Tunbridge Wells
Tunbridge Wells is a town or village in Kent, England, with a population of around 28,000. The nearest railway station is at Paddock Wood, 7.4 km away. There were around 2 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly other theft. Covers 26 towns with local open-data for the whole authority.
On deprivation, Tunbridge Wells is less deprived than the average in England (IoD2025). It is home to around 115,313 residents at roughly 348 people per km².
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 177th of 294 English council areas — better than 40% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
12°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 12° / 9° · 60% rain
- Tomorrow: 11° / 6° · Sunny
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:54Sunset 16:29
9h 35m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
25US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: ozone
Source: WAQI · Chatham Roadside, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 6.8 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 5.1% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
2 reported · August 2026
- Other theft2
Neighbourhood team: Rural Tunbridge Wells · Kent
Local policing priorities
- Road safety issues.
- Antisocial behaviour - nuisance.
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
194 reported road collisions (2025)
50 killed or seriously injured · 240 casualties · 16.8 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
20 food businesses within 2 miles
- 17 rated 4–5 ★ (16 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Paddock Wood (7.4 km)
- 0 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Paddock Wood (7.5 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£452,845 average▼ 0.1% YoY
Across Tunbridge Wells · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,533 average monthly rent▲ 4.5% YoY
- 1 bed £1,056
- 2 bed £1,405
- 3 bed £1,702
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
11.5× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 11.5 times median annual pay (11.4× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
1,537 property sales in the last 12 months
12 months to May 2026
A busier or quieter market is not by itself good or bad. Monthly counts are small and volatile, so only the annual total is shown.
Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI, 12 months to 2026-05
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 140.8p · AppleGreen (8.3 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 148.8p · AppleGreen (8.3 km)
4 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
7 charging locations within ~8 km
- 3 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 250 kW
- Nearest: Goudhurst Parish Hall (3.4 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches2
- Golf courses1
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
115,313 residents in Tunbridge Wells · 348/km²
- Under 16: 20%
- 16–64: 61%
- 65+: 19%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK8,576
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK7,899
- Net moves+677
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Less deprived than the average in England
Ranked 212 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,446 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (27% of 52,890)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
54 schools · 23,110 pupils
32 primary · 8 secondary · 14 other
Ofsted: 13 of 17 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (76%)
43 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Bennett Memorial Diocesan SchoolOutstanding
- Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar SchoolOutstanding
- Cranbrook SchoolGood
- Skinners' Kent AcademyGood
- The Skinners' SchoolGood
- Leigh Academy Mascalls
- St Gregory's Catholic School
- Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Tunbridge Wells
Care & health services
1,676 CQC-registered services
- Care homes503
- GP practices222
- Dentists360
- Homecare agencies415
- Hospitals & hospices47
CQC ratings: 87% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 20 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Kent
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 30 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
278 applications decided
94.2% granted · 262 granted, 16 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Council control
Liberal Democrat majority
- Lab 3
- Con 7
- LD 26
- Oth 3
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Parks & greens10
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
6,975 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
446 jobs advertised · £41,461 avg
e.g. Harrisons - Catering Assistants Required, Lead Installer / Carpenter, Showroom Sales Manager
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£871 median full-time weekly pay
2.6% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£34,689 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
41% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 58,408 certificates
10.8% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Health
Life expectancy: 85 yrs women · 80.8 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy (Kent): 63.9 women · 62.5 men
62% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.7
- Feeling worthwhile7.6
- Happiness yesterday7.4
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.1
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Tunbridge Wells:
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND418 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Mandatory suicide risk assessment for adolescents in hospital who express intent316 local signatures · 18,972 nationwide
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks315 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- End the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid immediately171 local signatures · 76,640 nationwide
- Make catapult attacks against animals a standalone criminal offence170 local signatures · 55,084 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
St Mary's Church, Lamberhurst · 1.5 kmSt Mary's Church is a parish church in Lamberhurst, Kent. It is a Grade I listed building.
St Margaret's Church, Horsmonden · 1.6 kmSt Margaret's Church is a parish church in the village of Horsmonden, Kent, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
River Bewl · 1.6 kmThe River Bewl is a tributary of the River Teise in Kent, England. Its headwaters are in the High Weald, in Sussex between Lamberhurst, Wadhurst and Flimwell. The valley is deeply incised into Tunbridge Wells red sand…
- Finchcocks · 2.0 km
Finchcocks is an early Georgian manor house in Goudhurst, Kent. For 45 years it housed a large, visitor-friendly museum of historical keyboard instruments, displaying a collection of harpsichords, clavichords, fortepi…
Goudhurst railway station · 2.2 kmGoudhurst is a closed railway station on the closed Hawkhurst Branch in Kent, England.
Lamberhurst · 2.5 kmLamberhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish contains the hamlets of The Down and Hook Green. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,491, increasing to…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Towns in Tunbridge Wells
- Benenden
- Bidborough
- Brenchley
- Coursehorn
- Cousley Wood
- Cranbrook (Tunbridge Wells)
- Cranbrook Common
- Five Oak Green
- Flimwell
- Frittenden
- Goudhurst
- Groombridge
- Gun Green
- Hartley
- Hawkhurst
- Horsmonden
- Lamberhurst
- Linkhill
- Matfield
- Pembury
- Pipsden
- Royal Tunbridge Wells
- Rusthall and Langton Green
- Sandhurst (Tunbridge Wells)
- Sissinghurst
- Southborough