Town

Living in Handcross: Liveability Score 37/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Handcross scores 37/100 overall, across 7 scored categories. Lifestyle is where Handcross most outperforms the national norm: 40/100 against a median of 21/100 across UK towns. Furthest below the national norm is broadband, at 12/100 against a town median of 60/100.

That makes it the 15th highest-scoring of the 16 places in the RH17 postcode district. It scores 12 points below the RH17 postcode district as a whole, which averages 49/100. That is 13 points below the national benchmark of 50, the bottom quarter of all UK towns and villages. Wider context for the surrounding area: RH17 postcode district.

37
OUT OF 100
Below Avg
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

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Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

Handcross scores 37 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Handcross.
Or compare:
RH17 5AA RH17 6AA RH17 7AA RH17

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
—

Crime is scored from the last 12 months of police street-level data. Police Scotland does not publish this, and there is no Scottish equivalent of the Police UK open data service, so crime has been left out of the score for this area. This is a gap in published data, not a sign of low crime.

Environment
74
Air Quality NO₂ 7.2 · PM2.5 6.6 · PM10 10.8 µg/m³
73
Green Space 78
Parks Some 1
Sports Pitches Ample 15
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts Some 1
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Some 1

Services

Schools
17
1 school in area · 5 within 4km
1Good
  • Handcross Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good

Score reflects proximity-weighted access to rated schools within 4km: areas with more nearby schools score higher regardless of settlement boundary.

Healthcare
30
A&E departmentsEast Surrey Hospital10.8 mi
Royal Sussex County Hospital16.2 mi
Worthing Hospital17.4 mi
Hospital waitsSussex Community NHS Foundation Trust0.2 mi
Routine referral (median)16 wks
Treated within 18 weeks55.6%
A&E seen within 4 hrs98%
1 GP surgery in area best 'Good'
GP capacity1,930 patients per GP
1dentist0pharmacies

Score reflects proximity to CQC-rated GP surgeries and hospitals, not facility count. Dentists and pharmacies are shown for context but don't affect the score.

Broadband
12
Full fibre (FTTP)81.5%
available across Mid Sussex
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
14.4%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
14.4%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 37 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
—

No official data available for this category.

Bills
44
Council tax Mid Sussex · 2026-27
A £1,649
B £1,924
C £2,199
D £2,474
E £3,024
F £3,574
G £4,123
H £4,948
Energy South East England region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band C
Water Southern Water
Average bill regional £683/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
27
Balcombe 2.8 mi
Faygate 3.9 mi
Crawley 3.9 mi
J11 M23 1.9 mi
J11 M23 2.3 mi
J10A M23 4.3 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
40
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 4
Supermarkets & Convenience Some 1
Retail Shopping Adequate 6
Takeaways None
Fitness None

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House Prices

Current median sale prices · last 12 months · England & Wales only

Type Median price Sales
All dwellings £365,000 13
5-year monthly trend
All
£296k £346k £397k £447k 2022 2023 2024 2025

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (OGL v3.0)

Nearby places

Staplefield 40 1.5 mi away ⇄
Pease Pottage 52 1.9 mi away ⇄
Colgate 43 2.4 mi away ⇄
Warninglid 48 2.6 mi away ⇄
Balcombe 41 3.0 mi away ⇄
Mannings Heath 43 3.6 mi away ⇄
Crawley (Crawley) 61 4.1 mi away ⇄
Bolney 46 4.2 mi away ⇄
Worth Abbey 0 4.3 mi away ⇄
Cuckfield 54 4.3 mi away ⇄
Ansty 45 4.6 mi away ⇄
Ardingly 40 5.0 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Handcross a nice place to live?

Handcross has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Handcross is 37/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Handcross?

Among the top-rated schools in Handcross is Handcross Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 1 rated schools in Handcross in total.

What are house prices like in Handcross?

The current median house price in Handcross is £365,000, around 28% above the England and Wales average.

Handcross in context

See the best places to live in West Sussex, ranked

Postcode districts in Handcross

RH17 49 ⇄

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