Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 1,368 residents, it is a village in Cambridgeshire, East of England.
Houghton’s strongest is health — men here can expect to live to 83.9, women to 86.5. Safety is another plus — 13.2 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 6.1 home and vehicle crimes. Hazards are a real consideration: 3.7% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. Homes sell for a median £549,750, about 8.7 years of what households in the Huntingdonshire council area earn. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for schools and B for jobs & income.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · claimants, DWP. An overall grade needs 2,500 residents, so Houghton is graded subject by subject only.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Houghton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Houghton does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Houghton’s built-up area.
14% 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 Houghton.
At the census, 15% of people here had a disability, below both Cambridgeshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (17%), and on top of that 3.1% of residents report bad or very bad health. There is no GP practice in Houghton: the nearest is 1.8 miles off. Asked at the census, 86% of residents of Houghton said they were in good or very good health.
| Census 2021 | Houghton | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.1% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Houghton Primary School’s results beat 85% of schools in England like it. At the 8 primary schools within 3 km, 52% of pupils reach 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: 57% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 51.3.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 177 | A |
Over the year to August 2026, 29 offences were reported in Houghton, along with 8 incidents of anti-social behaviour. For its size, Houghton records less crime per resident than 71% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people. Violence and sexual offences made up nearly three fifths of the total.
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.
Of Houghton’s land, 56% lies in conservation areas, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. Its listed buildings include the Church of All Saints, Grade I. Historic England’s list names 54 listed buildings here: 1 Grade I, 3 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 47% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 86% of commuters, higher than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (72%) and England’s towns (70%). 38% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Unemployment benefit claims reached 3.5% of 16 to 64s in 2026.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The social rented sector houses 5% of households. Private renters make up 9% of households, below Cambridgeshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Behind the median of £549,750: 73 standard sales inside Houghton’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £575,000 | 54 |
| Semi-detached | £405,000 | 10 |
| Flat or maisonette | £296,250 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Children under 15 make up 15% of residents. People aged 15 to 24 make up 7.3% of the town, below Cambridgeshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. The age that splits Houghton in two is 52.4. Degrees are held by 44% of adults.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Houghton | Cambridgeshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.3% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.8% | 5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 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 Houghton. Best known first.
CastleHuntingdon Castle3.5 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseThe Manor1.3 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumThe Cromwell Museum3.7 km outside town, to the west
AttractionThe Chinese Bridge3.5 km outside town, to the west
Abbey or prioryHinchingbrooke House4.8 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Village in Cambridgeshire, England
Houghton is a built-up area of 1,368 people, in the Huntingdonshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton | 1,368 | — | — | B− | A− | A+ |
| Wyton | 1,248 | 1.1 | — | A+ | A− | A− |
| Hemingford Grey | 3,372 | 1.6 | A+ | A− | A | A |
| St Ives | 16,818 | 1.8 | A− | A | C+ | B |
| Godmanchester | 7,714 | 2.3 | A− | A− | C+ | B+ |
| Huntingdon | 25,603 | 2.6 | B− | A | D | C− |
| Fenstanton | 3,015 | 3.3 | B+ | A− | C+ | A |
| Hilton | 1,052 | 3.7 | — | B | A+ | A+ |
Wyton and Hilton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 16.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of All Saints.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £549,750, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £296,250, semi-detached houses £405,000 and detached houses £575,000. Household incomes are higher than in 82% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B−.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
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.