Penzance grades D− overall against UK towns: behind almost every UK town. Its strongest subject is walkability (A+): 33% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is jobs & income (D−): mean household income £38,337; 5.4% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. The median home sold for £255,000 in the last three years, 5.5 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.

StrongestA⁺WalkabilityWeakestD⁻Jobs & income DCost of living

What makes Penzance stand out

The 3 things Penzance does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Listed buildings per 10,000 residents

History

211 listed buildings

2 Grade I, including Egyptian House; 5.8 times the typical UK town for its size

Historic England’s list, October 2026.

Household income, against UK towns

Work

Mean, before tax: lower than in 97% of UK towns

ONS small-area income estimates.

Residents 65 and over

Who lives here

27% are 65 or over

Against 18% across England’s towns

How Penzance grades

Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Penzance is from typical. American towns are graded separately.

How grading works

WalkabilityA⁺Open →Jobs & incomeD⁻Open →Cost of livingrent £1,000 a monthDOpen →SafetyDOpen →Hazard risk3.3% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaDOpen →HealthLife expectancy 75.8 for men, 83.4 for womenC⁻Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 23% of towns in England; secondary results beat 29% of towns in EnglandC⁻Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

History43% of homes built before 1919A⁺Open →Outdoors96% live within 400 m of a park; 34% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeAOpen →Civic life3.3 local charities per 1,000 residents; 86% live within 1 km of a libraryAOpen →

How TownRatings grades towns →

The Fish Market, Newlyn, Penzance. Frith's Series POSTCARD No.1675. Harbour View CORNWALL, 1675 · Photo: Mark Crombie · Public domain

Penzance’s story

Penzance in pictures

Historic England lists 211 buildings inside Penzance’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I, and 2 scheduled monuments.

43% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.

The archive holds 7 old photos and postcards going back to 1675 and a map from c. 1855.

1679'The Harbour', Newlyn, Penzance. Frith's Series POSTCARD No.1679. (Ha…
c. 1890Penzance, Land's End, Cornwall, England
c. 1890Penzance, general view, Cornwall, England

Explore the history →

Nearby attractions

Penlee House, Gallery & Museum and 16 more in and around Penzance

Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Penzance. Best known first.

All attractions →

MuseumPenlee House, Gallery & Museumin town

PierSouth Pierin town

MuseumTrinity House National Lighthouse Museumin town

Garden · National TrustTrengwainton Gardens600 m outside town, to the west

Historic houseYHA Penzance200 m outside town, to the west

Historic houseTrereife House700 m outside town, to the southwest

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (6)

Penlee House, Gallery & Museum: Purely Penzance, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
South Pier: Bob Embleton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Trinity House National Lighthouse Museum: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Trengwainton Gardens: N p holmes, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
YHA Penzance: Edmund Gooch, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Trereife House: Rod Allday, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Penzance.

History

Penzance keeps more of its old housing than Cornwall or England’s towns: 43% built before 1919

The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.

In the comparison, Penzance comes above both Cornwall’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (16%). Penzance has 141 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Penzance’s listed buildings include Egyptian House, Grade I.

211listed buildingsA⁺History Grade

Listed buildings by grade · Historic England

Grade I2

Grade II*12

Grade II197

Among them · Grade I

Egyptian House Grade I
Market Building Grade I

scheduled monuments

registered park and garden

43%

of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%

141

listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24

Full pagePenzance’s history pageOpen the page

Homes by age43% built before 1919 · Older homes Listed buildings211 listed buildings Vs. the neighboursAhead of all 7 graded neighbours Questions“How many listed buildings are there in Penzance?”

Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL

SchoolsC⁻

Results at Penzance’s schools trail 79% of towns in England

Alverton Primary School’s results beat 77% of schools in England like it. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

C⁻School Grade

School	Level	Pupils	Letter
Alverton Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary	Primary	386	A⁻
Mounts Bay AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary	Secondary	922	C⁺

Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 9 schools →

Work & commuteJobs & income grade D⁻

Penzance is more walkable than 97% of UK towns

The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 20% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.

Short trips to work, under 5 km: 56%, above both Cornwall’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). 63% of commuters drove to work at the census.

33%walk, cycle or ride

How commuters got to work · March 2021

Driving63%

On foot26%

Bus3%

Bicycle3%

Train2%

56%

of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%

20%

worked mainly from home in March 2021

£38K

mean household income, before tax

5.4%

of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)

A⁺

Walkability: more walkable than 97% of UK towns

Full pagePenzance’s work & commute pageOpen the page

Commute map33% walk, cycle or ride Jobs based here6,600 jobs based here · Health and social care is the biggest, 19%Household income£38K a year · Mean household income Getting to work56% go under 5 km · Short trips to work

ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL

HousingCost of living grade D

Social housing is more common in Penzance than in Cornwall’s towns or across England’s towns, at 23% of households

For Penzance, that is above both Cornwall’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). 52% of households own their home.

£255Kmedian sale

Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026

Penzance£255K

Typical UK town£277K

By type	Median	Sales
Detached	£433,500	79
Semi-detached	£285,000	81
Terraced	£250,000	307
Flat or maisonette	£181,000	135

52%

of households own their home · England 61%

24%

rent privately · England 21%

£1,000

average private rent a month, Cornwall council area

£2,718

council tax, Band D, 2026–27

Full pagePenzance’s housing & cost pageOpen the page

House pricesMedian sale £255,000 Renting£1,000 a month · Average private rent Council tax£2,718 Band D · Council tax, 2026–27 Owners and renters52% own their home

HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL

Safety

Violence is recorded more often in Penzance than in Cornwall’s towns or across England’s towns: 53 per 1,000 residents a year

Penzance sits above both Cornwall’s towns (25) and England’s towns (22) on this measure. Homes see 18.7 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 1,520 crimes inside Penzance’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 341 reports of anti-social behaviour.

53violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearDSafety Grade

Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 11% 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 & sexual731

Damage & arson191

Shoplifting150

Public order136

Other theft111

Drugs52

Burglary34

Vehicle crime34

Anti-social341

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.

violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026

18.7

burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026

29.2

anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)

1,520

crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026

Full pagePenzance’s safety reportOpen the page

Safety Grade53 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 · Penzance has more crime per resident than 94% of UK towns Crime by typeViolence & sexual leads Vs. the neighboursBehind its 7 graded neighbours Questions“Is Penzance safe?”

data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL

Who lives here

Children make up only 14% of Penzance, fewer than in Cornwall’s towns and England’s towns

That puts Penzance below both Cornwall’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Over-65s are 27% of the population. Penzance has a median age of 49.2.

49.2median age

PenzanceCornwallEngland

CornwallEngland

Ages · share of residents

27%

Qualifications · residents 16 and older

No qualifications17%

Apprenticeship7%

A levels or similar18%

Degree level30%

Women and men · all residents

51% women, 49% men

About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.

Ages and qualifications in Penzance
	Penzance	Cornwall	England
Under 15	14%	16%	18%
15–24	11%	11%	12%
25–44	20%	22%	27%
45–64	29%	27%	25%
65+	27%	24%	18%
No qualifications	17%	17%	18%
Apprenticeship	6.5%	6.7%	5.3%
A levels or similar	18%	19%	17%
Degree level	30%	30%	34%

Full pagePenzance’s Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages49.2 median age · 27% are 65 or over Households7,549 households · 52% own their home Where people were born6.3% born outside the UK Questions“What is the population of Penzance?”

ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL

Health

Disability is more common in Penzance than in Cornwall’s towns or across England’s towns: 27% of residents

On this, Penzance is above both Cornwall’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Penzance is Royal Cornwall Hospital, 22.4 miles away. 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.

74%good or very good healthC⁻Health Grade

General health, self-reported

Good or very good 74%Fair 17%Bad or very bad 9%

Census 2021	Penzance	Cornwall	England
Good or very good health	74%	79%	82%
Bad or very bad health	8.9%	6.4%	5.2%
Disabled (Equality Act)	27%	22%	17%

75.8

life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)

83.4

life expectancy at birth, women

Full pagePenzance’s health pageOpen the page

Health GradeLife expectancy: women 83.4, men 75.8 Getting care22.4 miles to A&E · Royal Cornwall Hospital GP practices4 GP practices · 83% rate their practice good Census health74% in good health

ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Penzance

15pages on Penzance

The big questions

SafetyD53 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 Cost of livingDMedian home £255K · rent £1,000 a month Housing157 sold in 12 months · busiest street New Town Lane SchoolsC⁻9 state schools HealthC⁻Life expectancy 75.8 (men), 83.4 (women)Work & commuteD⁻58% of working residents work in the town Flood & hazardsD3.3% of homes at high or medium flood risk

Out and about

OutdoorsA96% live within 400 m of a park AttractionsClimateJuly highs of 19°C (67°F), 1,221 mm of rain a year Weather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 49.2 · 14,957 people HistoryA⁺211 listed buildings, 2 Grade I Town Hall & politicsCouncil area: Cornwall Famous people69 born here, among them Humphry Davy

Landmarks

211 listed buildings in Penzance, 2 of them Grade I.

All landmarks →

Market BuildingGrade I listed

Egyptian HouseGrade I listed

Parish Church of St MaryGrade II* listed

Warehouse Occupied by Courts (Furnishers)Grade II listed

Photo credits

Market Building: Photo: Nilfanion · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Egyptian House: Photo: Jhsteel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Parish Church of St Mary: Photo: Electric Antiquarian · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Warehouse Occupied by Courts (Furnishers): Photo: Simon Cobb · CC0

Famous people from Penzance

69 notable people were born in Penzance.

See all 69 →

Humphry DavyBritish chemist · 1778–1829

Stanley JohnsonBritish politician (born 1940)

George EusticeBritish politician (born 1971)

William ColensoNew Zealand printer, botanist, explorer, missionary and pol…

Francis Polkinghorne PascoeEnglish entomologist (1813–1893)

George Marsden WaterhousePremier of South Australia and Premier of New Zealand (1824…

Photo credits

Humphry Davy: Thomas Phillips, Public domain · Stanley Johnson: Ravenswoodschool, CC BY 2.0 · George Eustice: David Woolfall, CC BY 3.0 · William Colenso: Unlisted photographer, before 1898, Public domain · George Marsden Waterhouse: not identified, Public domain

Penzance’s neighbours

The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →

All towns in Cornwall →

LongrockNewlynMarazionCrowlasGoldsithneySt ErthCarbis BayPenzance

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Penzance	14,957	—	D⁻	D	D	C⁻
Longrock	1,983	1.1	—	D⁻	C⁻	C
Newlyn	3,362	1.3	D	D⁻	C⁺	C
Marazion	1,350	3.3	—	D⁻	C⁺	C
Crowlas	1,054	3.4	—	D	A⁻	B⁻
Goldsithney	1,346	4.7	—	D⁻	B⁺	C⁺
St Erth	1,128	6	—	D⁻	C	C⁺
Carbis Bay	3,967	6.1	C⁺	D⁻	A⁻	B

Longrock, Marazion, Crowlas, Goldsithney and St Erth have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.

Questions about Penzance

How many listed buildings are there in Penzance?

That is 5.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Egyptian House. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.

Is Penzance safe?

It has more crime per resident than most places its size: 89% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less. Police recorded 1,520 crimes inside Penzance’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 48% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.

How much is council tax in Penzance?

Band D council tax in Penzance is £2,718 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.

About Penzance

Town in Cornwall, England

Penzance is a built-up area of 14,957 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: 14,957 (Census 2021)
Council: Cornwall
County: Cornwall
Region: South West
Area: 1.3 sq mi (3.4 km²)
ONS code: E63007065

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.