Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The village, home to 1,017 people, lies in Bedfordshire, East of England.
Hazard risk is low (A). Its weakest is walkability (D−): 6% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. At a median £465,000, a home costs 7.1 times the yearly income of households in the Central Bedfordshire council area. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for safety, B for health and B for jobs & income.
Figures: flood risk, Environment Agency · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes and life expectancy, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · claimants, DWP. Totternhoe has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
The 3 things Totternhoe 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 Totternhoe is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Totternhoe’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
12% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Totternhoe. Best known first.
ZooWhipsnade Zoo3.7 km outside town, to the south
Abbey or prioryDunstable Priory2.7 km outside town, to the eastGardenGarden · National TrustWhipsnade Tree Cathedral3.1 km outside town, to the southeastPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustDunstable Downs1.6 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionMead Open Farm2.8 km outside town, to the northwestAquariumAquariumAquarium3.5 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Totternhoe.
Among adults, 29% have a degree. 31% of residents are 65 or over, above both Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 8.9% of residents. Ages in Totternhoe split evenly at 53.6: half are older, half younger.
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Totternhoe | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 29% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Bedfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
There is one school here; it is shown below. Attainment 8 at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km averages 39.9, and 37% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. Key Stage 2 results at the 9 primary schools within 3 km: 58% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Totternhoe Church of England AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 177 | D− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Work in town: 2% of resident commuters. 24% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Household income came to £61K a year before tax, lower than Bedfordshire’s towns (£68K) yet higher than England’s towns (£55K). For every resident in work, Totternhoe has 0.3 jobs.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
At the census, 5.8% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. Seeing a GP means leaving Totternhoe: the nearest practice is 1.5 miles away. Women here live to 85.1 on average and men to 81.3 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Totternhoe | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.8% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them. Totternhoe’s listed buildings include the Church of St Giles, Grade I. Historic England’s list names 12 listed buildings in the town: 1 Grade I. Of the town’s land, 14% lies in conservation areas, above Bedfordshire’s towns (4%) and England’s towns (7%) alike.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Private renters make up 10% of households, below both Bedfordshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (21%). 12% of households live in social housing. Behind the median of £465,000: 39 standard sales inside Totternhoe’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £615,000 | 23 |
| Semi-detached | £400,000 | 9 |
| Terraced | £350,000 | 7 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
37 crimes and 8 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Totternhoe’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Of all the crimes, 54% were violence and sexual offences. Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Totternhoe has more crime per resident than 71% of them.
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.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totternhoe | 1,017 | — | — | B− | B− | B |
| Eaton Bray and Edlesborough | 4,201 | 1.1 | B | C | B+ | A− |
| Dunstable | 34,498 | 1.7 | B− | A− | C | C+ |
| Houghton Regis | 18,814 | 2.7 | C− | B+ | D | C− |
| Hockliffe | 1,068 | 3.4 | — | A− | C+ | B− |
| Kensworth | 1,517 | 3.5 | — | C+ | C+ | B |
| Toddington | 4,509 | 4.4 | B+ | B | B+ | B− |
| Caddington | 3,288 | 4.7 | B+ | B− | B+ | B− |
Hockliffe and Kensworth have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 4.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Giles. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
GCSE results trail 84% of towns in England, and primary results trail 68% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Central Bedfordshire council.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £465,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £350,000, semi-detached houses £400,000 and detached houses £615,000. Household incomes are higher than in 71% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B−.
Village in Bedfordshire, England
Totternhoe is a built-up area of 1,017 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.