Low prices, and some weak spots to weigh against them. Schools are where it shines: primary results beat nearly half of towns in England; secondary results beat 93% of towns in England. Taken together, its subjects give Aylesbury a B overall, better than 62% of UK towns. It ranks #28 of 39 in Buckinghamshire. Add walkability to its strengths — just over a fifth of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. The drawback is safety — 39.9 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 11.9 home and vehicle crimes. Against UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has more crime per resident than 27%. A median £317,500 buys a home here, 4.6 times what households in the Buckinghamshire council area earn in a year.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Aylesbury is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Aylesbury.
Safety
Aylesbury has more crime per resident than 80% of UK towns
39.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC−Safety Grade
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
7,344 crimes and 776 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Aylesbury’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. For its size, Aylesbury records less crime per resident than 73% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more. 45% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 73% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3,327
Shoplifting946
Public order673
Other theft612
Damage & arson509
Vehicle crime369
Drugs275
Other crime215
Anti-social776
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.
39.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
SchoolsA−
School results in Aylesbury are better than in 75% of towns in England
A−School Grade
Below are three of its 30 schools, each with why it was picked. Aylesbury Grammar School’s results beat 98% of schools in England like it. GCSE results at the town’s 6 secondary schools: just over three in five pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 56.1.
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 30 schools →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
More people aged 16 to 64 in Aylesbury claim unemployment benefits than in Buckinghamshire’s towns or England’s towns: 4.2%
21%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
49% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Of the commuters living in Aylesbury, 47% work in the town itself. For every resident in work, Aylesbury has 0.9 jobs. Household income came to £62K a year before tax, lower than Buckinghamshire’s towns (£72K) yet higher than England’s towns (£55K).
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade B+
Homes in Aylesbury sell for £318K at the median, against £502K in Buckinghamshire’s towns and £308K in England’s towns
£318Kmedian sale
Only one of the 39 towns in Buckinghamshire costs less to buy into than Aylesbury, whose median sale is £317,500. Private rents average £1,475 a month across the Buckinghamshire council area. 19% rent privately, above Buckinghamshire’s towns (18%) but below England’s towns (21%).
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Aylesbury£318K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£500,000
449
Semi-detached
£369,950
979
Terraced
£305,000
1,120
Flat or maisonette
£192,000
706
61%
of households own their home · England 61%
19%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,475
average private rent a month, Buckinghamshire council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
Lifespans in Aylesbury run shorter than in 76% of UK towns
85%good or very good healthCHealth Grade
5 GP practices serve the town; 58% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 3.5% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, about level with Buckinghamshire’s towns (3.6%) and below England’s towns (5.2%). 85% of people in Aylesbury rate their own health good or very good.
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
180 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
180listed buildingsC+History Grade
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Relative to its size, Aylesbury keeps 20 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below both Buckinghamshire’s towns (78) and England’s towns (39). Its listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 6% of the total.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
A town of families: 21% of people in Aylesbury are under 15, more than in both Buckinghamshire’s towns and England’s towns
36.4median age
Half the people of Aylesbury are older than 36.4. 12% of residents are 65 or over. Degrees are held by a third of adults, about level with England’s towns (34%) and below Buckinghamshire’s towns (39%).
AylesburyBuckinghamshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
11%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications17%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level33%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenEnglandMen
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
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About Aylesbury
Large town in Buckinghamshire, England
Aylesbury is a built-up area of 87,966 people, in the Buckinghamshire 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.
Bierton, Broughton, Stone, Weston Turville and Wingrave have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Aylesbury
Who lives in Aylesbury?
A young town. At the 2021 Census, 21% of residents were under 15 and 32% were 25 to 44, against 18% and 27% across England’s towns; only 12% were 65 or over.
Is Aylesbury safe?
Against all UK towns, most of them far smaller, it grades C−.
Are schools in Aylesbury good?
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 93% of towns in England. Primary results are closer to the middle, trailing 52%.
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.
