Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 12,242: a town in West Sussex, South East.
Some subjects shine; others lag. Housing is expensive: homes sell for a median £425,000, about 7.9 times local household income. Walkability is its strong suit: on the way to work, 26% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. All told, that adds up to a C overall and a rank of #30 of 40 in West Sussex. Set against the rest, it does better than 29% of UK towns. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B− for schools and C+ for jobs & income.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · income, ONS · claimants, DWP.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Southwick is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 2 things Southwick does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 18 buildings inside Southwick’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
10% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →18 listed buildings in Southwick.
The Hall: Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 43-45, The Green: Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ivy Lodge: Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 41, The Green: Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Southwick.
69% of households own their home, close to West Sussex’s towns (68%) and above England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,410 a month across the Adur council area. The median sale, £425,000, comes from 405 standard sales inside Southwick’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £492,475 | 88 |
| Semi-detached | £440,000 | 180 |
| Terraced | £388,750 | 82 |
| Flat or maisonette | £245,000 | 55 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
GCSE results at the 5 secondary schools within 3 km: 53% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 49.5. One of its 4 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 3 primary schools: 55% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glebe Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 453 | C− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
3.4% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, higher than both West Sussex’s towns (2.4%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Household income averages £53K a year before tax. Of the commuters living in Southwick, 14% work in the town itself. The town counts 0.6 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
A tenth of its homes were built before 1919, below both West Sussex’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%). Grade II* covers 2 of them. One scheduled monument lies in Southwick.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
There is no GP practice in Southwick: the nearest is 0.9 miles off. Nearly a fifth of residents in Southwick live with a disability. The nearest A&E to Southwick is Royal Sussex County Hospital, 5.1 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Southwick | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.9% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
There were 14.3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above both West Sussex’s towns (11.5) and England’s towns (7.8). Per 1,000 residents, 27.5 violent crimes are recorded each year. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 729 crimes and 234 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Southwick’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences made up 46% of the total.
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.
Young adults of 15 to 24 account for a tenth of the town. Children under 15 make up 18%, higher than West Sussex’s towns (17%) and near England’s towns (18%). The middle age in Southwick is 43.3.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Southwick | West Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.7% | 9.8% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 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 Southwick. Best known first.
PierWest Pier4.8 km outside town, to the east
AttractionBrighton i3604.8 km outside town, to the east
MuseumBooth Museum of Natural History4.6 km outside town, to the east
CastleMotte and Bailey4.2 km outside town, to the north
MuseumHove Museum2.6 km outside town, to the east
MuseumBritish Engineerium3.2 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
9 notable people were born in Southwick.
John Pell: Godfrey Kneller, Public domain · Clara Butt: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress), Public domain · G. F. Gorringe: Official Photograph, Public domain
Town in West Sussex, England
Southwick is a built-up area of 12,242 people, in the Adur 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwick | 12,242 | — | C | D− | C | C |
| Shoreham-by-Sea | 23,659 | 1.6 | B− | D− | B− | B |
| Brighton and Hove | 277,096 | 3.8 | C− | D− | C− | C+ |
| Lancing and Sompting | 27,924 | 4.2 | C− | D | B− | C+ |
| Upper Beeding | 3,100 | 4.4 | A− | B− | A | A |
| Steyning | 5,513 | 5.5 | B+ | C− | A− | A |
| Henfield | 5,630 | 6.9 | C+ | C− | B | B+ |
| Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint | 14,216 | 7.1 | A+ | C+ | B+ | A |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £425,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £245,000, terraced houses £388,750, semi-detached houses £440,000 and detached houses £492,475.
About the middle for its size: 41% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
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.