Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 571 in Cornwall, South West.
Budock Water has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Budock Water does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Budock Water’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
12% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Budock Water. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritagePendennis Castle3.7 km outside town, to the east
Garden · National TrustGlendurgan Garden3.4 km outside town, to the south
Art galleryFalmouth Art Gallery2 km outside town, to the east
MuseumNational Maritime Museum Cornwall2.7 km outside town, to the east
Art galleryFalmouth Municipal Buildings2 km outside town, to the east
CastleLittle Dennis4.1 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Budock Water.
Degrees are held by 36% of adults, above Cornwall’s towns (30%) and England’s towns (34%) alike. Retirement age and beyond: 30% of residents are 65 or older. The middle age in Budock Water is 51.9. Children under 15 make up 13% of residents.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Budock Water | Cornwall | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
54% of commuters travelled under 5 km, above Cornwall’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. Budock Water counts 0.7 jobs per working resident. At the census, 12% 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
Private tenants account for one in ten households. Social housing holds nearly one in ten households, lower than both Cornwall’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). 26 standard sales inside Budock Water’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £295,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £540,000 | 7 |
| Semi-detached | £318,500 | 8 |
| Terraced | £279,000 | 11 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Per 1,000 residents, 5.1 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded a year. Over the year to August 2026, 16 offences were reported in Budock Water. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 1.3 reports per 1,000, below both Cornwall’s towns (6.8) and England’s towns (7.8). Of all the crimes, 50% were violence and sexual offences.
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.
4.6% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below both Cornwall’s towns (6.4%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Seeing a GP means leaving Budock Water: the nearest practice is 1 miles away. The nearest A&E to Budock Water is Royal Cornwall Hospital, 8.2 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Budock Water | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.6% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 22% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · 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 and early deaths among them.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list names 31 listed buildings in Budock Water: 1 Grade II*. 12% of homes were built before 1919. Also worth knowing: this Cornwall town has one scheduled monument.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budock Water | 571 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Falmouth | 24,066 | 1.2 | C | D− | C | C+ |
| Penryn | 11,194 | 1.5 | C+ | D | B | C+ |
| Mawnan Smith | 1,001 | 2.3 | — | D− | A+ | A− |
| Mylor Bridge | 1,534 | 2.8 | — | D− | A+ | A |
| Stithians | 1,613 | 4.2 | — | D− | A− | B |
| Perranarworthal | 1,305 | 4.4 | — | D− | A+ | A |
| Carnon Downs and Devoran | 2,129 | 4.9 | — | D− | A | A− |
Mawnan Smith, Mylor Bridge, Stithians, Perranarworthal and Carnon Downs and Devoran have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 22.3 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Close to the typical UK town: the median sale over three years was £295,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £279,000, semi-detached houses £318,500 and detached houses £540,000. Private rents in the Cornwall council area averaged £1,000 a month in August 2026.
Village in Cornwall, England
Budock Water is a built-up area of 571 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.