Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,893 in Buckinghamshire, South East. Secondary school results beat 100% of towns in England.
Where it does best is health: life expectancy 84 for men, 86.5 for women. Walter's Ash and Naphill grades A+ overall, better than 98% of UK towns, and ranks #2 of 39 in Buckinghamshire. Safety is another plus: 9.3 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 3.6 home and vehicle crimes. Housing is expensive: a typical home costs £575,000 and rent runs £1,475 a month.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Walter's Ash and Naphill 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 Walter's Ash and Naphill is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Walter's Ash and Naphill’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
12% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Walter's Ash and Naphill. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustWest Wycombe House2.7 km outside town, to the south
Historic house · National TrustHughenden Manor1.3 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumWycombe Museum3.5 km outside town, to the southeast
AttractionThe Hellfire Caves2.3 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumChair Making Museum2.6 km outside town, to the southPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustHughenden Park1.4 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Walter's Ash and Naphill.
At the census, 1.8% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. 91% of Walter's Ash and Naphill’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above both Buckinghamshire’s towns (86%) and England’s towns (82%). Men in Walter's Ash and Naphill can expect to live to 84, women to 86.5 (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Walter's Ash and Naphill is Stoke Mandeville Hospital, 8.8 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Walter's Ash and Naphill | Buckinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 91% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.8% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 9.3% | 14% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
57% of pupils at the 9 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below. GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: 96% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 71.9.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naphill and Walters Ash SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 259 | B− |
There were 1.5 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both Buckinghamshire’s towns (4.2) and England’s towns (7.8). Police figures for Walter's Ash and Naphill’s built-up area: 90 crimes and 10 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 54% 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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 44% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
There are 0.7 jobs in Walter's Ash and Naphill for each resident in work. 1.5% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, below both Buckinghamshire’s towns (2.2%) and England’s towns (2.3%). At the census, nearly a quarter of commuters got to work without a car. Of the commuters living in the town, 31% work in the town itself.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
4% live in social housing, below Buckinghamshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Home ownership covers 69% of households. The £575,000 median rests on 121 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £680,000 | 68 |
| Semi-detached | £500,000 | 33 |
| Terraced | £416,500 | 16 |
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.
Relative to its size, Walter's Ash and Naphill keeps 28 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, lower than both Buckinghamshire’s towns (78) and England’s towns (39). This Buckinghamshire town has 2 scheduled monuments. The pre-1919 share of homes is 12%.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Children under 15 make up 17%, below both Buckinghamshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). Ages in Walter's Ash and Naphill split evenly at 41.4: half are older, half younger. The share aged 15 to 24 is 11%.
49% women, 51% men
About 106 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Walter's Ash and Naphill | Buckinghamshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 8.5% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.7% | 4.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 43% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Buckinghamshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter's Ash and Naphill | 3,893 | — | A+ | C | A+ | A+ |
| Hughenden Valley | 1,814 | 1.4 | — | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Downley | 2,655 | 1.7 | A | C+ | A− | B− |
| Lacey Green and Loosley Row | 1,135 | 2 | — | C | A+ | A |
| Great Kingshill | 1,669 | 2.4 | — | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Prestwood and Great Missenden | 7,600 | 3 | A | C | B− | A+ |
| High Wycombe | 83,541 | 3.2 | B− | B+ | D | C+ |
| Hazlemere | 20,006 | 3.6 | A | C | A− | A+ |
Hughenden Valley, Lacey Green and Loosley Row 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.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £575,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £416,500, semi-detached houses £500,000 and detached houses £680,000.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Buckinghamshire, England
Walter's Ash and Naphill is a built-up area of 3,893 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.