Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,245 in Cheshire, North West.
Barnton grades B overall against UK towns: better than 60% of UK towns, and #28 of 46 in Cheshire. Its strongest subject is schools (A−): primary results beat 67% of towns in England; secondary results beat 81% of towns in England. Its weakest is health (C): life expectancy 80.5 for men, 84 for women. The median home sold for £215,000 in the last three years, 4.2 times what households in the Cheshire West and Chester council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Barnton 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 Barnton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 5 buildings inside Barnton’s built-up area, and 1 scheduled monument.
24% 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 Barnton.
Secondary results at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 51, with 56% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School’s results beat 83% of schools in England like it. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. 65% of pupils at the 15 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnton Community Nursery and Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 482 | A− |
The nearest A&E to Barnton is Warrington Hospital, 8.8 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; nearly two thirds of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 4.7% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2021 | Barnton | Cheshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Barnton’s land, 100% lies in conservation areas, about level with Cheshire’s towns (100%) and above England’s towns (7%). Its heritage register entries (5 listed buildings) are all Grade II. One scheduled monument lies locally.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
38% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. The car took 86% of commuters, above both Cheshire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (70%). Average household income comes to £50K a year before tax. Work in town: 9% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds just over one in ten households, lower than both Cheshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). 15% of households rent privately. Also worth knowing: from September 2023 to August 2026, 256 homes sold inside Barnton’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £215,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £302,000 | 53 |
| Semi-detached | £218,000 | 124 |
| Terraced | £161,250 | 76 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
271 crimes and 25 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Barnton’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Burglary and damage came to 5.3 per 1,000 residents a year, close to Cheshire’s towns (5.8) and below England’s towns (9.4). Violence and sexual offences made up just over 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.
Typical age in Barnton: 44, the median. People aged 15 to 24 make up nearly a tenth of the town. 22% of residents are 65 or over, near Cheshire’s towns (21%) and higher than England’s towns (18%).
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Barnton | Cheshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.2% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.6% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 29% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cheshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Barnton. Best known first.
Historic houseVale Royal Abbey4.7 km outside town, to the south
MuseumWeaver Hall Museum & Workhouse2.3 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumLion Salt Works2.1 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 →
It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 81% of towns in England. Primary results beat 67%. Barnton has 2 state schools; places are handled by Cheshire West and Chester council.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £215,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £161,250, semi-detached houses £218,000 and detached houses £302,000.
Town in Cheshire, England
Barnton is a built-up area of 6,245 people, in the Cheshire West and Chester 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.