Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In West Sussex, South East, this large town has 40,186 residents.
The local economy does well: mean household income £73,528; 1.9% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Fewer journeys need a car: 28% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Homes sell for a median £419,250, about 6 years of what households in the Mid Sussex council area earn. Overall, that makes an A+, good for #3 of 40 in West Sussex. Set against the rest, it does better than 97% of UK towns. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for safety and C+ for hazard risk.
Figures: income, ONS · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021 · 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 Haywards Heath is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Haywards Heath does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 146 buildings inside Haywards Heath’s built-up area, 16 of them Grade II*.
10% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →146 listed buildings in Haywards Heath.
Lindfield House: Photo: Peter Trimming · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Thatched Cottage: Photo: Rodhullandemu · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Former Sergison Arms Public House: Photo: Hassocks5489 · CC0 · Main Block of St Francis' Hospital: Photo: Michael Coppins · CC BY-SA 4.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Haywards Heath.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 44% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Home was the main workplace for 44% of workers at the census. Of the commuters living in Haywards Heath, 36% work in the town itself. For every resident in work, Haywards Heath has 0.7 jobs.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
GCSE results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: 57% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 53.3. Blackthorns Community Primary School’s results beat just over four in five schools in England like it. Of its 10 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. At the town’s 8 primary schools, 65% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lindfield Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 656 | A− |
| Oathall Community CollegeLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,341 | B+ |
| Blackthorns Community Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 203 | A− |
3.4% 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 Haywards Heath’s population. 4 GP practices serve the town; just over four in five patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Men in Haywards Heath can expect to live to 81, women to 85.3 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Haywards Heath | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.4% | 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 answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Social housing holds just over one in ten households, below both West Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). Just over two thirds of households are owner-occupiers. Private rents average £1,422 a month across the Mid Sussex council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £710,000 | 482 |
| Semi-detached | £465,000 | 491 |
| Terraced | £400,000 | 348 |
| Flat or maisonette | £248,000 | 551 |
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.
Grade II* covers 16 of them. Conservation areas cover 12% of Haywards Heath’s land, higher than both West Sussex’s towns (4%) and England’s towns (7%). Relative to its size, Haywards Heath keeps 36 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Reported offences in Haywards Heath came to 1,688 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 558. Violence and sexual offences were 46% of the crimes. Per 1,000 residents, 8.8 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded a year.
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 share aged 15 to 24 is 8.7%. 19% are under 15, above both West Sussex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 19% of residents. The middle age in Haywards Heath is 41.4.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Haywards Heath | West Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 9.8% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 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 Haywards Heath. Best known first.
Heritage railwayBluebell Railway2.6 km outside town, to the northeastGardenGardenBorde Hill300 m outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumCuckfield Museum1.5 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumSteamWorks!4.5 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttractionOuse Valley Viaduct1.9 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
34 notable people were born in Haywards Heath.
Kaya Scodelario: Desmond Herzfelder, CC BY 4.0 · Brett Anderson: Bex.Walton, CC BY 4.0 · Robert Kazinsky: Sue Lukenbaugh from Sacramento, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mark Ravenhill: Andymiah, CC BY 3.0 · Harvey Vale: Timmy96, CC0 · Dean Cox: RM-Taylor, Public domain
Large town in West Sussex, England
Haywards Heath is a built-up area of 40,186 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haywards Heath | 40,186 | — | A+ | B | B | A− |
| Cuckfield | 3,767 | 1.9 | A+ | C | B+ | A |
| Wivelsfield Green | 1,012 | 2.7 | — | D− | A+ | A+ |
| Burgess Hill | 33,352 | 3.1 | A | B | C+ | B+ |
| Ardingly | 1,646 | 3.5 | — | C+ | A | A+ |
| North Chailey | 1,008 | 3.7 | — | D− | A− | A |
| Horsted Keynes | 1,121 | 3.9 | — | C | A | A+ |
| Balcombe | 1,445 | 4.3 | — | C | A− | B− |
Wivelsfield Green, Ardingly, North Chailey, Horsted Keynes and Balcombe have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 86% of towns in England. Primary results beat 70%.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £419,250, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £248,000, terraced houses £400,000, semi-detached houses £465,000 and detached houses £710,000. Household incomes are higher than in 94% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B.
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.