Rudheath’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Rudheath’s built-up area.
7% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
RudheathCheshire
4,803 people call this town in Cheshire, North West home.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Ian Warburton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
4,803
Census 2021 · Cheshire West and Chester council
Median home
£235K
195 sales in 3 years
Median age
42.9
18% are 65+ · Cheshire 21%
Degree level
24%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · England 27%
TownGrade
B−
#33 of 46 in Cheshire
Is Rudheath a good place to live?
Rudheath’s grades pull in different directions. The weak point is health — life expectancy 78.4 for men, 81.7 for women. Where it does best is hazard risk (A). Homes sell for a median £235,000, about 4.6 years of what households in the Cheshire West and Chester council area earn. Overall, that makes a B−, good for #33 of 46 in Cheshire. Set against the rest, it does better than nearly half of UK towns. The rest of its grades are middling: C+ for safety, B for schools and B− for walkability.
Figures: flood risk, Environment Agency · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021.
What makes Rudheath stand out
The thing Rudheath does most differently from other towns.
How Rudheath grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Rudheath is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →HealthBased on how healthy residents are for their agesC−Open →Jobs & incomeMean household income £46,457COpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 62% of towns in England; secondary results beat 60% of towns in EnglandBOpen →SafetyBased on crimes reported per residentC+Open →Cost of livingClose to the middle of the towns comparedB−Open →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History1 listed buildingD−Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 5.5 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsAOpen →Civic life1 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryDOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rudheath.
History
Rudheath’s one listed building is Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
7% of its homes were built before 1919, lower than both Cheshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%). For its size, Rudheath has the second fewest listed buildings of the towns in Cheshire.
1listed buildingsD−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
7%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
2
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
SchoolsB
Exam results at Rudheath’s schools top 64% of towns in England
Secondary results at the 4 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 47.1, with 48% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Its two schools are below. Some 947 pupils attend Rudheath’s one primary and one secondary.
BSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rudheath Primary Academy and NurseryLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 371 | C− |
| The Rudheath Senior AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 576 | D− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 2 schools →
Health
People in Rudheath live shorter lives than in 78% of UK towns
The nearest A&E to Rudheath is Leighton Hospital, 9.3 miles away. There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 0.5 miles off. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4.8% of the town.
81%good or very good healthC−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 81%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Rudheath | Cheshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.8% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 18% | 17% |
78.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
81.7
life expectancy at birth, women
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.
Safety
Violent crime runs high in Rudheath: 30.5 per 1,000 residents a year, above Cheshire’s towns and England’s towns
Homes see 4.7 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Rudheath logged 192 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 13 complaints of anti-social conduct. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 65% of recorded crime.
30.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 45% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual125
Public order21
Damage & arson11
Other crime11
Other theft7
Burglary5
Drugs5
Shoplifting2
Anti-social13
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.
30.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
192
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
HousingCost of living grade B−
Few households rent privately in Rudheath: 11%, fewer than in both Cheshire’s towns and England’s towns
Owners make up 71% of households, higher than both Cheshire’s towns (68%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £991 a month across the Cheshire West and Chester council area. The £235,000 median rests on 195 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
£235Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Rudheath£235K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £312,500 | 57 |
| Semi-detached | £220,000 | 105 |
| Terraced | £163,000 | 30 |
71%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£991
average private rent a month, Cheshire West and Chester council area
£2,544
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Fewer commuters in Rudheath walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Cheshire’s towns or England’s towns: 14%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Rudheath counts 2.1 jobs per working resident. The car took 84% of commuters, higher than both Cheshire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (70%). Unemployment benefit claims reached 2.8% of 16 to 64s in 2026. Of the commuters living in the town, 17% work in the town itself.
14%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving84%
On foot10%
Bicycle3%
Train1%
Bus1%
28%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£46K
mean household income, before tax
2.8%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B−
Walkability: more walkable than 51% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in Rudheath than in Cheshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 24% of adults
Half the people of Rudheath are older than 42.9. 9.7% of residents are 15 to 24, below both Cheshire’s towns (10%) and England’s towns (12%). Retirement age and beyond: 18% of residents are 65 or older.
42.9median age
RudheathCheshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
18%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar21%
Degree level24%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Rudheath | Cheshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.7% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cheshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Vale Royal Abbey and 3 more in and around Rudheath
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Rudheath. Best known first.
Historic houseVale Royal Abbey4.1 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumWeaver Hall Museum & Workhouse1.3 km outside town, to the west
MuseumLion Salt Works2.1 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionAnderton Boat Lift3.2 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Vale Royal Abbey: Peter I. Vardy, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Weaver Hall Museum & Workhouse: RLamb, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lion Salt Works: Chris Allen, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rudheath
14pages on Rudheath
The big questions
SafetyC+30.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingB−Median home £235K · rent £991 a monthHousing59 sold in 12 months · busiest street Medlock StreetSchoolsB2 state schoolsHealthC−Life expectancy 78.4 (men), 81.7 (women)Work & commuteC53% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Rudheath’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
NorthwichDavenhamLostock GralamPickmereHartfordBarntonWeaverhamRudheath
Questions about Rudheath
Is Rudheath safe?
About the middle for its size: 55% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, it grades C+. Burglary was rare, with 5 reports in the year.
Does Rudheath flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
How much is council tax in Rudheath?
Band D council tax in Rudheath is £2,544 for 2026–27, more than in 75% 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.
About Rudheath
Town in Cheshire, England
Rudheath is a built-up area of 4,803 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
- Population
- 4,803 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Cheshire West and Chester
- County
- Cheshire
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001600
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.