Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 216 in Clwyd, Wales.
Betws-y-Coed has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. Pre-1919 homes make up 68% of the housing. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 43% of commuters. It skews older: 30% of residents are 65 or over.
The 3 things Betws-y-Coed does most differently from other towns.
Cadw lists them inside Betws-y-Coed’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
68% 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 Betws-y-Coed.
People aged 15 to 24 make up nearly a tenth of the town, and on top of that 7.9% are under 15, below both Clwyd’s towns (17%) and Wales’s towns (17%). Over-65s are 30% of the population. Half of Betws-y-Coed is older than 53.4, half younger.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Betws-y-Coed | Clwyd | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 7.9% | 17% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 23% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 36% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 30% | 23% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 20% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 6.5% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 9.7% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 45% | 29% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Clwyd and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 53% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For 36% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. 53% of workers worked mainly from home, above Clwyd’s towns (19%) and Wales’s towns (24%) alike. In 2026, 1.7% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds 1% of households, below both Clwyd’s towns (16%) and Wales’s towns (18%). Private rents average £796 a month across the Conwy council area. Renting privately is how 19% of households live.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £281,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 24% of recorded crime. Over the year to August 2026, 25 offences were reported in Betws-y-Coed, along with 11 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Violent crime ran at 42 per 1,000 residents a year, above Clwyd’s towns (34.4) and Wales’s towns (33.8) alike.
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.
At the census, nearly a fifth of people here had a disability, below Clwyd’s towns (22%) and Wales’s towns (22%) alike. Betws-y-Coed has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 0.6 miles away. The nearest A&E to Betws-y-Coed is Ysbyty Gwynedd, 16.7 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Betws-y-Coed | Clwyd | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 79% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.4% | 6.5% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 22% | 22% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy among them.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 42% of Betws-y-Coed’s land, above both Clwyd’s towns (2%) and Wales’s towns (0%). The town’s listed buildings include Waterloo Bridge, Grade I. It has 324 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Of the town’s 7 listed buildings on Cadw’s list, Grade I counts 1 and Grade II* 3.
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Betws-y-Coed. Best known first.
MuseumConwy Valley Railway Museumin town
CastleGwydir Castle4 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseum · National TrustTŷ Mawr Wybrnant4.1 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionGo Below2.3 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric siteHistoric siteBeddrod Siambr Capel Garmon2.2 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionTŷ Hyll3.2 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Village in Clwyd, Wales
Betws-y-Coed is a built-up area of 216 people, in the Conwy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betws-y-Coed | 216 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Llanrwst | 2,463 | 3.1 | — | B− | D | B− |
| Blaenau Ffestiniog | 3,449 | 8.8 | C | A | D | C− |
| Llansanffraid Glan Conwy | 1,663 | 12 | — | C | A | C+ |
Llanrwst and Llansanffraid Glan Conwy have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
7 on Cadw’s list, 1 of them Grade I and 3 Grade II*. That is 13.3 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Waterloo Bridge. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Band D council tax in Betws-y-Coed is £2,473 for 2026–27, more than in 57% of UK towns (the Conwy council average, with police and community councils). 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) · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, 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.