Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 534 in Cornwall, South West.
Polruan has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Polruan does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Polruan’s built-up area, along with 3 scheduled monuments.
54% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Polruan.
People 65 and over make up 36% of the town, above Cornwall’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 7.5% of the town. Polruan has a median age of 58.1.
49% women, 51% men
About 105 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Polruan | Cornwall | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.9% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 36% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.3% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: just over a fifth of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 34.9. Its only school is listed below. At the 2 primary schools within 3 km, 54% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polruan Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 21 | C− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Average household income comes to £39K a year before tax. 57% of commuters drove, below both Cornwall’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). For 28% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. About 20% of its commuters stay in Polruan for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds 30% of households. Homes sold for a median £395K, higher than both Cornwall’s towns (£277K) and England’s towns (£308K). Private rents average £1,000 a month across the Cornwall council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £507,500 | 18 |
| Semi-detached | £403,750 | 6 |
| Terraced | £260,000 | 17 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Polruan logged 62 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 9 complaints of anti-social conduct. Homes saw 10.2 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, above Cornwall’s towns (7.6) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. Violence and sexual offences were 71% of the crimes.
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.
Disability touches nearly a quarter of Polruan’s population. At the census, 7.7% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above both Cornwall’s towns (6.4%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Also worth knowing: the nearest A&E to Polruan is Royal Cornwall Hospital, 20.8 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Polruan | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 73% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.7% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 24% | 22% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. For its size, Polruan has 243 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, higher than both Cornwall’s towns (54) and England’s towns (39). The town counts 13 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Polruan. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageSt Catherine's Castle300 m outside town, to the west
MuseumFowey Town Museum500 m outside town, to the northAquariumAquariumFowey Aquarium400 m outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polruan | 534 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fowey | 2,027 | 0.9 | — | D− | C+ | B− |
| Tywardreath | 2,589 | 3.6 | C− | D− | B | B− |
| St Blazey | 6,569 | 4.3 | D | C− | C | C |
| Carlyon Bay | 1,174 | 5.2 | — | D− | B+ | B+ |
| Pelynt | 1,144 | 5.3 | — | D− | B+ | C+ |
| Lostwithiel | 3,067 | 5.8 | C+ | D− | B− | C+ |
| St Austell | 24,361 | 6.6 | D− | D | D | C− |
Fowey, Carlyon Bay and Pelynt have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 36% of residents were 65 or over and 32% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 9.9% were under 15.
That is 10 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 3 scheduled monuments.
By type: terraced houses £260,000, semi-detached houses £403,750 and detached houses £507,500. Private rents in the Cornwall council area averaged £1,000 a month in August 2026.
Village in Cornwall, England
Polruan is a built-up area of 534 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.