Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a town of 3,100 residents in West Sussex, South East.
Upper Beeding’s grades pull in different directions. Overall, Upper Beeding earns an A−: better than 80% of UK towns, and #10 of 40 in West Sussex. Residents are healthier than most (A): life expectancy 82.2 for men, 87.5 for women. Police record less crime here than in most towns: police record 8.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 6.2 home and vehicle crimes. Natural hazards weigh more here (D−): 12.8% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. At a median £362,000, a home costs 5.4 times the yearly income of households in the Horsham council area.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Upper Beeding does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Upper Beeding is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 35 buildings inside Upper Beeding’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I.
12% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Upper Beeding. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageBramber Castle100 m outside town, to the west
CastleMotte and Bailey3.5 km outside town, to the eastPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustSouthwick Hill4.2 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumSteyning Museum1 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumHenfield Museum4.9 km outside town, to the northeastHistoric shipHistoric shipLanding Craft4.9 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Upper Beeding.
The nearest A&E to Upper Beeding is Worthing Hospital, 5.4 miles away. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4.1% of the town. Seeing a GP means leaving Upper Beeding: the nearest practice is 1.3 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Upper Beeding | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.1% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: 46% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 48. Its only school is listed below. At the 2 primary schools within 3 km, 53% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Beeding Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 298 | C |
Over the year to August 2026, 65 offences were reported in Upper Beeding, along with 19 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Of all the crimes, 35% were violence and sexual offences. There were 4.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both West Sussex’s towns (11.7) and England’s towns (7.8).
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Just over a tenth of its homes were built before 1919, lower than both West Sussex’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%). For its size, Upper Beeding has 113 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. The town’s listed buildings include St Mary's Guest House and the Garden Gate, Grade I. Grade II* covers 1 of them, Grade I 2.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Before tax, the average household brings in £61K a year. At the census, 12% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below West Sussex’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (27%) alike. The car carried 86% of commuters at the census. Work in town: 8% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
15% of households rent privately. Social housing holds 8% of households, lower than both West Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). Behind the median of £362,000: 129 standard sales inside Upper Beeding’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £554,000 | 27 |
| Semi-detached | £375,000 | 47 |
| Terraced | £325,000 | 37 |
| Flat or maisonette | £166,250 | 18 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 7.9% of residents, below both West Sussex’s towns (9.8%) and England’s towns (12%). Residents of Upper Beeding have a median age of 49. Children under 15 count for 16% of the people here.
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Upper Beeding | West Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.9% | 9.8% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
35 listed buildings in Upper Beeding, 2 of them Grade I.
The Parish Church of St Peter: Photo: Antiquary · CC BY 3.0 · The Kings Head Inn: Photo: Dave Spicer · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Upper Beeding War Memorial: Photo: Antiquary · CC BY 4.0 · The Bridge Inn: Photo: Simon Burchell · CC BY-SA 4.0
4 notable people were born in Upper Beeding.
Ken Travers: CPSU/CSA (Flickr user cpsucsa), CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Beeding | 3,100 | — | A− | B− | A | A |
| Steyning | 5,513 | 1.1 | B+ | C− | A− | A |
| Henfield | 5,630 | 3.6 | C+ | C− | B | B+ |
| Shoreham-by-Sea | 23,659 | 3.7 | B− | D− | B− | B |
| Lancing and Sompting | 27,924 | 3.9 | C− | D | B− | C+ |
| Southwick | 12,242 | 4.4 | C | D− | C | C |
| Findon | 1,840 | 4.7 | — | D− | A− | B+ |
| Ashington | 2,688 | 5.2 | B | C− | A | A+ |
Findon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
That is 4.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include St Mary's Guest House and the Garden Gate.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £362,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £166,250, terraced houses £325,000, semi-detached houses £375,000 and detached houses £554,000. Household incomes are higher than in 72% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B−.
Town in West Sussex, England
Upper Beeding is a built-up area of 3,100 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
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.