Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Cheshire, North West has a population of 13,254.
A well-rated place to live, with prices to match. Pupils here do better than most: primary results beat 99% of towns in England; secondary results beat 90% of towns in England. It is strong on health as well: men here can expect to live to 82.8, women to 86.5. Housing is expensive: a typical home costs £460,000 and rent runs £985 a month. The overall grade comes out at A, #10 of 46 in Cheshire. That leaves it better than 88% of UK towns.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Knutsford 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 Knutsford is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 111 buildings inside Knutsford’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
13% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1905.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Knutsford. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustTatton Park Mansion1.8 km outside town, to the north
Historic house · National TrustTatton Park1.4 km outside town, to the north
Historic house · National TrustOld Hall1.4 km outside town, to the north
Garden · National TrustTatton Park Gardens1.6 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumCuckooland Museum2.3 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Knutsford.
Knutsford’s four primaries and one secondary have 2,398 pupils between them. Of its 6 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 4 primary schools: four in five pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Bexton Primary School’s results beat nearly every one of schools in England like it.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bexton Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 500 | A+ |
| Knutsford AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,429 | A− |
| Egerton Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 225 | A |
16% of residents have a disability, below both Cheshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%); what’s more, at the census, 4.1% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. The nearest A&E to Knutsford is Wythenshawe Hospital, 6.5 miles away. Self-reported good health: 85% of the town’s residents.
| Census 2021 | Knutsford | Cheshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.1% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
Private renters make up 15% of households. Social housing holds 14% of households, below both Cheshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). From September 2023 to August 2026, 737 homes sold inside Knutsford’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £460,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £660,000 | 263 |
| Semi-detached | £407,247 | 200 |
| Terraced | £375,000 | 159 |
| Flat or maisonette | £285,000 | 115 |
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 46% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
79% of commuters drove, about level with Cheshire’s towns (80%) and above England’s towns (70%). The census counted 46% of workers working mainly from home. Work in town: nearly a quarter of resident commuters. Before tax, the average household brings in £59K a year.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Knutsford’s land, 100% lies in conservation areas, about level with Cheshire’s towns (100%) and above England’s towns (7%). Its listed buildings include Brook Street Unitarian Chapel, Grade I. It has 84 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Grade II* covers 8 of them, Grade I 1.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
572 crimes and 47 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Knutsford’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences were 48% of the crimes. Burglary and damage add up to 7.3 per 1,000 residents each year.
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.
People aged 15 to 24 make up nearly a tenth of the town, lower than both Cheshire’s towns (10%) and England’s towns (12%). Ages in Knutsford split evenly at 46.6: half are older, half younger. Under 15: 18% of residents.
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Knutsford | Cheshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.4% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.9% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 48% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cheshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
111 listed buildings in Knutsford, 1 of them Grade I.
Brook Street Unitarian Chapel: Photo: Peter I. Vardy · Public domain · Church of St Cross: Photo: Peter I. Vardy · Public domain · Sessions House: Photo: Stephen Richards · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Knutsford Town Council Offices (former prison governor’s house): Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0
23 notable people were born in Knutsford.
Lucy Morton: Le Miroir des sports, Public domain · Ruby Barnhill: GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet: Barraud & Jerrard, Photographers, Public domain · James Timpson: ©House of Lords / photography by Roger Harris, CC BY 3.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knutsford | 13,254 | — | A | C− | B | A |
| Mobberley | 1,349 | 1.6 | — | C | A+ | B+ |
| Chelford | 1,377 | 4.2 | — | C− | A+ | A |
| Pickmere | 2,800 | 4.4 | B− | C | A+ | B− |
| Lostock Gralam | 2,719 | 4.5 | C− | B | C+ | C |
| Bowdon | 6,107 | 4.8 | — | D− | — | A |
| High Legh | 1,145 | 4.8 | — | C− | A+ | B+ |
| Hale | 16,716 | 5 | — | D− | — | A+ |
Mobberley, Chelford and High Legh have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Bowdon and Hale have no Safety Grade: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish to police.uk. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Among the strongest in England: GCSE results beat 90% of towns in England, and primary results beat 99% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
That is 3.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Brook Street Unitarian Chapel.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £460,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £285,000, terraced houses £375,000, semi-detached houses £407,247 and detached houses £660,000.
Town in Cheshire, England
Knutsford is a built-up area of 13,254 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.