Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 565: a village in Cornwall, South West.
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Ashton has no grades; its figures are still real. 4% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. 44% of homes were built before 1919. Over-65s are nearly a third of the population.
The 3 things Ashton does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 2 buildings inside Ashton’s built-up area.
44% 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 Ashton.
Half the people of Ashton are older than 53.2. People aged 15 to 24 make up 6.2% of the town, lower than both Cornwall’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Degrees are held by 34% of adults.
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Ashton | Cornwall | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.2% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 32% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.2% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 34% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Its one school is below. At the 4 primary schools within 3 km, 51% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town’s primary school has 39 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breage CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 39 | D− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 25% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
In 2026, 1.9% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits. The car took 93% of commuters, above both Cornwall’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). Income per household averages £46K a year, before tax. About 6% of its commuters stay in Ashton for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Private renters make up 15% of households. 2% live in social housing, lower than both Cornwall’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). The £410,000 median rests on 28 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £464,800 | 23 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Of all the crimes, 58% were violence and sexual offences. Violence comes to 19.3 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 19 crimes inside Ashton’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. There were 1.3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both Cornwall’s towns (6.8) and England’s towns (7.8).
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.
Ashton has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.4 miles away. At the census, 83% of people in Ashton called their health good or very good, higher than Cornwall’s towns (79%) and near England’s towns (82%). The nearest A&E to Ashton is Royal Cornwall Hospital, 15.8 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Ashton | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.7% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 22% | 17% |
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Ashton has 2 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, all Grade II. It is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. Relative to its size, Ashton keeps 35 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Ashton. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustGodolphin Estate3 km outside town, to the north
Heritage railwayHelston Railway3.5 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseTrevarno Gardens3.6 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumMuseum of Cornish Life4.9 km outside town, to the east
Historic house · National TrustGodolphin House3 km outside town, to the northCastleCastlePengersick Castle1.6 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton | 565 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Porthleven | 3,118 | 2.1 | D | D− | B | B− |
| Helston | 11,366 | 3.4 | D | D | C+ | B− |
| Goldsithney | 1,346 | 4.2 | — | D− | B+ | C+ |
| Reawla | 1,117 | 5.2 | — | D | B+ | C |
| St Erth | 1,128 | 5.5 | — | D− | C | C+ |
| Marazion | 1,350 | 5.5 | — | D− | C+ | C |
| Hayle | 9,040 | 6.4 | D− | D− | C− | C |
Goldsithney, Reawla, St Erth and Marazion have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
2 on Historic England’s list. That is 1.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Part of it is in the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £410,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. Private rents in the Cornwall council area averaged £1,000 a month in August 2026.
Village in Cornwall, England
Ashton is a built-up area of 565 people, in the Cornwall 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.