Highleigh’s story
11 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Highleigh’s built-up area.
29% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
HighleighWest Sussex
With 608 residents, it is a village in West Sussex, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jeff Gogarty · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
608
Census 2021 · Chichester council
Median home
£678K
18 sales in 3 years
Median age
52.1
31% are 65+ · West Sussex 23%
Degree level
36%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
15%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Highleigh a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Highleigh has no grades; its figures are still real. Its listed buildings number 11, with 0 at Grade I. Homes change hands at a median £677,500. 15% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
What makes Highleigh stand out
The 3 things Highleigh does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 7.4 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.4 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
15% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Highleigh.
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Highleigh: just 16% travel under 5 km, below West Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
15%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 33% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car carried 82% of commuters at the census. Unemployment benefit claims came to 5.6% of 16 to 64s in 2026, above both West Sussex’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%). A household here earns £52K a year before tax, on average. About 2% of its commuters stay in Highleigh for work.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving82%
On foot7%
Bus4%
Bicycle3%
Train1%
16%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
33%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£52K
mean household income, before tax
5.6%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Schools
The schools around Highleigh
49% of pupils at the 2 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below is its only school. Its one primary school teaches 139 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidlesham Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 139 | D |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Few households rent privately in Highleigh: 7%, fewer than in both West Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
£678Kmedian sale
Home ownership stands at 78% of households. Private rents average £1,333 a month across the Chichester council area. Also worth knowing: 15% live in social housing, above West Sussex’s towns (13%) but below England’s towns (18%).
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Highleigh£678K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £850,000 | 13 |
78%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,333
average private rent a month, Chichester council area
£2,474
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Crime recorded by police in Highleigh
16.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 25 crimes and 6 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Highleigh’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 72% of recorded crime. Burglary and damage came to 8.2 per 1,000 residents a year, below both West Sussex’s towns (9.9) and England’s towns (9.4).
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual18
Damage & arson2
Vehicle crime2
Public order1
Burglary1
Drugs1
Shoplifting0
Other theft0
Anti-social6
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.
16.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
25
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Bad health is less common in Highleigh than in West Sussex’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.8% of residents
84%good or very good health
At the census, 84% of people in Highleigh called their health good or very good, higher than both West Sussex’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). 15% of residents in Highleigh live with a disability. Seeing a GP means leaving Highleigh: the nearest practice is 3.1 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Highleigh | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.8% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
78.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.3
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
Old homes shape Highleigh: 29% were built before 1919, more than in both West Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
11listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Highleigh has 181 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, above West Sussex’s towns (50) and England’s towns (39) alike. Conservation areas cover 6% of the town’s land, higher than West Sussex’s towns (4%) yet lower than England’s towns (7%).
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II11
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
29%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
181
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
An older town: 31% of people in Highleigh are 65 or over, more than in both West Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
52.1median age
36% of adults hold a degree, above both West Sussex’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (34%). The share aged 15 to 24 is 8.6%. Typical age in Highleigh: 52.1, the median.
HighleighWest SussexEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level36%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Highleigh | West Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.6% | 9.8% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.4% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Highleigh
12pages on Highleigh
The big questions
Safety16.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £678K · rent £1,333 a monthHousing5 sold in 12 months · busiest street Highleigh RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 78.9 (men), 85.3 (women)Work & commute51% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
About Highleigh
Village in West Sussex, England
Highleigh is a built-up area of 608 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
- Population
- 608 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Chichester
- County
- West Sussex
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006653
Highleigh’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
HunstonPaghamEast WitteringSelseyFishbourneBoshamChichesterHighleigh
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highleigh | 608 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hunston | 1,154 | 2.6 | — | C− | B− | C+ |
| Pagham | 1,291 | 2.7 | — | D− | C | B− |
| East Wittering | 6,060 | 2.9 | C− | D | B+ | B |
| Selsey | 10,740 | 3.2 | D | C− | C+ | C |
| Fishbourne | 3,368 | 4.4 | B− | D | C | A− |
| Bosham | 2,693 | 4.4 | A− | D | B | A− |
| Chichester | 31,709 | 4.5 | C− | D | D | C+ |
Hunston and Pagham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Highleigh
How many listed buildings are there in Highleigh?
That is 7.4 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Highleigh?
Band D council tax in Highleigh is £2,474 for 2026–27, more than in 58% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
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.