Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3,368 people, this town lies in West Sussex, South East.
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Buying in is costly: the median home sold for £436,000, 7.6 years of area income. Its strongest is health (A−): life expectancy is 81.7 for men and 85.1 for women. It is strong on jobs & income as well: mean household income £64,358; 3.4% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. All told, that adds up to a B− overall, better than 47% of UK towns. The ranking puts it #20 of 40 in West Sussex.
Figures: life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Fishbourne 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 Fishbourne is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 28 buildings inside Fishbourne’s built-up area, and 1 scheduled monument.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Fishbourne. Best known first.
MuseumFishbourne Roman Palacein town
CathedralChichester Cathedral1.1 km outside town, to the east
CastleChichester Castle1.5 km outside town, to the east
MuseumThe Novium1.1 km outside town, to the east
Art galleryPallant House Gallery1.3 km outside town, to the eastArt galleryArt galleryOtter Gallery1.9 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fishbourne.
68% of households are owner-occupiers. Behind the median of £436,000: 110 standard sales inside Fishbourne’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Private rents average £1,333 a month across the Chichester council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £612,500 | 56 |
| Semi-detached | £365,000 | 20 |
| Terraced | £345,000 | 19 |
| Flat or maisonette | £210,000 | 15 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Fishbourne CofE Primary School’s results beat 90% of schools in England like it. 57% of pupils at the 12 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fishbourne CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 210 | A |
Women here live to 85.1 on average and men to 81.7 (2019–23). 84% of Fishbourne’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above West Sussex’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. This West Sussex town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.1 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Fishbourne | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 34% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For every resident in work, Fishbourne has 0.9 jobs. 18% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, below both West Sussex’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (27%). The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 3.4%.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
For its size, Fishbourne records more crime per resident than 71% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people. Violence came to 28.8 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both West Sussex’s towns (17.3) and England’s towns (22). Over the year to August 2026, 183 offences were reported in the town, along with 34 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Just over two fifths of the crimes fell under 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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Per 10,000 residents, Fishbourne counts 83 listed buildings. 8% of its homes were built before 1919, lower than both West Sussex’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%). This West Sussex town has one registered historic park or garden.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The median resident of Fishbourne is 46.5 years old. 25% of residents are 65 or over, above West Sussex’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The 15-to-24 age group makes up nearly one in ten residents.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Fishbourne | West Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.9% | 9.8% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
28 listed buildings in Fishbourne.
The Black Boy Inn: Photo: Roger Cornfoot · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Church of St Peter and St Mary: Photo: Stephen Kirkman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pendrills: Photo: Djm-leighpark · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Salthill House: Photo: Shazz · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fishbourne | 3,368 | — | B− | D | C | A− |
| Chichester | 31,709 | 1.7 | C− | D | D | C+ |
| Bosham | 2,693 | 1.8 | A− | D | B | A− |
| Hunston | 1,154 | 2.5 | — | C− | B− | C+ |
| Mid Lavant | 1,441 | 2.5 | — | D | B+ | B+ |
| Westhampnett | 1,238 | 2.9 | — | D | D | A− |
| Hambrook and Nutbourne | 2,752 | 3.2 | C | D | B− | B+ |
| Southbourne | 4,150 | 4.3 | C+ | D | B− | B+ |
Hunston, Mid Lavant and Westhampnett have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 3.4 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £436,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £210,000, terraced houses £345,000, semi-detached houses £365,000 and detached houses £612,500.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in West Sussex, England
Fishbourne is a built-up area of 3,368 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
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.