Arborfield’s story
2 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Arborfield’s built-up area.
15% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ArborfieldBerkshire
A village of 499 in Berkshire, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Pam Brophy · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
499
Census 2021 · Wokingham council
Median home
£740K
11 sales in 3 years
Median age
44.9
21% are 65+ · Berkshire 15%
Degree level
46%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
25%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Arborfield a good place to live?
Arborfield has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Arborfield stand out
The 3 things Arborfield does most differently from other towns.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.7 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Berkshire 40%.
Own outright
Housing
41% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Arborfield.
Who lives here
Degrees are more common in Arborfield than in Berkshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 46% of adults
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 10% of residents, below Berkshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Over-65s are 21% of the population. At 44.9, the median resident of Arborfield sits in the middle of the age range. One measure of family life: 17% of residents are under 15.
44.9median age
ArborfieldBerkshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
21%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications8%
Apprenticeship2%
A levels or similar20%
Degree level46%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Arborfield | Berkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 7.9% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 2.5% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 46% | 40% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Berkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Work tends to be further away for Arborfield: 28% commute under 5 km, below Berkshire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 53% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
53% of workers worked mainly from home, above both Berkshire’s towns (41%) and England’s towns (31%). Average household income comes to £74K a year before tax. There are 1.4 jobs in Arborfield for each resident in work.
25%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving73%
On foot18%
Bicycle4%
Bus2%
28%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
53%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£74K
mean household income, before tax
2.5%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Homes in Arborfield cost more than in both Berkshire’s towns and England’s towns, with a median sale of £740K
The owner-occupied share of households is 78%. Private rents average £1,466 a month across the Wokingham council area. 22% of households are private tenants.
£740Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Arborfield£740K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £895,000 | 7 |
78%
of households own their home · England 61%
22%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,466
average private rent a month, Wokingham council area
£2,506
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Burglary and damage are rarer in Arborfield than in Berkshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 2 per 1,000 residents a year
Violence came to 4 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Berkshire’s towns (20.3) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 5 crimes inside Arborfield’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026.
4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Other theft2
Violence & sexual1
Burglary1
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Drugs0
Anti-social0
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.
4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
5
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Is Arborfield a healthy place? 90% of its people say their health is good, above Berkshire’s towns and England’s towns
There is no GP practice in Arborfield: the nearest is 1.4 miles off. At the census, just over a tenth of people here had a disability, lower than both Berkshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (17%). 2.6% of residents report bad or very bad health.
90%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 90%Fair 8%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Arborfield | Berkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 90% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 11% | 13% | 17% |
80.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.8
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Much of Arborfield is a conservation area: 100% of its land, more than in both Berkshire’s towns and England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Its heritage register entries (2 listed buildings) are all Grade II. 15% of its homes were built before 1919, above Berkshire’s towns (14%) and close to England’s towns (16%).
2listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II2
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
15%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
40
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →The Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology and 4 more in and around Arborfield
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Arborfield. Best known first.
MuseumThe Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology4.4 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumCole Museum of Zoology4.1 km outside town, to the northwestHistoric houseHistoric houseReddam House Berkshire2.1 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionCalifornia Country Park3.4 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumBritish Museum Archaeological Research Collection1.6 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- The Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology: Voluremuseum, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cole Museum of Zoology: Chris_huh (Uploads), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Arborfield
13pages on Arborfield
The big questions
Safety4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £740K · rent £1,466 a monthHousing2 sold in 12 months · busiest street Greensward LaneSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 80.9 (men), 83.8 (women)Work & commute69% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards3.3% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Arborfield’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
ShinfieldArborfield GarrisonWinnershSpencers Wood and Three Mile CrossWokinghamWoodleyReadingArborfield
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arborfield | 499 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shinfield | 5,417 | 1.5 | A | B+ | B− | B+ |
| Arborfield Garrison | 4,311 | 1.5 | A− | B+ | C− | B+ |
| Winnersh | 8,904 | 2.4 | A+ | B+ | B | B+ |
| Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross | 7,612 | 2.4 | A | A− | B | A+ |
| Wokingham | 50,320 | 3 | A+ | B+ | B | A+ |
| Woodley | 28,019 | 3.4 | A+ | A− | B+ | B+ |
| Reading | 203,789 | 4.1 | B− | C | C− | C+ |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Arborfield
How much is council tax in Arborfield?
Band D council tax in Arborfield is £2,506 for 2026–27, more than in 66% 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.
About Arborfield
Village in Berkshire, England
Arborfield is a built-up area of 499 people, in the Wokingham 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
- Population
- 499 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wokingham
- County
- Berkshire
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005167
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.