Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A large town of 25,603 in Cambridgeshire, East of England.
Safety is its weak spot — 44.6 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 16.4 home and vehicle crimes. Only just over a fifth of UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people have more crime per resident. It also trails on health: life expectancy 77 for men, 80.3 for women. Cost of living is where it shines — homes sell for a median £265,000, about 4.2 times local household income. Walkability is a strength too (A+): 31% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. The overall grade comes out at B−, #40 of 50 in Cambridgeshire. That leaves it better than 46% of UK towns.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy, ONS.
The 2 things Huntingdon 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 Huntingdon is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 126 buildings inside Huntingdon’s built-up area, 4 of them Grade I, and 4 scheduled monuments.
8% 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 Huntingdon.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 26% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For 57% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Nearly two thirds of commuters drove, below both Cambridgeshire’s towns (72%) and England’s towns (70%). In 2026, 3.4% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits. Work in town: 42% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
54% of pupils at the town’s 6 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Two of its 11 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Secondary results at the town’s 2 secondary schools: an Attainment 8 score of 45, with 43% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntingdon Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 437 | B− |
| Hinchingbrooke SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 2,173 | B |
20% live in social housing, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Behind the median of £265,000: 892 standard sales inside Huntingdon’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. The private rented sector houses 23% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £390,000 | 280 |
| Semi-detached | £285,000 | 159 |
| Terraced | £232,000 | 292 |
| Flat or maisonette | £152,500 | 161 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
2,548 crimes and 749 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Huntingdon’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. For its size, Huntingdon records more crime per resident than 78% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. There were 26.8 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (8.7) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences made up 44% 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.
2 GP practices serve the town; 83% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Huntingdon is Hinchingbrooke Hospital, 1 miles away. 4.8% of residents report bad or very bad health.
| Census 2021 | Huntingdon | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.8% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 8% of the total, below Cambridgeshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Huntingdon’s listed buildings include the Church of All Saints, Grade I. Scaled to its population, that is 49 listed buildings for every 10,000 people here.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Just over a tenth of the population is aged 15 to 24, below both Cambridgeshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 15% of residents. Half of Huntingdon is older than 38.2, half younger.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Huntingdon | Cambridgeshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 31% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.4% | 5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 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 Huntingdon. Best known first.
MuseumThe Cromwell Museumin town
Abbey or prioryHinchingbrooke Housein town
CastleHuntingdon Castle100 m outside town, to the south
FortBuckden Towers4.8 km outside town, to the southwest
AttractionThe Chinese Bridge700 m outside town, to the south
Historic houseThe Manor3.5 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
126 listed buildings in Huntingdon, 4 of them Grade I.
Church of All Saints: Photo: Michael Trolove · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Cromwell Museum: Photo: Robert Weedon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Former Huntingdon Hosiery Mill: Photo: Richard Humphrey · CC BY-SA 2.0 · King of the Belgians Public House: Photo: David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0
48 notable people were born in Huntingdon.
Oliver Cromwell: After Samuel Cooper, Public domain · Richard Cromwell: Gerard Soest, Public domain · Todd Kane: Julian Mason from London, UK, CC BY 2.0 · Jamie Lidell: No machine-readable author provided. Nomo assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntingdon | 25,603 | — | B− | A | D | C− |
| Godmanchester | 7,714 | 1.8 | A− | A− | C+ | B+ |
| Brampton | 6,585 | 2.4 | B+ | A− | C+ | B |
| Houghton | 1,368 | 2.6 | — | B− | A− | A+ |
| Wyton | 1,248 | 2.9 | — | A+ | A− | A− |
| Alconbury Weald | 1,222 | 3.1 | — | A− | D | A− |
| Alconbury | 1,464 | 3.8 | — | A | B+ | B+ |
| Hemingford Grey | 3,372 | 3.9 | A+ | A− | A | A |
Houghton, Wyton, Alconbury Weald and Alconbury have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Church of All Saints.
Band D council tax in Huntingdon is £2,684 for 2026–27, more than in 94% 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.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Large town in Cambridgeshire, England
Huntingdon is a built-up area of 25,603 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
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.