Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
858 people call this village in Cambridgeshire, East of England home.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Swaffham Prior is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. It has 45 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. Just over one in ten commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Homes sell for a median £420,000.
The 3 things Swaffham Prior does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Swaffham Prior’s built-up area.
26% 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 Swaffham Prior.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 41% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households take home £71K a year before tax, on average. At the census, 12% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below Cambridgeshire’s towns (25%) and England’s towns (27%) alike. The car carried 85% of commuters at the census. 7% of commuters who live in Swaffham Prior also work there.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Key Stage 2 results at the 3 primary schools within 3 km: nearly two thirds of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Swaffham Prior Church of England Primary School’s results beat 92% of schools in England like it. The one school in town appears below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swaffham Prior Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 97 | A |
Households that own their home make up 67%. From September 2023 to August 2026, 21 homes sold inside Swaffham Prior’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £420,000. Private rents average £1,038 a month across the East Cambridgeshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £610,000 | 13 |
| Semi-detached | £310,000 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Burglary and damage came to 10.9 per 1,000 residents a year, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (9.1) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. Over the year to August 2026, 31 offences were reported in Swaffham Prior, along with 8 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences made up 65% 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.
At the census, 2.7% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, lower than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (4.4%) and England’s towns (5.2%). There is no GP practice in Swaffham Prior: the nearest is 1.9 miles off. The nearest A&E to Swaffham Prior is Addenbrooke's and the Rosie Hospitals, 8.7 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Swaffham Prior | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.7% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 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.
Homes from before 1919 make up 26% of the total, above both Cambridgeshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (16%). Swaffham Prior’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. At the top of the list, 1 are Grade I and 4 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The 65-and-over age group makes up just over a fifth of residents. Just over one in ten residents are 15 to 24, below Cambridgeshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%) alike, and on top of that the share of residents under 15 is 16%. The median resident of Swaffham Prior is 46.8 years old.
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Swaffham Prior | Cambridgeshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.7% | 5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 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 Swaffham Prior. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · National TrustAnglesey Abbey3.6 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumBurwell Museum2.4 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttraction · National TrustLode water mill3.5 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumBottisham Airfield Museum4 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionNewmarket Racecourse4.5 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swaffham Prior | 858 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Burwell | 5,912 | 2 | A+ | B+ | B+ | A |
| Bottisham | 1,990 | 2.7 | — | B− | A− | B |
| Exning | 2,049 | 2.9 | — | D | C | B |
| Newmarket | 18,857 | 4.3 | B− | B− | C− | B− |
| Waterbeach | 5,375 | 4.8 | A− | A− | C+ | B |
| Fordham | 2,566 | 5.5 | B+ | B+ | B− | B |
| Soham | 10,609 | 5.9 | B+ | A | B− | C+ |
Bottisham and Exning have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 21.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary.
By type: semi-detached houses £310,000 and detached houses £610,000.
Village in Cambridgeshire, England
Swaffham Prior is a built-up area of 858 people, in the East 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
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.