Polgooth’s story
5 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Polgooth’s built-up area.
18% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PolgoothCornwall
A village of 1,096 in Cornwall, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Tony Atkin · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,096
Census 2021 · Cornwall council
Median home
£325K
41 sales in 3 years
Median age
57.2
38% are 65+ · Cornwall 24%
Degree level
26%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Polgooth a good place to live?
Polgooth has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is safety (A+): 5 violent and sexual offences and 3 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Its weakest is cost of living (D−): median sale £325,000, 7.1 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.
What makes Polgooth stand out
The 3 things Polgooth does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
37% of commuters travel under 5 km.
99%of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
Safety
of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
Per resident, police.uk, 3 years.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
38% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How Polgooth grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Polgooth is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SafetyA+Open →Cost of livingrent £1,000 a monthD−Open →Hazard risk2.1% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC−Open →WalkabilityCOpen →HealthLife expectancy 80.4 for men, 84.1 for womenB+Open →Jobs & incomeMean household income £46,201; 2% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsC+Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 65% of towns in England; secondary results beat 23% of towns in EnglandC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryC+Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 13% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeA+Open →Civic life2.7 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryC+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Polgooth.
Who lives here
Polgooth skews older, with 38% of residents 65 or over, more than Cornwall’s towns or England’s towns
For Polgooth, that is above both Cornwall’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). Children are 10% of the town. The median resident of Polgooth is 57.2 years old.
57.2median age
PolgoothCornwallEngland
Ages · share of residents
38%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications20%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level26%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About 105 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Polgooth | Cornwall | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 10% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 13% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 38% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.3% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Safety
Polgooth has less crime per resident than 99% of UK towns
Burglary and damage came to 3 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Cornwall’s towns (7.7) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 8 crimes inside Polgooth’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 0 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 25% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearA+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 99% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual2
Public order2
Burglary2
Shoplifting1
Other theft1
Damage & arson0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social0
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.
5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
8
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
HousingCost of living grade D−
Most households in Polgooth own their home: 83%, more than in Cornwall’s towns or across England’s towns
Polgooth sits above both Cornwall’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%) on this measure. 5% of households live in social housing.
£325Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Polgooth£325K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £350,000 | 30 |
| Semi-detached | £223,250 | 10 |
83%
of households own their home · England 61%
12%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,000
average private rent a month, Cornwall council area
£2,489
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Only 10% of commuters in Polgooth go to work without a car, fewer than in Cornwall’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 25% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Polgooth below both Cornwall’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (27%). 87% of commuters drove to work at the census.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot8%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
37%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
25%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£46K
mean household income, before tax
2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C
Walkability: more walkable than 27% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
Fewer people in Polgooth say their health is good than in Cornwall’s towns or across England’s towns: 76%
On this, Polgooth is below both Cornwall’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (82%). Polgooth has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.1 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.
76%good or very good healthB+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 76%Fair 18%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Polgooth | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 76% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.5% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 22% | 17% |
80.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
5 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.
Polgooth has 5 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 18% of its homes were built before 1919.
5listed buildingsC+History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II5
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
18%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
46
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →The Lost Gardens of Heligan and 2 more in and around Polgooth
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Polgooth. Best known first.
GardenGardenThe Lost Gardens of Heligan3.2 km outside town, to the south
MuseumWheal Martyn Clay Works4.2 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionBoddington’s Berries4.9 km outside town, to the south
MuseumWheal Martyn Clay Works4.2 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionBoddington’s Berries4.9 km outside town, to the southPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Wheal Martyn Clay Works: AtticTapestry, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Polgooth
15pages on Polgooth
The big questions
SafetyA+5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingD−Median home £325K · rent £1,000 a monthHousing9 sold in 12 months · busiest street Trelowth RoadSchoolsC+HealthB+Life expectancy 80.4 (men), 84.1 (women)Work & commuteC+48% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC−2.1% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Polgooth’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
TrewoonSt AustellFoxholeCarlyon BaySt StephenMevagisseyNanpeanPolgooth
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polgooth | 1,096 | — | — | D− | A+ | B+ |
| Trewoon | 1,246 | 1.4 | — | D | B | C |
| St Austell | 24,361 | 2.4 | D− | D | D | C− |
| Foxhole | 1,526 | 3.1 | — | C− | C | C− |
| Carlyon Bay | 1,174 | 3.5 | — | D− | B+ | B+ |
| St Stephen | 2,339 | 3.5 | — | D− | D | C |
| Mevagissey | 1,878 | 3.8 | — | D− | B− | B |
| Nanpean | 1,077 | 3.9 | — | C− | B− | C− |
Trewoon, Foxhole, Carlyon Bay, St Stephen, Mevagissey and Nanpean have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Polgooth
Does Polgooth flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Polgooth
Village in Cornwall, England
Polgooth is a built-up area of 1,096 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
- 1,096 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Cornwall
- County
- Cornwall
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006973
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.