Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 465 in Berkshire, South East.
Bray has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Bray does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Bray’s built-up area.
24% 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 Bray.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 62% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income came to £78K a year before tax, above Berkshire’s towns (£74K) and England’s towns (£55K) alike. By car: that was how 88% of commuters travelled at the census. Work in town: 3% of resident commuters. Also worth knowing: a third of commuters travelled under 5 km to work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
1% live in social housing, below both Berkshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). Home ownership stands at 75% of households. Private rents average £1,800 a month across the Windsor and Maidenhead council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,250,000 | 13 |
| Semi-detached | £1,000,000 | 5 |
| Terraced | £535,000 | 11 |
| Flat or maisonette | £435,000 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 12 crimes inside Bray’s built-up area. Violence came to 17.2 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Berkshire’s towns (20.3) and England’s towns (22).
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
Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 2.6% of the town. 12% of residents have a disability, close to Berkshire’s towns (13%) and below England’s towns (17%). Bray has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.3 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Bray | Berkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 89% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 13% | 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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
The pre-1919 share of homes is 24%. Scaled to its population, Bray has 559 listed buildings per 10,000 people, above Berkshire’s towns (34) and England’s towns (39) alike. Grade II* covers 2 of them, Grade I 1. Of the town’s 26 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, Grade I counts 1 and Grade II* 2.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Children under 15 make up 15%, below both Berkshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). The share aged 15 to 24 is 6%. The median resident of Bray is 50.7 years old. Among adults, 53% have a degree.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Bray | Berkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 9.6% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 53% | 40% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Berkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bray. Best known first.
Historic houseDorney Court1.5 km outside town, to the east
MuseumMaidenhead Heritage Centre1.6 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumSlough Museum4.9 km outside town, to the eastPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustThe Old Brick Works, Pinkneys Green4.8 km outside town, to the northwestPark or estatePark or estateNorth Town Moor2.7 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
3 notable people were born in Bray.
Roy Boulting: Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer, Public domain · John Boulting: Eiga no Tomo, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bray | 465 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Maidenhead | 67,391 | 1.8 | B+ | C+ | C | B+ |
| Eton Wick | 2,121 | 2.6 | — | C | C+ | A− |
| Windsor | 31,569 | 3.5 | B | C | C− | B |
| Cookham | 5,216 | 3.7 | A | C− | B+ | A |
| Eton | 2,461 | 3.9 | — | C+ | B− | A |
| Slough | 166,868 | 4.1 | C | D | D | C− |
| Farnham Common and Farnham Royal | 6,711 | 4.8 | B+ | C | B− | B+ |
Eton Wick and Eton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
By type: flats £435,000, terraced houses £535,000, semi-detached houses £1,000,000 and detached houses £1,250,000.
That is 22.9 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Jesus Hospital, Including Chaplain's House, The Almshouses and the Chapel.
Band D council tax in Bray is £1,975 for 2026–27, less than in 85% 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.
Village in Berkshire, England
Bray is a built-up area of 465 people, in the Windsor and Maidenhead 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.