Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
536 people live in this village in Cambridgeshire, East of England.
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Grantchester has none; the figures on this page are still real. 29 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. 31% of residents are 65 or over. 56% of adults are qualified to degree level.
The 3 things Grantchester does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Grantchester’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
22% 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 Grantchester.
6.8% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below Cambridgeshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Grantchester has a median age of 53.
54% women, 46% men
About 85 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.
| Grantchester | Cambridgeshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.8% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.1% | 5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 9.8% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 56% | 37% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cambridgeshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 56% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
0.6% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, below both Cambridgeshire’s towns (2.1%) and England’s towns (2.3%). The car carried 59% of commuters at the census. Also worth knowing: households take home £72K a year before tax, on average.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
26% live in social housing, above both Cambridgeshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,408 a month across the South Cambridgeshire council area. The private rented sector houses nearly a quarter of households.
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Over the year to August 2026, 25 offences were reported in Grantchester, along with 6 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Burglary and damage add up to 13.7 per 1,000 residents each year. Violence and sexual offences were 12% of the crimes.
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.
79% of Grantchester’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below Cambridgeshire’s towns (84%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. At the census, 5.8% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.5 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Grantchester | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.8% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 16% | 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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Per 10,000 residents, Grantchester counts 541 listed buildings, above both Cambridgeshire’s towns (82) and England’s towns (39). Homes from before 1919 make up just over a fifth of the total. Grade II* covers 2 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Grantchester. Best known first.
MuseumMuseum of Zoology2.7 km outside town, to the northeast · 139K visitors a year (2023)
GardenCambridge University Botanic Garden2.5 km outside town, to the northeast
CastleCambridge Castle3.4 km outside town, to the north
Art galleryKettle's Yard Gallery3.2 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumWhipple Museum of the History Of Science2.7 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
3 notable people were born in Grantchester.
Gregory Bateson: Festival della Scienza, CC BY-SA 2.0
Village in Cambridgeshire, England
Grantchester is a built-up area of 536 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grantchester | 536 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hauxton | 1,322 | 2.3 | — | B− | A | A+ |
| Cambridge | 152,742 | 2.4 | B+ | C− | C− | B+ |
| Haslingfield | 1,535 | 2.6 | — | B− | A | A+ |
| Harston | 1,827 | 2.7 | — | B− | B | A+ |
| Great Shelford and Stapleford | 6,159 | 2.8 | A+ | C+ | A | A+ |
| Comberton | 2,255 | 2.9 | — | B | B+ | A+ |
| Girton | 4,384 | 3.7 | A+ | C+ | A | A+ |
Hauxton, Haslingfield, Harston and Comberton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 22.2 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Band D council tax in Grantchester is £2,511 for 2026–27, more than in 67% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
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.