Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 11,366 in Cornwall, South West.
Helston grades D overall against UK towns: better than 15% of UK towns, and #14 of 35 in Cornwall. Its strongest subject is walkability (B+): 17% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is cost of living (D): median sale £255,000, 5.5 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.
The thing Helston does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Helston is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 209 buildings inside Helston’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I, and 3 scheduled monuments.
16% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 6 old photos and postcards going back to 1903.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Helston.
23% rent privately, above Cornwall’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Social renters account for 12% of households. 494 standard sales inside Helston’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £255,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £350,000 | 159 |
| Semi-detached | £275,000 | 126 |
| Terraced | £225,000 | 170 |
| Flat or maisonette | £130,000 | 39 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 43.9, and 41% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. Below are two of its 4 schools, each with why it was picked. Some 2,258 pupils attend Helston’s three primaries and one secondary.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parc Eglos SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 398 | C+ |
| Helston Community CollegeLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,297 | C+ |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Helston has 209 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 2 Grade I, 8 Grade II*. Homes from before 1919 make up 16% of the total, lower than Cornwall’s towns (24%) and near England’s towns (16%). The national list protects 3 ancient monuments here.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 16% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 80% of commuters, about level with Cornwall’s towns (78%) and above England’s towns (70%). Household income averages £51K a year before tax. Of the commuters living in Helston, 31% work in the town itself. Jobs per working resident: 0.8.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
There were 13.1 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above both Cornwall’s towns (6.8) and England’s towns (7.8). Police figures for Helston’s built-up area: 634 crimes and 124 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 56% of recorded crime.
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.
18% of residents have a disability, lower than Cornwall’s towns (22%) yet higher than England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Helston is Royal Cornwall Hospital, 13.7 miles away. 2 GP practices serve the town; 80% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Helston | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.9% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 22% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
The 65-and-over age group makes up 21% of residents. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 9.9% of residents, about level with Cornwall’s towns (11%) and below England’s towns (12%). The age that splits Helston in two is 41.8.
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Helston | Cornwall | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Helston. Best known first.
Theme parkThe Flambards Experiencein town
MuseumMuseum of Cornish Lifein town
Heritage railwayHelston Railway1.8 km outside town, to the northwest
ZooCornish Seal Sanctuary3.8 km outside town, to the east
Historic houseTrevarno Gardens1.7 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumPoldark Mine2.7 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
209 listed buildings in Helston, 2 of them Grade I.
Trenethick Barton Farmhouse Including Rear Courtyard and Walls and Gateway: Photo: Tony Atkin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Guildhall: Photo: Kevin Hale · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Church of St Michael: Photo: Dr Neil Clifton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Angel Hotel: Photo: Dr Neil Clifton · CC BY-SA 2.0
11 notable people were born in Helston.
Jon Cruddas: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0 · Henry Trengrouse: John Opie, Public domain · Tim Barrett: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Nathan Laird, U.S. Navy, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helston | 11,366 | — | D | D | C+ | B− |
| Porthleven | 3,118 | 2.3 | D | D− | B | B− |
| Mullion | 2,148 | 5.5 | — | D− | B | B |
| Troon | 1,402 | 6.4 | — | D | D | C− |
| Reawla | 1,117 | 6.6 | — | D | B+ | C |
| Four Lanes | 1,579 | 6.9 | — | D | B | C− |
| Stithians | 1,613 | 7.1 | — | D− | A− | B |
| Mawnan Smith | 1,001 | 7.1 | — | D− | A+ | A− |
Mullion, Troon, Reawla, Four Lanes, Stithians and Mawnan Smith have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 7.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Gatehouse and Adjoining Courtyard Walls Immediately in Front of Trenethick Barton Farmhouse. It also has 3 scheduled monuments.
Band D council tax in Helston is £2,678 for 2026–27, more than in 94% 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.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
GCSE results trail 65% of towns in England, and primary results trail 61% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Town in Cornwall, England
Helston is a built-up area of 11,366 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.