Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 14,428 in Cheshire, North West.
Middlewich grades C+ overall against UK towns: better than 44% of UK towns, and #36 of 46 in Cheshire. Its strongest subject is cost of living (B+): median sale £220,000, 4.2 years of area income; rent £985 a month. Its weakest is health (C): life expectancy 77.6 for men, 82.8 for women.
The 2 things Middlewich 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 Middlewich is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 36 buildings inside Middlewich’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade II*, and 2 scheduled monuments.
11% 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 Middlewich.
2 GP practices serve the town; 83% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Middlewich is Leighton Hospital, 4.9 miles away. At the census, 5% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2021 | Middlewich | Cheshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
67% of pupils at the town’s 3 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). St. Mary's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy’s results beat 77% of schools in England like it. Of its 4 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. Between them, three primaries and one secondary teach 1,552 pupils in Middlewich.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlewich Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 404 | B |
| Middlewich High SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 665 | C− |
| St. Mary's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 169 | A− |
Violence and sexual offences made up half of the total. A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 1,049 offences in Middlewich and 69 cases of nuisance behaviour. Burglary and damage came to 9 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than Cheshire’s towns (5.7) and near England’s towns (9.4).
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.
Private renters make up 13% of households, lower than both Cheshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (21%). 12% of households live in social housing. Half of the 686 standard sales inside Middlewich’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £220,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £310,000 | 251 |
| Semi-detached | £200,000 | 218 |
| Terraced | £165,000 | 179 |
| Flat or maisonette | £144,750 | 38 |
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 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 86% of commuters went by car. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 28%, lower than both Cheshire’s towns (43%) and England’s towns (45%). Before tax, the average household brings in £50K a year. Also worth knowing: a fifth of commuters who live in Middlewich also work there.
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.
Just over one in ten homes were built before 1919. Conservation areas cover 100% of Middlewich’s land, close to Cheshire’s towns (100%) and above England’s towns (7%). Grade II* covers 2 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
16% are under 15, close to Cheshire’s towns (17%) and below England’s towns (18%). Aged 15 to 24: 9.8% of residents. Half the people of Middlewich are older than 44.8.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Middlewich | Cheshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.8% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.8% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cheshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
36 listed buildings in Middlewich.
64, St Ann's Road: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kinderton Mill: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Middlewich Branch of Shropshire Union Canal Lock-Keeper's Cottage: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Stanthorne Weir and Bridge: Photo: Jonathan Hutchins · CC BY-SA 2.0
8 notable people were born in Middlewich.
Samuel Challinor: Thebees1889, CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlewich | 14,428 | — | C+ | B+ | C | C |
| Elworth | 7,646 | 3.5 | A | B | B | B+ |
| Winsford | 32,522 | 3.5 | D | B | D | D |
| Holmes Chapel | 6,674 | 3.7 | A | C+ | A− | A |
| Davenham | 13,840 | 4.5 | B+ | C | A− | B− |
| Sandbach | 11,289 | 4.6 | B | B | C | C+ |
| Wheelock | 2,155 | 4.7 | — | B | C+ | B |
| Rudheath | 4,803 | 4.8 | B− | B− | C+ | C− |
Wheelock has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
About the middle for its size: 49% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £220,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £144,750, terraced houses £165,000, semi-detached houses £200,000 and detached houses £310,000.
Band D council tax in Middlewich is £2,503 for 2026–27, more than in 65% 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.
Town in Cheshire, England
Middlewich is a built-up area of 14,428 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.