Penley’s story
2 listed buildings
Cadw lists them inside Penley’s built-up area.
31% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PenleyClwyd
A village of 733 in Clwyd, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: John H Darch · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
733
Census 2021 · Wrexham council
Median home
£252K
28 sales in 3 years
Median age
39.1
13% are 65+ · Clwyd 23%
Degree level
37%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Penley a good place to live?
Penley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Penley stand out
The 2 things Penley does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Penley.
Work & commute
Work tends to be further away for Penley: 16% commute under 5 km, below Clwyd’s towns and Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
One in ten commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, lower than both Clwyd’s towns (15%) and Wales’s towns (16%). The car carried 87% of commuters at the census. Work in town: 11% of resident commuters. Unemployment benefit claims reached 1% of 16 to 64s in 2026.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot8%
Bus1%
Train1%
Bicycle1%
16%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
24%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£50K
mean household income, before tax
1%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Schools
2 state schools in Penley
Every one of them is shown below. Penley’s one primary and one secondary have 908 pupils between them.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madras Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 121 | – |
| The Maelor SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 787 | – |
Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.See all 2 schools →
Housing
A home in Penley sells for £252K, more than in both Clwyd’s towns and Wales’s towns
Private renters make up 14% of households, lower than both Clwyd’s towns (17%) and Wales’s towns (17%). Home ownership stands at 71% of households. 13% of households rent from a council or housing body.
£252Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Penley£252K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £331,750 | 14 |
| Semi-detached | £255,000 | 5 |
| Terraced | £152,500 | 9 |
71%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
14%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£770
average private rent a month, Wrexham council area
£2,309
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Homes in Penley see less burglary and damage than in Clwyd’s towns or Wales’s towns: 3.2 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences were 70% of the crimes. 47 crimes and 8 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Penley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. There were 9.6 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Clwyd’s towns (15.1) and close to Wales’s towns (10.4).
35.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual33
Other theft5
Damage & arson2
Public order2
Burglary1
Drugs1
Vehicle crime1
Theft from person1
Anti-social8
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.
35.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
47
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.
Health
Disability is less common in Penley, 15% of residents, than in Clwyd’s towns and Wales’s towns
The nearest A&E to Penley is Wrexham Maelor Hospital, 8.5 miles away. At the census, 85% of people in Penley called their health good or very good, above both Clwyd’s towns (79%) and Wales’s towns (78%). 3.7% of residents report bad or very bad health. There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 1.7 miles off.
85%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Penley | Clwyd | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 79% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 6.5% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 22% | 22% |
Welsh towns’ Health Grades use ONS’s small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns’ also use OHID’s small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy.
History
Penley’s listed buildings: 2, all Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Penley has 2 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Cadw’s list, all Grade II. 31% of its homes were built before 1919.
2listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II2
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
31%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
27
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
A town of families: 23% of people in Penley are under 15, more than in both Clwyd’s towns and Wales’s towns
37% of adults hold a degree. People 65 and over make up 13% of the town, below both Clwyd’s towns (23%) and Wales’s towns (21%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 10% of the town. Half of Penley is older than 39.1, half younger.
39.1median age
PenleyClwydWales
Ages · share of residents
10%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level37%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Penley | Clwyd | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 23% | 17% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 23% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 13% | 23% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 20% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.2% | 6.5% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 29% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Clwyd and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Penley
12pages on Penley
The big questions
Safety35.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £252K · rent £770 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 months · busiest street Henka RoadSchools2 state schools (no results published in Wales)HealthWork & commute45% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Penley’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
EllesmerePentre MaelorMarchwielSt MartinsMalpasRuabonWhitchurchPenley
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penley | 733 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ellesmere | 4,268 | 3.5 | B− | A− | C+ | B− |
| Pentre Maelor | 1,814 | 6 | — | C+ | D− | C+ |
| Marchwiel | 1,038 | 6.1 | — | B | B | C |
| St Martins | 2,692 | 6.1 | B− | A | B | C+ |
| Malpas | 1,361 | 6.2 | — | C+ | C− | A− |
| Ruabon | 3,414 | 7.4 | C− | B+ | D | C |
| Whitchurch | 9,856 | 7.7 | C | B+ | C+ | C |
Pentre Maelor, Marchwiel and Malpas have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Penley
How many listed buildings are there in Penley?
2 on Cadw’s list.
Who lives in Penley?
A young village. At the 2021 Census, 23% of residents were under 15 and 27% were 25 to 44, against 17% and 25% across Wales’s towns; only 13% were 65 or over.
How much is council tax in Penley?
Band D council tax in Penley is £2,309 for 2026–27, less than in 74% of UK towns (the Wrexham council average, with police and community councils). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Penley
Village in Clwyd, Wales
Penley is a built-up area of 733 people, in the Wrexham 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
- 733 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wrexham
- County
- Clwyd
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000173
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.