Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in Cambridgeshire, East of England, home to 5,912 people.
Residents are healthier than most (A): life expectancy 85.2 for men, 86.7 for women. The drawback is walkability: on the way to work, 11% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Buying the median home, at £350,000, takes 5.8 years of household income in the East Cambridgeshire council area. All told, that adds up to an A+ overall, better than 97% of UK towns. It ranks #9 of 50 in Cambridgeshire.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Burwell 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 Burwell is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 59 buildings inside Burwell’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
12% 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 Burwell.
4% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below Cambridgeshire’s towns (4.4%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. One GP practice serves the town; 92% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Burwell is Addenbrooke's and the Rosie Hospitals, 10.7 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Burwell | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 16% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
Key Stage 2 results at the 3 primary schools within 3 km: 68% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burwell Village College (Primary)Largest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 374 | B− |
12% live in social housing, below Cambridgeshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Renting privately is how 11% of households live. Private rents average £1,038 a month across the East Cambridgeshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £450,000 | 115 |
| Semi-detached | £314,500 | 51 |
| Terraced | £250,000 | 37 |
| Flat or maisonette | £82,500 | 21 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
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.
1.7% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. The car took 87% of commuters, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (72%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Burwell counts 0.4 jobs per working resident. Work in town: nearly a tenth of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Of all the crimes, 45% were violence and sexual offences. Over the year to August 2026, 256 offences were reported in Burwell, along with 51 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Violence came to 16.6 per 1,000 residents a year, below Cambridgeshire’s towns (19.2) and England’s towns (22) alike. Also worth knowing: among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Burwell has less crime per resident than three quarters of them.
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Relative to its size, Burwell keeps 100 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Its listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. Of the town’s land, 23% lies in conservation areas, above both Cambridgeshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (7%). Grade II* covers 2 of them, Grade I 1.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
People 65 and over make up nearly a quarter of the town, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Half of Burwell is older than 46.6, half younger. Degrees are held by 36% of adults.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Burwell | Cambridgeshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.1% | 5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 37% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cambridgeshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Burwell. Best known first.
MuseumBurwell Museumin townPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustWicken Fen2.9 km outside town, to the northwestZooZooSouth Angle Farm Park4.4 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseum1930s fen dwelling3.2 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionNewmarket Racecourse4 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
59 listed buildings in Burwell, 1 of them Grade I.
Burwell Castle: Photo: Ajay Tegala · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Stevens Mill: Photo: Rodney Burton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Burwell Baptist Chapel: Photo: Ajay Tegala · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Anchor: Photo: Keith Edkins · CC BY-SA 2.0
4 notable people were born in Burwell.
Oliver Jarvis: United Autosports, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burwell | 5,912 | — | A+ | B+ | B+ | A |
| Exning | 2,049 | 1.8 | — | D | C | B |
| Fordham | 2,566 | 3.5 | B+ | B+ | B− | B |
| Newmarket | 18,857 | 3.7 | B− | B− | C− | B− |
| Soham | 10,609 | 4.1 | B+ | A | B− | C+ |
| Bottisham | 1,990 | 4.7 | — | B− | A− | B |
| Isleham | 2,287 | 5.8 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Waterbeach | 5,375 | 5.8 | A− | A− | C+ | B |
Exning, Bottisham and Isleham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 4.1 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Primary results beat 81% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Cambridgeshire council.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £350,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £82,500, terraced houses £250,000, semi-detached houses £314,500 and detached houses £450,000.
Town in Cambridgeshire, England
Burwell is a built-up area of 5,912 people, in the East 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.