Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,891 in Cheshire, North West.
Disley grades A overall against UK towns: better than 88% of UK towns, and #9 of 46 in Cheshire. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is cost of living (C): median sale £340,000, 6.4 years of area income; rent £985 a month.
The 3 things Disley 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 Disley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 41 buildings inside Disley’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
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 Disley.
85% of Disley’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above both Cheshire’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%). Seeing a GP means leaving Disley: the nearest practice is 1.4 miles away. Men in Disley can expect to live to 83, women to 84.1 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Disley | Cheshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.9% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
At the 9 primary schools within 3 km, 60% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its only school is listed below. GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: 47% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 48.5.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disley Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 285 | A |
Violence comes to 13.3 per 1,000 residents a year. 109 crimes and 14 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Disley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2.5 reports per 1,000, lower than both Cheshire’s towns (3.7) and England’s towns (7.8).
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Disley has 105 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Of the town’s land, 100% lies in conservation areas, close to Cheshire’s towns (100%) and above England’s towns (7%). It has 41 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Renting privately is how 11% of households live. Social housing holds 6% of households, below both Cheshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). From September 2023 to August 2026, 189 homes sold inside Disley’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £340,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £490,606 | 77 |
| Semi-detached | £315,000 | 57 |
| Terraced | £222,500 | 42 |
| Flat or maisonette | £170,000 | 13 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
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.
Work in town: 9% of resident commuters. 84% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.6% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below both Cheshire’s towns (1.8%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Home was the main workplace for just over two in five workers at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The under-15s are 16% of the population here. The 15-to-24 age group: 7.2%, below both Cheshire’s towns (10%) and England’s towns (12%). People 65 and over make up 24% of the town. Half of Disley is older than 47.8, half younger.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Disley | Cheshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.2% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.2% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 46% | 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 Disley. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustLyme Hall2 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumAnson Engine Museum2.8 km outside town, to the west
AttractionThe Lantern1.6 km outside town, to the south
MuseumNew Mills Heritage Centre1.1 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttraction · National TrustThe Cage1.2 km outside town, to the southwestZooZooAdlington Petting Farm4.3 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
41 listed buildings in Disley.
White Horse Hotel: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Quaker Meeting House: Photo: Dave Dunford · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Cruck Barn: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Vicarage: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0
4 notable people were born in Disley.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disley | 3,891 | — | A | C | A− | A |
| New Mills | 9,195 | 1.5 | B | B | C+ | C+ |
| High Lane | 4,617 | 1.5 | — | D− | — | B− |
| Furness Vale | 1,069 | 1.9 | — | B+ | A− | B+ |
| Whaley Bridge | 4,618 | 2.8 | A− | C+ | B− | A− |
| Marple | 12,963 | 2.8 | — | D | — | C+ |
| Marple Bridge | 4,702 | 3.2 | — | D− | — | A+ |
| Poynton | 13,015 | 3.7 | A | C− | A− | A |
Furness Vale has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. High Lane, Marple and Marple Bridge have no Safety Grade: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish to police.uk. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 4.3 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Police recorded 109 crimes inside Disley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 44% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Cheshire, England
Disley is a built-up area of 3,891 people, in the Cheshire East 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.