Penwithick’s story
No listed buildings inside Penwithick’s built-up area
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PenwithickCornwall
A village of 1,706 in Cornwall, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Tony Atkin · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,706
Census 2021 · Cornwall council
Median home
£195K
87 sales in 3 years
Median age
36.7
16% are 65+ · Cornwall 24%
Degree level
19%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Penwithick a good place to live?
Penwithick has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is walkability (D−): 6% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. The median home sold for £195,000 in the last three years, 4.2 times what households in the Cornwall council area earn in a year.
Devon And Cornwall Police published 33 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
What makes Penwithick stand out
The 3 things Penwithick does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
42% of commuters travel under 5 km.
Degree level, 16+
Education
19% have a degree
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Cornwall 30%.
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
How Penwithick grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Penwithick is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
WalkabilityD−Open →SafetyDOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £43,868; 3% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsDOpen →Hazard riskAOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 39% of towns in England; secondary results beat 23% of towns in EnglandCOpen →Cost of livingrent £1,000 a monthCOpen →HealthLife expectancy 79.8 for men, 82.6 for womenCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryC−Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 15 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsAOpen →Civic life2.3 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryCOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Eden Project and 6 more in and around Penwithick
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Penwithick. Best known first.
GardenEden Project2.4 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumWheal Martyn Clay Works1.8 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseTregrehan House3.4 km outside town, to the southeast
GardenPinetum Gardens3.6 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionCornwall FootballGolf Park3.1 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionKidzworld4 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Eden Project: Jürgen Matern, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Wheal Martyn Clay Works: AtticTapestry, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tregrehan House: Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pinetum Gardens: Paul Barnett, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Penwithick.
Who lives here
Children make up 22% of Penwithick, above Cornwall’s towns and England’s towns
Penwithick sits above both Cornwall’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%) on this measure. Those 65 and older account for 16% of residents. Penwithick has a median age of 36.7.
36.7median age
PenwithickCornwallEngland
Ages · share of residents
11%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level19%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Penwithick | Cornwall | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 16% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.8% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 19% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
More commuters in Penwithick drive than in Cornwall’s towns or England’s towns: 92%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 17% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Penwithick above both Cornwall’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). 17% of workers worked mainly from home at the census.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
On foot4%
Bus1%
17%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£44K
mean household income, before tax
3%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D−
Walkability: more walkable than 2% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Violent crime runs high in Penwithick: 50.1 per 1,000 residents a year, above Cornwall’s towns and England’s towns
On this, Penwithick is above both Cornwall’s towns (25) and England’s towns (22). Homes see 12.8 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 153 crimes inside Penwithick’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 26 reports of anti-social behaviour.
50.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearDSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 4% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual99
Damage & arson17
Public order9
Other theft9
Vehicle crime6
Other crime6
Drugs4
Burglary2
Anti-social26
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.
50.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.8
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
15.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
153
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
History
0 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Penwithick has 0 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 27% of its homes were built before 1919.
0listed buildingsC−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
27%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C
Penwithick gets a C for cost of living grade
Half the homes sold went for more than £195K, below both Cornwall’s towns (£279K) and England’s towns (£308K).
£195Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Penwithick£195K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £338,500 | 29 |
| Semi-detached | £190,000 | 37 |
| Terraced | £160,500 | 10 |
| Flat or maisonette | £185,000 | 11 |
60%
of households own their home · England 61%
22%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,000
average private rent a month, Cornwall council area
£2,464
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
80% of residents say their health is good or very good
80% of Penwithick’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.
80%good or very good healthCHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Penwithick | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.8% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 22% | 17% |
79.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Penwithick
14pages on Penwithick
The big questions
SafetyD50.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingCMedian home £195K · rent £1,000 a monthHousing19 sold in 12 months · busiest street Penwithick ParkSchoolsCHealthCLife expectancy 79.8 (men), 82.6 (women)Work & commuteD39% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Penwithick’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BugleSt AustellCarlyon BayTrewoonSt BlazeyRocheTywardreathPenwithick
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penwithick | 1,706 | — | — | C | D | C |
| Bugle | 2,430 | 1.9 | — | C− | D− | C |
| St Austell | 24,361 | 2.1 | D− | D | D | C− |
| Carlyon Bay | 1,174 | 2.8 | — | D− | B+ | B+ |
| Trewoon | 1,246 | 2.9 | — | D | B | C |
| St Blazey | 6,569 | 2.9 | D | C− | C | C |
| Roche | 2,311 | 3.5 | — | C− | B− | C− |
| Tywardreath | 2,589 | 3.7 | C− | D− | B | B− |
Bugle, Carlyon Bay, Trewoon and Roche have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Penwithick
Is Penwithick safe?
Police recorded 153 crimes inside Penwithick’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 65% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking. Burglary was rare, with 2 reports in the year.
Are schools in Penwithick good?
GCSE results trail 77% of towns in England, and primary results trail 61% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Places are handled by Cornwall council.
Is Penwithick expensive to live in?
By type: flats £185,000, terraced houses £160,500, semi-detached houses £190,000 and detached houses £338,500. Private rents in the Cornwall council area averaged £1,000 a month in August 2026. Household incomes are lower than in 84% of UK towns, so cost of living grades C.
About Penwithick
Village in Cornwall, England
Penwithick is a built-up area of 1,706 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
- 1,706 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Cornwall
- County
- Cornwall
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006930
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.