Newquay grades D overall against UK towns: better than 13% of UK towns, and #18 of 35 in Cornwall. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): 23% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is cost of living (D−): median sale £320,000, 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 Newquay is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 8 schools →
Safety
Violence is recorded more often in Newquay than in Cornwall’s towns or across England’s towns: 45.9 per 1,000 residents a year
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
In the comparison, Newquay comes above both Cornwall’s towns (25) and England’s towns (22). Burglary and damage come to 14.8 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 2,217 crimes inside Newquay’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 363 reports of anti-social behaviour.
45.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearDSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 22% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 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 & sexual1,162
Damage & arson238
Other theft221
Public order156
Drugs98
Shoplifting94
Vehicle crime71
Burglary54
Anti-social363
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.
45.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
14.8
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
18
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
81% of residents say their health is good or very good
81% of Newquay’s residents described their health as good or very good in 2021, against 79% across Cornwall’s towns. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Newquay has fewer young adults than Cornwall’s towns or England’s towns: 9.6% are 15 to 24
Newquay sits below both Cornwall’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) on this measure. People 65 and over make up 20% of the town. Half the people of Newquay are older than 42.7.
42.7median age
NewquayCornwallEngland
Ages · share of residents
20%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Quintrell Downs, St Newlyn East, St Erme and Trispen and St Merryn have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Newquay
Is Newquay safe?
It has more crime per resident than most places its size: 78% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less. Police recorded 2,217 crimes inside Newquay’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 52% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
How much is council tax in Newquay?
Band D council tax in Newquay is £2,724 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 Newquay good?
GCSE results beat 59% of towns in England, and primary results beat 60% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
About Newquay
Large town in Cornwall, England
Newquay is a built-up area of 24,543 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
24,543 (Census 2021)
Council
Cornwall
County
Cornwall
Region
South West
Area
2.6 sq mi (6.6 km²)
ONS code
E63006905
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.
