Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 681 people live in this village, in Berkshire, South East.
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Swallowfield has no grades; its figures are still real. 10% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Homes sell for a median £705,000. It has 13 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I.
The 3 things Swallowfield does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Swallowfield’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
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 Swallowfield.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 56% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
56% of workers worked mainly from home, higher than both Berkshire’s towns (41%) and England’s towns (31%). The car carried 89% of commuters at the census. Before tax, the average household brings in £79K a year.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Households that own their home make up 80%. Private rents average £1,466 a month across the Wokingham council area. That is the middle of 25 standard sales inside Swallowfield’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £775,000 | 18 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
There were 0.5 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both Berkshire’s towns (6.4) and England’s towns (7.8). Each year, 5.9 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded per 1,000 residents. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 8 crimes inside Swallowfield’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 25% of recorded crime.
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.
13% of residents have a disability, about level with Berkshire’s towns (13%) and below England’s towns (17%). One GP practice serves the town; 85% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 3.7% of the town.
| Census 2021 | Swallowfield | Berkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 13% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses 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%. Swallowfield has 191 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, above both Berkshire’s towns (34) and England’s towns (39). Grade II* covers 2 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The 15-to-24 age group makes up 8.2% of residents. Children under 15 make up 16%, lower than both Berkshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). Retirement age and beyond: just over a fifth of residents are 65 or older.
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Swallowfield | Berkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.2% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.2% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 51% | 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 Swallowfield. Best known first.
Historic houseStratfield Saye House2.9 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic houseMansion House4.4 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumBritish Museum Archaeological Research Collection4.2 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swallowfield | 681 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross | 7,612 | 1.4 | A | A− | B | A+ |
| Shinfield | 5,417 | 2 | A | B+ | B− | B+ |
| Arborfield Garrison | 4,311 | 2.5 | A− | B+ | C− | B+ |
| Burghfield Common | 6,216 | 4.7 | A− | C+ | B− | B+ |
| Mortimer | 2,932 | 4.7 | B+ | C+ | C | A− |
| Reading | 203,789 | 4.8 | B− | C | C− | C+ |
| Winnersh | 8,904 | 5 | A+ | B+ | B | B+ |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 7.8 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Village in Berkshire, England
Swallowfield is a built-up area of 681 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
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.