Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 6,027: a town in Bedfordshire, East of England. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 12% of commuters.
Buying a home costs less than in most towns (A−): the median home sold for £325,000, 5 years of area income. With a B overall, Arlesey is better than nearly three fifths of UK towns and ranks #18 of 33 in Bedfordshire. Pupils here do less well than most: primary results beat 54% of towns in England; secondary results beat 23% of towns in England. Natural hazards weigh more here: 0.9% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B− for safety, B− for health, B− for jobs & income and C+ for walkability.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021.
The thing Arlesey does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Arlesey is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 8 buildings inside Arlesey’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
15% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 2 old photos and postcards going back to 1916.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Arlesey.
Owners make up 66% of households, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,250 a month across the Central Bedfordshire council area. Social housing holds 18% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £505,000 | 45 |
| Semi-detached | £355,000 | 73 |
| Terraced | £286,000 | 122 |
| Flat or maisonette | £180,000 | 27 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Below are its two schools. GCSE results at the 4 secondary schools within 3 km: 36% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 42.7. 62% of pupils at the 9 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gothic Mede AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 249 | – |
| Etonbury AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,158 | B |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Arlesey’s listed buildings include the Church of Saint Peter, Grade I. Scaled to its population, Arlesey has 13 listed buildings per 10,000 people, below Bedfordshire’s towns (41) and England’s towns (39) alike. Before 1919: that is when 15% of homes were built.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 34% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
2.9% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (2.3%) and England’s towns (2.3%). By car: that was how 85% of commuters travelled at the census. Households take home £62K a year before tax, on average.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 229 offences in Arlesey and 100 cases of nuisance behaviour. 44% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. There were 11.1 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above both Bedfordshire’s towns (10.2) and England’s towns (7.8).
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Arlesey has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.2 miles away. The nearest A&E to Arlesey is Lister Hospital, 6.6 miles away. 16% of residents in Arlesey live with a disability.
| Census 2021 | Arlesey | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
30% of adults hold a degree, below Bedfordshire’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (34%) alike. Children are 18% of the town. The median resident of Arlesey is 39.9 years old. People 65 and over make up 15% of the town.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Arlesey | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 15% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Bedfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Arlesey. Best known first.
MuseumRAF Henlow2.2 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseHinxworth Place4.5 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumGarden City Collection Study Centre1.8 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumLetchworth Community Museum3.2 km outside town, to the southeastWater parkWater parkBancroft Splash Park4.8 km outside town, to the southHistoric siteHistoric siteHawker Hunter WT6121.7 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
8 listed buildings in Arlesey, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of Saint Peter: Photo: Robin Hall · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Three Tuns Public House: Photo: Nigel Cox · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlesey | 6,027 | — | B | A− | B− | B− |
| Stotfold | 12,313 | 1.2 | B+ | B− | B+ | A− |
| Henlow | 2,446 | 1.5 | — | B− | A− | B |
| Lower Stondon | 3,966 | 1.9 | B+ | B | B | A− |
| Clifton | 2,769 | 2.2 | B | B | C+ | B+ |
| Letchworth | 33,993 | 2.8 | C+ | B− | C | C+ |
| Langford | 3,712 | 2.8 | B | B− | B | B |
| Ickleford | 1,936 | 3.1 | — | C− | B | B+ |
Henlow and Ickleford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Band D council tax in Arlesey is £2,527 for 2026–27, more than in 71% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
GCSE results trail 77% of towns in England, and primary results beat 54% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Arlesey has 2 state schools; places are handled by Central Bedfordshire council.
Town in Bedfordshire, England
Arlesey is a built-up area of 6,027 people, in the Central Bedfordshire council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
