Defford’s story
8 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Defford’s built-up area.
29% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
DeffordWorcestershire
The village has 607 residents and lies in Worcestershire, West Midlands.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
607
Census 2021 · Wychavon council
Median home
£470K
29 sales in 3 years
Median age
57.8
36% are 65+ · Worcestershire 22%
Degree level
41%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
3%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Defford a good place to live?
There are no grades for Defford: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 3% of commuters. 8 buildings are listed here, 0 at Grade I.
What makes Defford stand out
The 3 things Defford does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
3% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St James; 5.4 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
36% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Defford.
Who lives here
Defford skews older, with 36% of residents 65 or over, more than Worcestershire’s towns or England’s towns
Just over two in five adults hold a degree, above Worcestershire’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (34%) alike. People aged 15 to 24 make up 5.9% of the town. The age that splits Defford in two is 57.8. The under-15s are 13% of the population here.
57.8median age
DeffordWorcestershireEngland
Ages · share of residents
36%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level41%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About 105 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Defford | Worcestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 5.9% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 36% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.5% | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Worcestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Defford
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defford and Besford CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 54 | – |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Defford work nearby than in Worcestershire’s towns or England’s towns: 18% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 41% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The average household earns £64K a year before tax. 91% of commuters drove, above Worcestershire’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.2%. About 2% of its commuters stay in Defford for work.
3%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
On foot2%
Bicycle1%
18%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
41%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£64K
mean household income, before tax
1.2%
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 Defford than in Worcestershire’s towns or across England’s towns: 5%
The median sale price was £470K, higher than both Worcestershire’s towns (£340K) and England’s towns (£308K). The owner-occupied share of households is 87%. Social housing holds 8% of households.
£470Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Defford£470K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £500,000 | 23 |
| Semi-detached | £275,000 | 6 |
87%
of households own their home · England 61%
5%
rent privately · England 21%
£954
average private rent a month, Wychavon council area
£2,356
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
Violent crime runs low in Defford: 8.2 per 1,000 residents a year, under Worcestershire’s towns and England’s towns
13 crimes and 1 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Defford’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Homes saw 7.1 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below Worcestershire’s towns (9.2) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. 46% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
8.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual6
Other theft2
Other crime2
Damage & arson1
Public order1
Burglary1
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
Anti-social1
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.
8.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
13
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
In Defford, 82% say their health is good or very good
There is no GP practice in Defford: the nearest is 2.3 miles off. The nearest A&E to Defford is Worcestershire Royal Hospital, 7.6 miles away.
82%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Defford | Worcestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.6% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
82.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87.7
life expectancy at birth, women
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.
History
Defford keeps more of its old housing than Worcestershire’s towns or England’s towns: 29% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Relative to its size, Defford keeps 132 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
8listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II7
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St James Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
29%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
132
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Croome Court and 6 more in and around Defford
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Defford. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustCroome Court3.3 km outside town, to the west
FortKemerton Camp Hill Fort4.6 km outside town, to the southeastCastleCastle · National TrustDunstall castle3 km outside town, to the westAttractionAttraction · National TrustThe Grotto4 km outside town, to the westAbbey or prioryAbbey or prioryPershore Abbey3.2 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionPershore Old Bridge3.3 km outside town, to the northeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Croome Court: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kemerton Camp Hill Fort: Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Defford
13pages on Defford
The big questions
Safety8.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £470K · rent £954 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 months · busiest street Upper StreetSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 82.7 (men), 87.7 (women)Work & commute55% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.5% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Defford’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
EckingtonPershoreDrakes BroughtonTwyningBredonUpton upon SevernKempseyDefford
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defford | 607 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Eckington | 1,256 | 1.2 | — | C+ | A | A+ |
| Pershore | 8,207 | 2.4 | B− | A− | C− | C+ |
| Drakes Broughton | 1,813 | 3.4 | — | B | C | B+ |
| Twyning | 1,079 | 4 | — | B− | A | B− |
| Bredon | 2,071 | 4 | — | B | A− | A+ |
| Upton upon Severn | 2,403 | 4.5 | — | B+ | C+ | C+ |
| Kempsey | 3,753 | 5.4 | B− | B | B− | B |
Eckington, Drakes Broughton, Twyning, Bredon and Upton upon Severn have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Defford
How many listed buildings are there in Defford?
That is 5.4 times the typical UK town for its size. 29% of Defford’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Is Defford expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £275,000 and detached houses £500,000. Private rents in the Wychavon council area averaged £954 a month in August 2026.
About Defford
Village in Worcestershire, England
Defford is a built-up area of 607 people, in the Wychavon 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
- 607 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wychavon
- County
- Worcestershire
- Region
- West Midlands
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003763
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.