Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
14,641 people live in this town in Buckinghamshire, South East.
Plenty to like here, at a price. Its strongest is schools — primary results beat four in five towns in England; secondary results beat 97% of towns in England. What holds it back is cost of living (C) — a typical home costs £640,000 and rent runs £1,479 a month. Natural hazards weigh more here: 5.8% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. The overall grade lands at A, #14 of 39 in Buckinghamshire. Nationally, it does better than 87% of UK towns.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency.
The 3 things Marlow 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 Marlow is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 167 buildings inside Marlow’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I.
11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1903.
Explore the history →Marlow, New Hampshire, is named after Marlow.
USUS editionMarlow, New Hampshire, settled in 1772, 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 Marlow. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustCliveden House4.6 km outside town, to the east
Abbey or prioryBisham Abbey300 m outside town, to the south
Historic houseHedsor House4.3 km outside town, to the east
MuseumStanley Spencer Gallery3.3 km outside town, to the east
ZooBerkshire College of Agriculture3.6 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Marlow.
Secondary results at the town’s 2 secondary schools: an Attainment 8 score of 59.7, with 68% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Below are three of its 7 schools, each with why it was picked. At the town’s 4 primary schools, 68% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Trinity Church of England (Aided) SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 351 | B− |
| Great Marlow SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,395 | B |
| Sir William Borlase's Grammar SchoolTop results in townSecondary | Secondary | 1,222 | A+ |
87% of people in Marlow rate their own health good or very good. At the census, 3% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below Buckinghamshire’s towns (3.6%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. The nearest A&E to Marlow is Wexham Park Hospital, 9.1 miles away. Life expectancy here is 85.4 for women and 81.9 for men (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Marlow | Buckinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 14% | 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.
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.
Just over a fifth of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, between Buckinghamshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (27%). For 37% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Of the commuters living in Marlow, 24% work in the town itself. Working from home was the norm for 49% of workers at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
12% live in social housing, lower than both Buckinghamshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). 617 standard sales inside Marlow’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £640,000. Renting privately is how 17% of households live.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,050,000 | 174 |
| Semi-detached | £688,000 | 133 |
| Terraced | £555,750 | 178 |
| Flat or maisonette | £345,000 | 132 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
At the top of the list, 2 are Grade I and 19 Grade II*. Marlow’s listed buildings include Marlow Bridge, Grade I. Per 10,000 residents, Marlow counts 114 listed buildings. Of the town’s land, 22% lies in conservation areas, above both Buckinghamshire’s towns (8%) and England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Marlow logged 767 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 110 complaints of anti-social conduct. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 37% of recorded crime. Violent crime ran at 22.1 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than Buckinghamshire’s towns (18.3) and near England’s towns (22).
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.
Those aged 15 to 24 account for 8.8% of residents. 23% of residents are 65 or over, above both Buckinghamshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Children are nearly a fifth of the town.
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Marlow | Buckinghamshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 4.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 46% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Buckinghamshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
167 listed buildings in Marlow, 2 of them Grade I.
Marlow Bridge: Photo: Chris j wood · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marlow Place: Photo: Mertbiol · CC0 · Crown Hotel: Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 · St Peter's Old Church Hall: Photo: N Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0
13 notable people were born in Marlow.
Steve Redgrave: Steve_Redgrave_20110525.jpg: Phil Guest derivative work: MachoCarioca, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Josiah Latimer Clark: Louis Figuier, Public domain · Galen Weston: Canadian Film Centre, CC BY 2.0 · Baron Bliss: Ickx6, CC0 · Rice Owen Clark: Western Leader, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlow | 14,641 | — | A | C | B− | A |
| Marlow Bottom | 3,339 | 1.1 | A+ | C | A+ | A+ |
| Cookham | 5,216 | 2.3 | A | C− | B+ | A |
| Hurley | 1,317 | 2.6 | — | C− | B+ | A+ |
| Bourne End | 7,166 | 2.8 | B | C | B | A |
| Flackwell Heath and Wooburn Green | 12,438 | 3.4 | A− | C | B− | A |
| High Wycombe | 83,541 | 3.9 | B− | B+ | D | C+ |
| Lane End | 3,446 | 4 | C+ | B− | B | C+ |
Hurley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £640,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £345,000, terraced houses £555,750, semi-detached houses £688,000 and detached houses £1,050,000.
That is 4.7 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Marlow Bridge.
GCSE results beat 97% of towns in England, and primary results beat 80% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Buckinghamshire, England
Marlow is a built-up area of 14,641 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.