Dereham
Town · 20,533 residents
54Fair
Fair · better than 1 in 10 towns
Check Local Score out of 100 · 60 is typical for the country
Each arc is a topic, coloured by its score
What’s good
- Environment scores 72, well above the typical 60
- Less recorded crime than is typical: 81 per 1,000 people a year against 100
Check before you view
- Transport scores 31, below the typical 60
- Food & drink scores 38, below the typical 60
The essentials
Everyday life
The area
Around Dereham
Toftwood37Dumpling Green49South Green62Quebec43Toftwood Common38Shipdham49North Tuddenham42Cranworth44Bintree37Scarning55Hardingham42Elsing45
See all 13 in the guide ↓Map outline: Official built-up area
Is Dereham a good place to live?
Dereham scores 54/100 overall, which the scorecard rates as fair — 60 is typical for the country.
It stands out for environment (72) and safety (70).
It scores lowest on transport (31) and food & drink (38).
Scores come from official data on safety, schools, transport, prices, health, food & drink and the local environment, for Dereham in East of England, each measured against the national average.
Summary of Dereham
Dereham reads like a working market town rather than a commuter dormitory: red-brick terraces and semis sit close to detached family homes on the edges, and the high street feels built for people who actually live here rather than pass through. It's not styled for visitors, and that's part of its honesty.
The property picture tells you who buys here. Detached houses dominate the sales mix, freehold is overwhelmingly the norm, and at a median of around £230,500 Dereham sits noticeably below the national figure and even a touch below its own district, Breckland. A terraced house here runs cheaper than the national terrace price by some margin, and even detached homes undercut the national detached median by close to a hundred thousand pounds — this is a place where your money still buys a garden and a drive, not just a postcode. The catch is transport: the town's own station belongs to the Mid Norfolk Railway, a heritage line rather than a commuter route, and with only a couple of recognised stops locally, this isn't a town for anyone who needs a fast, reliable rail run into a city each morning. Schools are a mixed bag by design rather than neglect — Toftwood Infant School and Dereham, Toftwood Community Junior School both carry Good ratings, while Dereham Neatherd High School, the main secondary, posts a below-average Progress 8 score, so families weighing secondary options will want to look closely rather than assume.