Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 3,212 residents and lies in Cheshire, North West.
A well-rated place to live, with prices to match. Its schools beat most: primary results beat 95% of towns in England; secondary results beat 96% of towns in England. Residents are healthier than most (A+): life expectancy is 84.2 for men and 87.4 for women. Buying in is costly (D): a typical home costs £375,000 and rent runs £991 a month. Put together, the subjects come to an A overall, ranking #4 of 46 in Cheshire. That leaves it better than 92% of UK towns.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Tarporley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Tarporley does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 31 buildings inside Tarporley’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
18% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →31 listed buildings in Tarporley.
Market Hall: Photo: Adam Kenyon · CC BY 3.0 · The Swan Hotel: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Manor House: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cross base and shaft in St Helen's churchyard: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Tarporley.
At the 2 primary schools within 3 km, nearly three quarters of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Tarporley High School and Sixth Form College’s results beat 88% of schools in England like it. Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 57.5, with 66% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Below are its two schools.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarporley CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 259 | A |
| Tarporley High School and Sixth Form CollegeLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,219 | A |
14% of residents have a disability, below Cheshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Asked at the census, 87% of residents of Tarporley said they were in good or very good health. Also worth knowing: the nearest A&E to Tarporley is Leighton Hospital, 8.3 miles away. At the census, 3.5% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2021 | Tarporley | Cheshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Private renters make up just over one in ten households, below Cheshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. 6% of households rent from a council or housing body. The £375,000 median rests on 169 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £607,500 | 64 |
| Semi-detached | £335,000 | 57 |
| Terraced | £240,500 | 34 |
| Flat or maisonette | £154,750 | 14 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Each year, 4.1 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded per 1,000 residents. Police recorded 91 crimes inside Tarporley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 7 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence comes to 17.1 per 1,000 residents a 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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
18% of its homes were built before 1919, above both Cheshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%). Listed buildings per head: 97 for every 10,000 residents of Tarporley. Grade II* covers 3 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 44% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car carried 85% of commuters at the census. Working mainly from home: 44% of workers, above both Cheshire’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (31%). At the census, 13% of commuters got to work without a car.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
7.9% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below both Cheshire’s towns (10%) and England’s towns (12%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 28% of residents. The middle age in Tarporley is 50.1. The under-15s are 16% of the population here.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 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.
| Tarporley | Cheshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.9% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.1% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 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 Tarporley. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageBeeston Castle2.9 km outside town, to the southwest
CastlePeckforton Castle4.2 km outside town, to the southwestFortFort · National TrustOakmere hill fort5 km outside town, to the northCastleCastle · English HeritageBeeston Castle and Woodland Park3 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionCotebrook Shire Horse Centre2.5 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionBunbury Mill3.5 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Town in Cheshire, England
Tarporley is a built-up area of 3,212 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarporley | 3,212 | — | A | D | A− | A+ |
| Bunbury | 1,259 | 2.9 | — | C− | A | A− |
| Kelsall | 2,997 | 4 | A+ | D | A+ | A+ |
| Tattenhall | 2,296 | 4.6 | — | D | A | A− |
| Tarvin | 2,744 | 4.9 | A | C | A+ | A+ |
| Winsford | 32,522 | 6.1 | D | B | D | D |
| Cuddington | 5,860 | 6.2 | A− | C− | B+ | A− |
| Christleton and Waverton | 2,670 | 7.1 | A | D | B+ | A |
Bunbury and Tattenhall have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Among the strongest in England: GCSE results beat 96% of towns in England, and primary results beat 95% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Tarporley has 2 state schools; places are handled by Cheshire West and Chester council.
That is 4 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Police recorded 91 crimes inside Tarporley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 59% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £375,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £154,750, terraced houses £240,500, semi-detached houses £335,000 and detached houses £607,500.
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.