Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2,097 residents make their home in this village in Bedfordshire, East of England.
Health is its strong suit (A) — life expectancy 82.1 for men, 88 for women. Safety is another plus — police record 12.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 6.7 home and vehicle crimes. Getting around depends on the car: 8% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Schools lag (C−). Homes sell for a median £410,000, about 6.3 years of what households in the Central Bedfordshire council area earn.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years. With fewer than 2,500 residents, Westoning has subject grades but no overall one.
The 3 things Westoning 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 Westoning is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Westoning’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 →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Westoning.
At the census, 3.8% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, lower than both Bedfordshire’s towns (4.3%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Seeing a GP means leaving Westoning: the nearest practice is 1.6 miles away. Self-reported good health: 85% of the town’s residents. The nearest A&E to Westoning is Luton and Dunstable Hospital, 6.2 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Westoning | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.8% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
At the one primary school within 3 km, just over a third of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The one school in town appears below. Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 46.1, and 46% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westoning Lower SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 115 | – |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 36% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households had £73K a year before tax, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (£66K) and England’s towns (£55K). Driving is how nine in ten commuters got to work at the census. 4% of commuters who live in Westoning also work there. Among 16 to 64s, 1.9% claimed unemployment benefits in 2026.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Westoning has less crime per resident than 72% of them. Reported offences here came to 71 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 10. Violence and sexual offences were 48% of the crimes.
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 12% of the total. One scheduled monument lies in Westoning.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
One in ten households rent from a council or housing body. Private rents average £1,250 a month across the Central Bedfordshire council area. Half of the 93 standard sales inside Westoning’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £410,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £561,250 | 42 |
| Semi-detached | £375,000 | 23 |
| Terraced | £312,500 | 24 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The 15-to-24 age group: 11%, below both Bedfordshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). 21% of residents have reached 65. Residents of Westoning have a median age of 45.9. Among adults, 30% have a degree.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Westoning | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.4% | 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westoning | 2,097 | — | — | B | A | A |
| Harlington | 2,287 | 1.3 | — | B− | B | A |
| Flitwick | 13,668 | 1.5 | A− | B+ | B | B− |
| Flitton | 1,531 | 2.5 | — | C+ | A+ | A+ |
| Ampthill | 8,825 | 3.1 | A | B− | B+ | A |
| Toddington | 4,509 | 3.1 | B+ | B | B+ | B− |
| Barton-le-Clay | 4,941 | 3.2 | A− | B | A | A− |
| Silsoe | 3,419 | 3.4 | A+ | B | A | A |
Harlington and Flitton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results beat 53% of towns in England, and primary results trail almost all (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 £410,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £312,500, semi-detached houses £375,000 and detached houses £561,250. Household incomes are higher than in 93% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B.
Village in Bedfordshire, England
Westoning is a built-up area of 2,097 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.