Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
21,345 residents make their home in this large town in Cambridgeshire, East of England.
The data are hard on it. Its weakest is schools (D−): primary results beat 2% of towns in England; secondary results beat 6% of towns in England. March grades D− overall, better than 4% of UK towns, and ranks #48 of 50 in Cambridgeshire. Jobs & income is weaker too — mean household income £44,966; 3.6% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Where it does best is walkability: nearly a fifth of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Homes sell for a median £225,000, about 4.9 years of what households in the Fenland council area earn.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · income, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things March 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 March is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 49 buildings inside March’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 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 March.
One in ten residents are 15 to 24, lower than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). People 65 and over make up a quarter of the town. March has a median age of 46 years. Under-15s account for 16% of the population.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 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.
| March | Cambridgeshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.7% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.8% | 5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 19% | 37% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cambridgeshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Of its 5 schools, two are shown below, each with the reason. Some 2,789 pupils attend March’s four primaries and one secondary. Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 36.7, and 30% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 742 | D |
| Neale-Wade AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,130 | D |
The nearest A&E to March is Peterborough City Hospital, 15.8 miles away. Just over a fifth of residents in March live with a disability, and on top of that at the census, 6.8% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (4.4%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. Men in March can expect to live to 79.2, women to 82.4 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | March | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 76% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.8% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Burglary and damage came to 12.7 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (9) and England’s towns (9.4). The 12 months to August 2026 brought 1,517 recorded crimes inside March’s built-up area, and 387 reports of anti-social behaviour. Also worth knowing: of all the crimes, 55% were violence and sexual offences.
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 Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 19% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
19% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census. Work in town: 30% of resident commuters. March 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
12% of households rent from a council or housing body. Private rents average £842 a month across the Fenland council area. From September 2023 to August 2026, 917 homes sold inside March’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £225,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £275,000 | 432 |
| Semi-detached | £222,000 | 227 |
| Terraced | £176,000 | 218 |
| Flat or maisonette | £112,000 | 40 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
At the top of the list, 1 are Grade I and 2 Grade II*. March’s listed buildings include the Church of St Wendreda, Grade I. For its size, March has 23 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, lower than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (82) and England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near March. Best known first.
FortStonea Camp3.3 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumMarch & District Museumin townAttractionAttractionDunhams Wood Light Railway1.1 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
49 listed buildings in March, 1 of them Grade I.
Ye Olde Griffin Hotel: Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0 · March East Junction Signal Box: Photo: kitmasterbloke · CC BY 2.0 · War Memorial: Photo: Cmglee · CC BY-SA 3.0 · March and District Museum: Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 21,345 | — | D− | C+ | C− | C− |
| Doddington and Wimblington | 4,279 | 3.4 | D | C− | B− | C |
| Manea | 2,638 | 5.8 | D− | C− | B− | C− |
| Friday Bridge | 1,411 | 5.9 | — | C+ | C+ | C− |
| Benwick | 1,145 | 6.3 | — | C+ | B+ | C |
| Upwell and Outwell | 3,664 | 6.7 | D− | C | C | C |
| Chatteris | 11,022 | 6.9 | D | C+ | B− | C |
| Wisbech St Mary | 1,069 | 7 | — | C+ | C+ | C− |
Friday Bridge, Benwick and Wisbech St Mary have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About the middle for its size: 62% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C−.
Large town in Cambridgeshire, England
March is a built-up area of 21,345 people, in the Fenland 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.