What it's like to live in Petworth

Across the Chichester district, 65.4 per cent of homes are owned outright or with a mortgage, 18.1 per cent are privately rented and 15.1 per cent are social rented. That social share is below the England figure of 17.1 per cent, and most of it is housing association rather than council: 13.1 per cent association against 2 per cent council. For swappers, that means a smaller pool of social homes than in many urban areas.

The largest social landlords in the district are Martlet Homes with 5,287 homes, Clarion Housing Association with 1,488, A2Dominion Homes with 458, Home Group with 362 and Vivid Housing with 357. It is worth checking which landlord manages any home you are interested in, as policies and repairs services differ.

Average weekly social rents in the district for 2025/26 are £115 for a one bed, £132 for two beds and £150 for three beds. For context on demand, Chichester's housing register held 2,421 households at the end of March 2025, with 403 social homes let through the council during 2024-25.

We do not hold school-by-school information for Petworth, so please check the latest admissions details and inspection reports with West Sussex County Council and the schools themselves before you commit to a move. Places and catchments change year to year, and a swap is much easier when school places are sorted early.

The age profile for the wider Chichester district tells you something about family life here. Under-16s make up 15.6 per cent of residents, below the England figure of 18.6 per cent, while 27.1 per cent are 65 or over, well above the national 18.4 per cent. In plain terms, this is an older area than most of England, and younger families are in the minority.

That does not mean children are unwelcome, but it is worth knowing. If your children are used to a lot of other kids on the street, the quieter feel may take adjusting to. On the plus side, a small town can be easier for children to find their way around, and the countryside setting is a real benefit for families who like being outdoors.

We do not have detailed transport data for Petworth, so rather than guess, here is the honest picture: this is a small inland town in West Sussex, and journeys to larger centres such as Chichester are a normal part of life for many households.

If you drive, you will probably find getting about easiest, with the flexibility to reach work, bigger supermarkets and hospital appointments on your own timetable. If you do not drive, check bus timetables carefully for yourself before deciding, including evenings, Sundays and school holidays, as these can be thinner in rural areas than in towns.

Within Petworth itself, the small size means walking is realistic for local errands for many people, though country roads and footpaths outside the town are a different matter. If rail matters to you, look up the nearest stations and the actual door-to-door journey time from the address you are considering, rather than the distance on a map. A quick trial run of your regular journeys is the single most useful thing you can do before agreeing a swap.

Our facts on Petworth's leisure and culture are limited, so we will not pretend to list attractions we cannot confirm. What we can say honestly is that this is a small country town of around 3,049 people in West Sussex, so the range of things on the doorstep will be modest compared with a city.

The countryside setting is the main everyday draw. Inland West Sussex is good walking country, and for many people who move here, getting outdoors regularly becomes part of the routine rather than a special occasion.

For a wider choice of shops, places to eat, cinemas and organised activities, Chichester is the natural destination for the district, and the Sussex coast is within reach for days out. Before you decide, spend an afternoon in Petworth and see for yourself what is open and what is going on. Looking at local noticeboards, the parish council website and community groups online will tell you far more about clubs, classes and events than any guide can.

Employment figures here cover the whole Chichester council area rather than Petworth alone. In the district, 53.8 per cent of adults are in work, a little below the England figure of 57.4 per cent. That partly reflects the older age profile: a quarter of residents are already past retirement age.

Unemployment is low. The census put it at 2.6 per cent against 3.5 per cent for England, and in August 2026 some 3.2 per cent of 16 to 64 year olds were claiming unemployment-related benefits, compared with 4 per cent nationally. Those are encouraging numbers if you are job hunting.

The practical catch in a small town is travel. Many jobs in the district are in and around Chichester and the coastal towns rather than in Petworth itself, so work out how you would get to a likely workplace and what it would cost before you accept a swap. If you work from home, check broadband speeds at the specific address, as these can vary a lot in rural parts of West Sussex.