PeterboroughCambridgeshire

Crime per resident in Peterborough is higher than in 95% of UK towns

Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.

The 12 months to August 2026 brought 21,950 recorded crimes inside Peterborough’s built-up area, and 4,339 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 22.7 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 45% of the total.

Results at Peterborough’s schools trail 72% of towns in England

At the town’s 49 primary schools, 57% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). St John's Church School’s results beat nearly every one of schools in England like it. Three of its 71 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. GCSE results at the town’s 12 secondary schools: two in five pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 44.5.

Life expectancy in Peterborough is shorter than in 83% of UK towns

17 GP practices serve the town; nearly two thirds of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 5.2% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (4.4%) and close to England’s towns (5.2%). Also worth knowing: the nearest A&E to Peterborough is Peterborough City Hospital, 1.1 miles away.

Benefit claims run higher in Peterborough, 5.9% of 16 to 64s, than in Cambridgeshire’s towns or across England’s towns

The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 23% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.

Before tax, the average household brings in £52K a year. Work in town: 72% of resident commuters. Jobs per working resident: 1.3. Nearly a quarter of workers worked mainly from home, lower than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (34%) and England’s towns (31%).

Home ownership in Peterborough, 53%, runs below Cambridgeshire’s towns and England’s towns

Social housing holds 20% of households, above both Cambridgeshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Behind the median of £240,000: 5,606 standard sales inside Peterborough’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. It is the 47th most expensive of 51 towns of 2,500+ in Cambridgeshire.

A town of 270 listed buildings, 33 of them Grade I

The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.

Peterborough’s listed buildings include Bishop's Palace, Grade I. Relative to its size, Peterborough keeps 14 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below both Cambridgeshire’s towns (82) and England’s towns (39). Grade II* covers 11 of them, Grade I 33. Before 1919: that is when 10% of homes were built.

Children make up 21% of Peterborough, above Cambridgeshire’s towns and England’s towns

Retirement age and beyond: 13% of residents are 65 or older. Residents of Peterborough have a median age of 35.9. 26% of adults hold a degree.