B for hazard risk.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · income, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Environment Agency.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far East Grinstead is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in East Grinstead.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
East Grinstead is more walkable than 87% of UK towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 36% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
East Grinstead counts 0.8 jobs per working resident. About 35% of its commuters stay in East Grinstead for work. The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 2.8%.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
SchoolsB−
Exam results at East Grinstead’s schools top 52% of towns in England
Secondary results at the town’s 2 secondary schools: an Attainment 8 score of 48.3, with 47% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Of its 9 schools, two are shown below, each with the reason. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 7 primary schools: three in five pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 9 schools →
Health
Bad health is less common in East Grinstead than in West Sussex’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.3% of residents
14% of residents have a disability, below both West Sussex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). Asked at the census, 86% of residents of East Grinstead said they were in good or very good health. The nearest A&E to East Grinstead is East Surrey Hospital, 9 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; four in five patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
HousingCost of living grade B
The median home in East Grinstead sells for £400K, against £425K in West Sussex’s towns and £308K in England’s towns
The social rented sector houses 10% of households. Owners make up 71% of households, above both West Sussex’s towns (68%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,423 a month across the Mid Sussex council area.
£400Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
East Grinstead£400K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£600,000
320
Semi-detached
£435,000
277
Terraced
£365,000
261
Flat or maisonette
£225,000
355
71%
of households own their home · England 61%
18%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,423
average private rent a month, Mid Sussex council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Homes in East Grinstead see more burglary and damage than in West Sussex’s towns or England’s towns: 11.6 per 1,000 a year
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Police recorded 1,309 crimes inside East Grinstead’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 458 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 14.5 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above West Sussex’s towns (11.5) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Also worth knowing: for its size, East Grinstead records less crime per resident than 74% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Violence and sexual offences made up 42% of the total.
23.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 74% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual548
Public order136
Other theft132
Damage & arson128
Shoplifting116
Vehicle crime77
Burglary47
Drugs39
Anti-social458
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.
23.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
14.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
History
Listed buildings in East Grinstead: 72, with 2 at Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
East Grinstead’s listed buildings include Sackville College, Grade I. It has one registered historic park or garden.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Few people in East Grinstead are 15 to 24: 9.1%, fewer than in West Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
Line up the people of East Grinstead by age and the one in the middle is 44.4. 21% of residents are 65 or over, lower than West Sussex’s towns (23%) yet higher than England’s towns (18%). Under 15: 17% of residents.
44.4median age
East GrinsteadWest SussexEngland
Ages · share of residents
21%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level35%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Felbridge, Ashurst Wood and Dormansland have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about East Grinstead
Is East Grinstead expensive to live in?
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 £225,000, terraced houses £365,000, semi-detached houses £435,000 and detached houses £600,000. Household incomes are higher than in 84% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B.
Is East Grinstead safe?
Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades B−.
Does East Grinstead flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About East Grinstead
Large town in West Sussex, England
East Grinstead is a built-up area of 26,350 people, in the Mid Sussex 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
26,350 (Census 2021)
Council
Mid Sussex
County
West Sussex
Region
South East
Area
3 sq mi (7.7 km²)
ONS code
E63005876
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.
