Town Pop. 13,223

Living in Sheerness: Liveability Score 45/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Sheerness comes out at 45/100 on the 9 categories we can score here. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 75/100 against a national town median of 18/100. Safety falls furthest short: 10/100 where the typical UK town reaches 88/100.

It scores 5 points above the ME11 postcode district as a whole, which averages 40/100. On healthcare specifically, Sheerness sits 50 points above the ME11 district figure of 25/100. That puts Sheerness in the middle half of the UK towns and villages we score. Wider context for the surrounding area: ME11 postcode district.

45
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.

Sheerness scores 45 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Sheerness.
Or compare:
ME11 5AA ME11 ME12

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
10
231.9 crimes per 1,000 residents · last 12 months Above the England & Wales average of 94.3
Crime rate vs national average · last 12 months
Violence and sexual offences 1,109 crimes
↑ 152% above national average
Anti-social behaviour 602 crimes
↑ 199% above national average
Shoplifting 344 crimes
↑ 233% above national average
Criminal damage and arson 327 crimes
↑ 263% above national average
Other theft 143 crimes
↑ 74% above national average
other 541 crimes
Highest-crime locations
Loading map…
  1. 1 Parking Area 400 crimes
  2. 2 Supermarket 180 crimes
  3. 3 Hare Street 101 crimes

Source: data.police.uk · England & Wales only

Environment
64
Air Quality NO₂ 9.9 · PM2.5 7 · PM10 10.7 µg/m³
70
Green Space 51
Parks Ample 20
Sports Pitches Ample 5
Allotments Adequate 2
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 8

Services

Schools
32
7 schools in area · 11 within 4km
3Good4Ungraded
  • Halfway Houses Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • Richmond Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
    Good
  • West Minster Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2025
    Good
  • EKC Sheppey SecondarySecondary
    Ungraded
  • Nore AcademySpecial
    Ungraded
  • Rose Street Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2025
    Ungraded
  • St Edward's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Ungraded

Ungraded: inspected, but Ofsted no longer issues a single overall grade (since Sept 2024).

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

Healthcare
75
A&E departmentsSouthend University Hospital7.7 mi
Medway Maritime Hospital8.9 mi
Estuary View Medical Centre11.8 mi
Hospital waitsKent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust0.4 mi
Routine referral (median)5 wks
Treated within 18 weeks99.9%
A&E seen within 4 hrs99.1%
5 GP surgeries in area best 'Good'
GP capacity2,433 patients per GP
4dentists6pharmacies

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
63
Full fibre (FTTP)76%
available across Swale
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
78.2%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
84.5%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.3%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 245 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
8
Employment rate50.4%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed50.4%Unemployed5.2%Retired17%Student4.1%Other inactive23.3%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial19.1%Skilled & technical33.3%Routine & elementary47.6%
Highest qualification (16+)
No qualifications30.5%Level 1 (1–4 GCSEs)15.9%Level 2 (5+ GCSEs)16.6%Level 3 (A levels)15%Level 4+ (degree & above)13.9%Apprenticeship5.1%Other (incl. vocational)3%
Home ownership42.9%
Among the most-deprived 5% of areas in England
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
45
Council tax Swale · 2026-27
A £1,604
B £1,871
C £2,139
D £2,406
E £2,941
F £3,475
G £4,010
H £4,812
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 D
Water Southern Water
Average bill regional £683/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
47
Sheerness-on-Sea 0.4 mi
Queenborough 1.4 mi
Swale 3.2 mi
J5 M2 8.3 mi
J5 M2 8.3 mi
J4 M2 9.9 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
62
Pubs & Bars Ample 10
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 19
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 11
Retail Shopping Ample 48
Takeaways Ample 22
Fitness Adequate 4

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House Prices

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

Type Median price Sales
All dwellings £217,500 57
Semi-detached £270,000 15
Terraced £210,000 41
5-year monthly trend
All Semi Terraced
£184k £209k £235k £261k 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

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

Nearby places

Halfway Houses 51 1.3 mi away ⇄
Queenborough 44 1.7 mi away ⇄
Grain 33 2.0 mi away ⇄
Minster (Swale) 47 2.5 mi away ⇄
Wallend 36 2.8 mi away ⇄
Iwade 53 4.3 mi away ⇄
Eastchurch 28 5.0 mi away ⇄
Mud Row 28 5.2 mi away ⇄
Allhallows 31 5.3 mi away ⇄
Lower Halstow 39 5.7 mi away ⇄
Sittingbourne 57 6.2 mi away ⇄
Ham Green 0 6.4 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Sheerness a nice place to live?

Sheerness has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Sheerness is 45/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

How safe is Sheerness?

Crime levels in Sheerness are high relative to the national average. Our safety score is 10/100. There were 3,066 crimes recorded in the area over the past 12 months.

What are the best schools in Sheerness?

Among the top-rated schools in Sheerness are Halfway Houses Primary School, Richmond Primary School and West Minster Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 7 rated schools in Sheerness in total.

What are house prices like in Sheerness?

The current median house price in Sheerness is £217,500, around 24% below the England and Wales average. By property type: semi-detached £270,000, terraced £210,000. Over the past five years, prices have risen by around 16%. There were 57 sales recorded in the past 12 months.

Sheerness in context

See the best places to live in Kent, ranked

Postcode districts in Sheerness

ME11 40 ⇄
ME12 41 ⇄

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