Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a village of 703 residents in Cambridgeshire, East of England.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Bourn is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. Its listed buildings number 35, with 1 at Grade I. The median home sold for £635,000. 53% of adults have a degree-level qualification.
The 3 things Bourn does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Bourn’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
13% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bourn.
27% of residents have reached 65. Children under 15 make up 20%, above both Cambridgeshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Ages in Bourn split evenly at 47.3: half are older, half younger.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bourn | Cambridgeshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.6% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.1% | 5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 53% | 37% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cambridgeshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The one school in town appears below. Bourn CofE Primary Academy’s results beat three quarters of schools in England like it. Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 53.7, with 59% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourn CofE Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 193 | A− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took nearly four in five commuters, above both Cambridgeshire’s towns (72%) and England’s towns (70%). Income per household averages £76K a year, before tax. 7% of commuters who live in Bourn also work there. The town counts 0.6 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds just over a fifth of households, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The owner-occupied share of households is 70%. Private rents average £1,408 a month across the South Cambridgeshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £775,000 | 16 |
| Terraced | £277,500 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 38% of recorded crime. Burglary and damage came to 16.1 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (9.1) and England’s towns (9.4). Over the year to August 2026, 24 offences were reported in Bourn, along with 8 incidents of anti-social behaviour.
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 nearest A&E to Bourn is Addenbrooke's and the Rosie Hospitals, 8.8 miles away. At the census, 85% of people in Bourn called their health good or very good, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (84%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. One GP practice serves the town; just over nine in ten patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Bourn | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 16% | 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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them. Bourn’s listed buildings include the Parish Church of St Helen and St Mary, Grade I. Conservation areas cover 43% of the town’s land, above both Cambridgeshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bourn. Best known first.
Art galleryWysing Arts Centre500 m outside town, to the southAttractionAttraction · National TrustHome Farm4.7 km outside town, to the southAttractionAttractionWimpole's Folly3.9 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourn | 703 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cambourne | 11,071 | 1.6 | A+ | B+ | B− | A |
| Highfields Caldecote | 2,049 | 2.1 | — | B− | A− | A+ |
| Hardwick | 2,658 | 3.3 | A+ | B− | B+ | A+ |
| Comberton | 2,255 | 3.8 | — | B | B+ | A+ |
| Papworth Everard | 3,821 | 4.5 | B+ | A | B | B+ |
| Orwell | 1,147 | 4.7 | — | B− | A | A− |
| Bar Hill | 3,899 | 5.5 | A+ | A | B+ | A+ |
Highfields Caldecote, Comberton and Orwell have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
By type: terraced houses £277,500 and detached houses £775,000.
That is 20.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Parish Church of St Helen and St Mary. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Village in Cambridgeshire, England
Bourn is a built-up area of 703 people, in the South Cambridgeshire 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.