Sayers Common’s story
2 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Sayers Common’s built-up area.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Sayers CommonWest Sussex
A village in West Sussex, South East, home to 869 people.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Antiquary · CC BY 4.0
Population
869
Census 2021 · Mid Sussex council
Median home
£467K
62 sales in 3 years
Median age
46.6
19% are 65+ · West Sussex 23%
Degree level
35%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Sayers Common a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Sayers Common has none; the figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 10% of commuters. Homes change hands at a median £467,000.
What makes Sayers Common stand out
The 2 things Sayers Common does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sayers Common.
Work & commute
The car carries 88% of commuters in Sayers Common, more than in West Sussex’s towns and across England’s towns
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.
26% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Working mainly from home: 44% of workers, above both West Sussex’s towns (33%) and England’s towns (31%). Average household income comes to £71K a year before tax. Of the commuters living in Sayers Common, 4% work in the town itself.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot5%
Train2%
Bicycle2%
26%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
44%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£71K
mean household income, before tax
3%
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
Housing
Private renting is less common in Sayers Common than in West Sussex’s towns or across England’s towns: 13%
12% live in social housing, lower than both West Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). Owners make up 73% of households. Private rents average £1,423 a month across the Mid Sussex council area.
£467Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Sayers Common£467K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £607,500 | 22 |
| Semi-detached | £424,500 | 26 |
| Terraced | £397,500 | 14 |
73%
of households own their home · England 61%
13%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,423
average private rent a month, Mid Sussex council area
£2,481
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 Sayers Common
Property crime (burglary and damage) runs at 11.5 per 1,000 residents a year. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 37 crimes and 7 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Sayers Common’s built-up area. Of all the crimes, 49% were violence and sexual offences. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 5.4 reports per 1,000, below both West Sussex’s towns (11.6) and England’s towns (7.8).
21.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual18
Burglary6
Vehicle crime4
Damage & arson2
Drugs2
Other crime2
Public order1
Other theft1
Anti-social7
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.
21.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
37
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
Fewer people in Sayers Common live with a disability than in West Sussex’s towns or across England’s towns: 13%
3.1% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below West Sussex’s towns (4.5%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. Self-reported good health: 87% of Sayers Common’s residents. Seeing a GP means leaving Sayers Common: the nearest practice is 1.5 miles away.
87%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Sayers Common | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.1% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
82.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.8
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
All 2 of Sayers Common’s listed buildings are Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up nearly a tenth of the total, below both West Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (16%). Relative to its size, Sayers Common keeps 23 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
2listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II2
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
9%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
23
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 15% of Sayers Common, fewer than in West Sussex’s towns and across England’s towns
Half of Sayers Common is older than 46.6, half younger. 19% of residents are 65 or over. Degrees are held by just over a third of adults, higher than West Sussex’s towns (32%) and near England’s towns (34%).
46.6median age
Sayers CommonWest SussexEngland
Ages · share of residents
19%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications11%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar21%
Degree level35%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Sayers Common | West Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 9.8% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.7% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 35% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sayers Common
12pages on Sayers Common
The big questions
Safety21.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £467K · rent £1,423 a monthHousing19 sold in 12 months · busiest street Nightingale WaySchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82.4 (men), 86.8 (women)Work & commute61% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Sayers Common’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Hassocks and HurstpierpointBurgess HillHenfieldDitchlingCowfoldPartridge GreenCuckfieldSayers Common
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sayers Common | 869 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint | 14,216 | 2.5 | A+ | C+ | B+ | A |
| Burgess Hill | 33,352 | 2.9 | A | B | C+ | B+ |
| Henfield | 5,630 | 3.5 | C+ | C− | B | B+ |
| Ditchling | 1,123 | 4.1 | — | D− | A− | A+ |
| Cowfold | 1,377 | 4.2 | — | C+ | A− | B+ |
| Partridge Green | 1,911 | 4.7 | — | C+ | A | B+ |
| Cuckfield | 3,767 | 4.9 | A+ | C | B+ | A |
Ditchling, Cowfold and Partridge Green have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Sayers Common
Is Sayers Common expensive to live in?
By type: terraced houses £397,500, semi-detached houses £424,500 and detached houses £607,500.
How much is council tax in Sayers Common?
Band D council tax in Sayers Common is £2,481 for 2026–27, more than in 60% 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.
About Sayers Common
Village in West Sussex, England
Sayers Common is a built-up area of 869 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
- 869 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Mid Sussex
- County
- West Sussex
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006297
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.