Rusper’s story
11 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Rusper’s built-up area.
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
RusperWest Sussex
668 people call this village in West Sussex, South East home.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
668
Census 2021 · Horsham council
Median home
£590K
17 sales in 3 years
Median age
46.7
20% are 65+ · West Sussex 23%
Degree level
34%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Rusper a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Rusper has none; the figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 7% of commuters. 11 buildings are listed here, 1 at Grade I. Homes sell for a median £590,000.
What makes Rusper stand out
The 3 things Rusper does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene; 6.8 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.1 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rusper.
Work & commute
Under 5 km to work: 21% in Rusper, fewer than in both West Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
7%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 43% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Working mainly from home: 43% of workers, above both West Sussex’s towns (33%) and England’s towns (31%). Just over nine in ten commuters drove to work at the census. Households take home £68K a year before tax, on average.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
On foot4%
Train2%
21%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
43%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£68K
mean household income, before tax
2.9%
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 Rusper
Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 47.2, and 46% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. The town has one school, shown below. Its one primary school teaches 93 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rusper Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 93 | – |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Most households in Rusper own their home: 73%, more than in both West Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
£590Kmedian sale
9% live in social housing, below both West Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,474 a month across the Horsham council area. That is the middle of 17 standard sales inside Rusper’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Rusper£590K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £870,275 | 8 |
| Terraced | £375,000 | 5 |
73%
of households own their home · England 61%
18%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,474
average private rent a month, Horsham council area
£2,434
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
Violence is recorded less often in Rusper than in West Sussex’s towns or across England’s towns: 9.5 per 1,000 residents a year
9.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Burglary and damage came to 13 per 1,000 residents a year, above West Sussex’s towns (9.9) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. Rusper logged 23 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 5 complaints of anti-social conduct. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 39% of recorded crime.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual9
Damage & arson4
Burglary4
Shoplifting3
Vehicle crime2
Other theft1
Public order0
Drugs0
Anti-social5
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.
9.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
23
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
89% of people in Rusper say their health is good or very good, more than in both West Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
89%good or very good health
The nearest A&E to Rusper is East Surrey Hospital, 8.7 miles away. At the census, 11% of people here had a disability, lower than both West Sussex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). 2.4% of residents report bad or very bad health. Seeing a GP means leaving Rusper: the nearest practice is 2.5 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 89%Fair 9%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Rusper | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 89% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.4% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
80.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.5
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
Rusper keeps more of its old housing than West Sussex’s towns or England’s towns: 27% built before 1919
11listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Rusper’s land, 15% lies in conservation areas, above both West Sussex’s towns (4%) and England’s towns (7%). The town’s listed buildings include The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene, Grade I. Scaled to its population, that is 165 listed buildings for every 10,000 people here. The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II10
Among them · Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
27%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
165
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
Children make up only 14% of Rusper, fewer than in both West Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
46.7median age
Retirement age and beyond: 20% of residents are 65 or older. 13% of residents are 15 to 24, higher than both West Sussex’s towns (9.8%) and England’s towns (12%). Ages in Rusper split evenly at 46.7: half are older, half younger.
RusperWest SussexEngland
Ages · share of residents
20%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications11%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar23%
Degree level34%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 86 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Rusper | West Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 9.8% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 23% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 34% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rusper
14pages on Rusper
The big questions
Safety9.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £590K · rent £1,474 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 80.8 (men), 85.5 (women)Work & commute62% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
About Rusper
Village in West Sussex, England
Rusper is a built-up area of 668 people, in the Horsham 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
- 668 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Horsham
- County
- West Sussex
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005899
Rusper’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
HorshamCrawleyPease PottageBeare GreenBroadbridge HeathMannings HeathHandcrossRusper
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rusper | 668 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Horsham | 50,211 | 3.8 | A | C+ | C+ | A− |
| Crawley | 120,567 | 4.1 | C− | C− | D | C+ |
| Pease Pottage | 1,688 | 4.2 | — | C+ | C− | B |
| Beare Green | 1,940 | 4.3 | — | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Broadbridge Heath | 6,357 | 4.9 | A | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Mannings Heath | 1,137 | 5.2 | — | C− | A | A+ |
| Handcross | 1,399 | 5.8 | — | B | C+ | B |
Pease Pottage, Beare Green, Mannings Heath and Handcross have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Rusper
Is Rusper expensive to live in?
By type: terraced houses £375,000 and detached houses £870,275.
How many listed buildings are there in Rusper?
That is 6.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene. 27% of Rusper’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
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.