Bude grades D− overall against UK towns: better than 3% of UK towns, and #30 of 35 in Cornwall. Its strongest subject is walkability (A): 25% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is cost of living (D−): median sale £355,000, 7.7 years of area income; rent £1,000 a month.
Devon And Cornwall Police published 33 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Bude is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bude.
Who lives here
An older town: 30% of people in Bude are 65 or over, more than in Cornwall’s towns or England’s towns
Children are 15% of the town. People aged 15 to 24 make up nearly a tenth of the town, below Cornwall’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Half of Bude is older than 50.5, half younger. 27% of adults hold a degree.
50.5median age
BudeCornwallEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level27%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 91 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.
ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsC−
Bude’s schools fall behind 84% of towns in England on results
Just over half of pupils at the 3 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: two in five pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 43.7. Between them, two primaries and one secondary teach 1,501 pupils in Bude.
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 3 schools →
HousingCost of living grade D−
For cost of living grade, Bude gets a D−
Private rents average £1,000 a month across the Cornwall council area. The £355,000 median rests on 309 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026). Social housing holds 16% of households, about level with Cornwall’s towns (15%) and below England’s towns (18%).
£355Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Bude£355K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£430,000
133
Semi-detached
£325,000
69
Terraced
£283,750
52
Flat or maisonette
£185,000
55
61%
of households own their home · England 61%
£1,000
average private rent a month, Cornwall council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
4.3% of 16 to 64s in Bude claim unemployment benefits, more than in Cornwall’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Jobs per working resident: 1.2. About 38% of its commuters stay in Bude for work. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 55%, above both Cornwall’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). The average household earns £43K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Violence is recorded more often in Bude than in Cornwall’s towns or across England’s towns: 38.2 per 1,000 residents a year
Burglary and damage come to 11.4 per 1,000 residents a year. A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 491 offences in Bude and 63 cases of nuisance behaviour. Also worth knowing: among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Bude has more crime per resident than just over four fifths of them. There were 13 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above both Cornwall’s towns (6.8) and England’s towns (7.8).
38.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 19% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual273
Shoplifting64
Other theft47
Damage & arson42
Public order26
Burglary14
Vehicle crime7
Theft from person4
Anti-social63
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.
38.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Bude is 28 miles from the nearest A&E
At the census, 6.7% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, close to Cornwall’s towns (6.4%) and above England’s towns (5.2%). One GP practice serves the town; just over four in five patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Asked at the census, 77% of residents of Bude said they were in good or very good health.
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.
History
Bude has 19 listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Before 1919: that is when 21% of homes were built. Conservation areas cover 15% of Bude’s land, higher than both Cornwall’s towns (0%) and England’s towns (7%). Grade II* covers 2 of them.
Stratton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Bude
How much is council tax in Bude?
Band D council tax in Bude is £2,723 for 2026–27, more than in 97% 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.
Are schools in Bude good?
Bude has 3 state schools; places are handled by Cornwall council.
Does Bude flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Bude
Town in Cornwall, England
Bude is a built-up area of 7,347 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
Population
7,347 (Census 2021)
Council
Cornwall
County
Cornwall
Region
South West
Area
1 sq mi (2.6 km²)
ONS code
E63006525
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.
