Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 546 residents, it is a village in Cheshire, North West.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Dunham-on-the-Hill is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. Just over one in ten commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 9, with 0 at Grade I. Over-65s are 26% of the population.
The 3 things Dunham-on-the-Hill does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 9 buildings inside Dunham-on-the-Hill’s built-up area.
32% 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 Dunham-on-the-Hill.
31% of adults hold a degree, below both Cheshire’s towns (34%) and England’s towns (34%). Under-15s account for 15% of the population. At 47.5, the median resident of Dunham-on-the-Hill sits in the middle of the age range.
48% women, 52% men
About 107 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Dunham-on-the-Hill | Cheshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 24% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.1% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cheshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Driving is how 86% of commuters got to work at the census. 37% of workers worked mainly from home, higher than both Cheshire’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (31%). Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.4% of 16 to 64s in 2026. Of the commuters living in Dunham-on-the-Hill, 2% work in the town itself.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
16% rent privately, near Cheshire’s towns (16%) and lower than England’s towns (21%). Private rents average £991 a month across the Cheshire West and Chester council area. Home ownership stands at two thirds of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £262,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Over the year to August 2026, 8 offences were reported in Dunham-on-the-Hill. Burglary and damage add up to 3.7 per 1,000 residents each year. Violence and sexual offences made up 38% 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.
The nearest A&E to Dunham-on-the-Hill is The Countess of Chester Hospital, 5.3 miles away. 80% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below both Cheshire’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%). This Cheshire town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.5 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Dunham-on-the-Hill | Cheshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.9% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like 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.
Conservation areas cover 100% of Dunham-on-the-Hill’s land, about level with Cheshire’s towns (100%) and above England’s towns (7%). The town has 165 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Village in Cheshire, England
Dunham-on-the-Hill is a built-up area of 546 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunham-on-the-Hill | 546 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Helsby | 5,278 | 1.5 | A | B− | A− | A− |
| Elton | 3,293 | 1.7 | B+ | B+ | B | B− |
| Mickle Trafford | 1,840 | 2.7 | — | C− | A+ | B |
| Guilden Sutton | 1,462 | 3.6 | — | D | A+ | A |
| Frodsham | 9,101 | 4.1 | B− | C | B− | B |
| Tarvin | 2,744 | 4.2 | A | C | A+ | A+ |
| Kelsall | 2,997 | 4.6 | A+ | D | A+ | A+ |
Mickle Trafford and Guilden Sutton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 6.8 times the typical UK town for its size. 32% of Dunham-on-the-Hill’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Band D council tax in Dunham-on-the-Hill is £2,510 for 2026–27, more than in 67% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
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.