Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a town of 14,296 residents in Buckinghamshire, South East.
Where it does best is health — life expectancy is 82.8 for men and 84.3 for women. Buckingham’s overall grade, A, puts it better than 88% of UK towns. Its place in the ranking is #13 of 39 in Buckinghamshire. Pupils here do better than most (A−): primary results beat 65% of towns in England; secondary results beat 88% of towns in England. The median home sold for £365,000, 5.2 times what households in the Buckinghamshire council area earn in a year. Hazards are a real consideration (C+): 0.8% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Buckingham 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 Buckingham is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 189 buildings inside Buckingham’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Buckingham Township, Pennsylvania, is named after Buckingham.
USUS editionBuckingham Township, Pennsylvania, settled in 1802, takes its name from this town.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Buckingham. Best known first.
MuseumBuckingham Old Gaolin town
Museum · National TrustStowe House3.2 km outside town, to the northwest
Garden · National TrustStowe Park and Garden3.7 km outside town, to the northwestChurchChurch · National TrustBuckingham Chantry Chapelin townMuseumMuseumBuckinghamshire Military Museum Trustin townAttractionAttraction · National TrustPebble Alcove2.6 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Buckingham.
The nearest A&E to Buckingham is Milton Keynes Hospital, 10.6 miles away. At the census, 87% of people in Buckingham called their health good or very good, above both Buckinghamshire’s towns (86%) and England’s towns (82%). Disability touches 13% of the town’s population. Also worth knowing: 2 GP practices serve the town; three in five patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Buckingham | Buckinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.8% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
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.
64% of pupils at the town’s 5 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Two of its 7 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Buckingham’s five primaries and two secondaries have 3,862 pupils between them.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourton Meadow AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 571 | B |
| Royal Latin SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,326 | A+ |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took nearly four in five commuters, near Buckinghamshire’s towns (78%) and higher than England’s towns (70%). Average household income comes to £70K a year before tax. Work in town: 29% of resident commuters. In 2026, 2.6% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 8 of them, Grade I 2. Buckingham’s listed buildings include the Castle House, Grade I. Of the town’s 189 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, Grade I counts 2 and Grade II* 8.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
For its size, Buckingham records less crime per resident than 70% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. This Buckinghamshire town logged 746 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 114 complaints of anti-social conduct. Violence and sexual offences were 50% of the crimes.
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 households rent from a council or housing body. The owner-occupied share of households is 66%. Private rents average £1,475 a month across the Buckinghamshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £492,500 | 207 |
| Semi-detached | £350,000 | 172 |
| Terraced | £300,000 | 144 |
| Flat or maisonette | £196,000 | 69 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Degrees are held by 41% of adults. Children under 15 make up 19%, close to Buckinghamshire’s towns (19%) and above England’s towns (18%). Just over one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Buckingham | Buckinghamshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.5% | 4.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Buckinghamshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
189 listed buildings in Buckingham, 2 of them Grade I.
Castle House: Photo: Stephen Richards · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Old Latin School: Photo: Jo Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0 · King's Head Public House: Photo: Chris Nyborg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Market House: Photo: N T Stobbs · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckingham | 14,296 | — | A | B | C+ | A |
| Steeple Claydon | 2,530 | 4.2 | C+ | C+ | B | A− |
| Great Horwood | 1,102 | 4.8 | — | C+ | A+ | A |
| Deanshanger | 4,128 | 5.5 | B | C+ | A− | B+ |
| Winslow | 5,238 | 5.5 | B− | B− | C+ | B+ |
| Calvert | 1,434 | 5.9 | — | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Silverstone | 2,542 | 6.6 | B+ | C | C+ | A+ |
| Old Stratford | 2,427 | 6.6 | — | C | A | B+ |
Great Horwood, Calvert and Old Stratford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 5.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Castle House. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Band D council tax in Buckingham is £2,671 for 2026–27, more than in 94% 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.
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 88% of towns in England. Primary results are closer to the middle, beating 65%.
Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C+.
Town in Buckinghamshire, England
Buckingham is a built-up area of 14,296 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.
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.