Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The large town, home to 83,541 people, lies in Buckinghamshire, South East. Over-65s are only 12% of the population.
The picture is mixed. It is easy to get around without a car (A−): just over a fifth of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Schools are a strength too (B+): primary results beat 36% of towns in England; secondary results beat 97% of towns in England. Its weakest is safety (D): police record 40.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 17.2 home and vehicle crimes. Only 55% of UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more have more crime per resident. Homes sell for a median £372,500, about 5.3 years of what households in the Buckinghamshire council area earn. Put together, the subjects come to a B− overall, ranking #32 of 39 in Buckinghamshire. On that grade it does better than 55% of UK towns.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS.
The 3 things High Wycombe 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 High Wycombe is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 136 buildings inside High Wycombe’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I, and 3 scheduled monuments.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 2 old photos and postcards going back to 1846.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near High Wycombe. Best known first.
MuseumWycombe Museumin town
Historic house · National TrustWest Wycombe House600 m outside town, to the west
Historic house · National TrustHughenden Manor700 m outside town, to the north
AttractionThe Hellfire Caves500 m outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumChair Making Museumin townPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustHughenden Park600 m outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in High Wycombe.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Violence and sexual offences were just over two fifths of the crimes. 7,437 crimes and 968 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside High Wycombe’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. There were 12.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Buckinghamshire’s towns (4) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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.
GCSE results at the town’s 6 secondary schools: just over two thirds of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 58.4. Of its 24 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. Some 13,741 pupils attend High Wycombe’s 14 primaries and six secondaries.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Disraeli SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 652 | C− |
| St Michael's Catholic SchoolLargest secondary schoolAll-through | All-through | 2,414 | B |
| Wycombe High SchoolTop results in townSecondary | Secondary | 1,371 | A+ |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Nearly three quarters of commuters drove, lower than Buckinghamshire’s towns (78%) yet higher than England’s towns (70%). For every resident in work, High Wycombe has 1 jobs. Household income averages £60K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Private renters make up nearly a quarter of households, above both Buckinghamshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (21%). Households that own their home make up 58%. The social rented sector houses 17% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £600,000 | 451 |
| Semi-detached | £410,000 | 884 |
| Terraced | £367,000 | 451 |
| Flat or maisonette | £225,000 | 855 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The nearest A&E to High Wycombe is Wexham Park Hospital, 10.2 miles away. 9 GP practices serve the town; 66% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 3.7% 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%).
| Census 2021 | High Wycombe | Buckinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes built before 1919 account for 9% of the housing. High Wycombe’s listed buildings include the Church of All Saints, Grade I. Listed buildings per head: 16 for every 10,000 residents of the town.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
One measure of family life: a fifth of residents are under 15. High Wycombe has a median age of 35.8. Those aged 15 to 24 account for 12% of residents.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| High Wycombe | Buckinghamshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 32% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.5% | 4.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Buckinghamshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
136 listed buildings in High Wycombe, 2 of them Grade I.
Guildhall: Photo: Mertbiol · CC0 · Church of All Saints: Photo: Peter Jemmett · CC BY-SA 2.0 · West Wycombe Park: Photo: Simon Q from United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0 · The Falcon Hotel: Photo: Simon Burchell · CC BY-SA 4.0
107 notable people were born in High Wycombe.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson: LucaFazPhoto, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jean Shrimpton: Joost Evers / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl · Geoffrey de Havilland: SDASM Archives, Public domain · Charlotte Roche: JCS, CC BY 3.0 · Leigh Anne Pinnock: Rustyleigh, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nicola Sanders: Osaka07_D9A_W4-400M_UK_celebrating.jpg: Arcimboldo derivative work: Lepax, CC BY 2.5
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wycombe | 83,541 | — | B− | B+ | D | C+ |
| Downley | 2,655 | 1.6 | A | C+ | A− | B− |
| Hazlemere | 20,006 | 2.3 | A | C | A− | A+ |
| Hughenden Valley | 1,814 | 2.6 | — | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Flackwell Heath and Wooburn Green | 12,438 | 3 | A− | C | B− | A |
| Marlow Bottom | 3,339 | 3.1 | A+ | C | A+ | A+ |
| Great Kingshill | 1,669 | 3.1 | — | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Walter's Ash and Naphill | 3,893 | 3.2 | A+ | C | A+ | A+ |
Hughenden Valley and Great Kingshill have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
About the middle for its size: 45% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them far smaller, it grades D.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £372,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £225,000, terraced houses £367,000, semi-detached houses £410,000 and detached houses £600,000. Household incomes are higher than in 68% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B+.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Large town in Buckinghamshire, England
High Wycombe is a built-up area of 83,541 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.