Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 15,196: a town in Berkshire, South East.
Crowthorne ranks #10 of 30 in Berkshire, with an A overall. That leaves it better than 93% of UK towns. The local economy does well (A+): households earn a mean £78,753 a year, and 1.3% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Residents are healthier than most: men here can expect to live to 83.2, women to 85.5. Buying in is costly: homes sell for a median £500,000, about 7.2 times local household income. Hazard risk is weaker too: 1% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for safety and B− for walkability.
Figures: income and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021.
The 3 things Crowthorne 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 Crowthorne is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 7 buildings inside Crowthorne’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
9% 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 Crowthorne.
A disability affects 13% of people in Crowthorne. 2.7% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, lower than both Berkshire’s towns (3.3%) and England’s towns (5.2%). One GP practice serves the town; 81% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Crowthorne | Berkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.7% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 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.
Below are three of its 6 schools, each with why it was picked. Secondary results at the 6 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 47.6, with 49% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 4 primary schools: 72% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oaklands Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 244 | B+ |
| Edgbarrow SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,491 | A− |
| Crowthorne Church of England Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 209 | A+ |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Crowthorne has 7 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade II*. 9% of its homes were built before 1919, below Berkshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Only one town in Berkshire has fewer listed buildings for its size than Crowthorne.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Homes saw 6.7 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below both Berkshire’s towns (9.3) and England’s towns (9.4). Of all the crimes, 46% were violence and sexual offences. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 675 recorded crimes inside Crowthorne’s built-up area, and 101 reports of anti-social behaviour.
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.
Social renters account for 5% of households. 12% rent privately, below both Berkshire’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (21%). Private rents average £1,464 a month across the Bracknell Forest council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £692,500 | 291 |
| Semi-detached | £485,000 | 156 |
| Terraced | £425,000 | 78 |
| Flat or maisonette | £250,000 | 174 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 49% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
83% of commuters drove to work at the census. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 36%, below both Berkshire’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%). Also worth knowing: for every resident in work, Crowthorne has 2.2 jobs. Work in town: 18% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
People 65 and over make up 21% of the town, above Berkshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 13% of the population. Under 15: 17% of residents.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Crowthorne | Berkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.2% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 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 Crowthorne. Best known first.
Historic houseSouth Hill Park1.9 km outside town, to the northeast · 250K visitors a yearAttractionAttractionGo Ape!2.5 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttractionCalifornia Country Park3.1 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumHistory Hub4.6 km outside town, to the southwestZooZooTrilakes Animal Park1.6 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
7 listed buildings in Crowthorne.
Chapel at Wellington College with Porch Colonnade and Gateway Adjoining West End: Photo: Graeme Kennedy · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Church of St John the Baptist with Churchyard Cross and Lych Gate: Photo: Michael Ford · CC BY-SA 2.0
10 notable people were born in Crowthorne.
Freeman Dyson: ioerror, CC BY-SA 2.0 · A. C. Benson: Allen Hastings Fry, Public domain · Bim Afolami: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crowthorne | 15,196 | — | A | C+ | B | A+ |
| Sandhurst | 20,220 | 1.8 | A | B− | A− | A |
| Blackwater | 7,170 | 2.6 | A | A | B− | A− |
| Yateley | 14,676 | 2.8 | A+ | A | B+ | A |
| Wokingham | 50,320 | 3 | A+ | B+ | B | A+ |
| Bracknell | 78,662 | 3.1 | B | B+ | C | B− |
| Hawley | 2,581 | 3.2 | A+ | A | A− | A |
| Binfield | 4,851 | 3.8 | A | C+ | A− | A |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £500,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £250,000, terraced houses £425,000, semi-detached houses £485,000 and detached houses £692,500.
Primary schools stand out: Key Stage 2 results beat 92% of towns in England. Secondary results are closer to the middle, beating 62%.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Berkshire, England
Crowthorne is a built-up area of 15,196 people, in the Bracknell Forest 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.