Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 894 in Cornwall, South West.
Porthtowan has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Porthtowan does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 3 buildings inside Porthtowan’s built-up area.
23% 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 Porthtowan.
17% of residents are 65 or over, below both Cornwall’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 8.5% of residents. Porthtowan has a median age of 41.7. The share of residents under 15 is 20%.
54% women, 46% men
About 84 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Porthtowan | Cornwall | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.2% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Income per household averages £54K a year, before tax. At the census, 13% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below Cornwall’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (27%) alike. There are 0.6 jobs in Porthtowan for each resident in work. Of the commuters living locally, 7% work in the town itself.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The private rented sector houses 23% of households. Private rents average £1,000 a month across the Cornwall council area. Social housing holds 14% of households, below Cornwall’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £405,500 | 10 |
| Semi-detached | £387,500 | 8 |
| Terraced | £301,250 | 6 |
| Flat or maisonette | £258,000 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Homes saw 4.5 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below both Cornwall’s towns (7.6) and England’s towns (9.4). Police figures for Porthtowan’s built-up area: 31 crimes and 3 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences accounted for just over three fifths of recorded crime.
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.
The nearest A&E to Porthtowan is Royal Cornwall Hospital, 6.7 miles away. At the census, nearly a fifth of people here had a disability, lower than Cornwall’s towns (22%) yet higher than England’s towns (17%). The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.3 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Porthtowan | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.5% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 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 all 3 listed buildings that Historic England records here. For its size, Porthtowan has 34 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. It is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Porthtowan. Best known first.
Museum · National TrustEast Pool Mine4.9 km outside town, to the south
MuseumSt Agnes Museum3 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumBlue Hills Tin Streams4.5 km outside town, to the northeastHistoric houseHistoric houseScorrier House4 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumCornish Mines and Engines4.9 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumRedruth Old Cornwall Society Museum2.2 km outside town, to the southPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porthtowan | 894 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mount Hawke | 1,593 | 1.4 | — | D | B | B |
| St Agnes | 3,253 | 2.3 | B+ | D− | B+ | B+ |
| Portreath | 1,218 | 2.7 | — | D− | B− | B− |
| Redruth | 15,455 | 3.6 | D− | D | C− | C− |
| Illogan | 1,096 | 3.6 | — | D− | B+ | C+ |
| Pool and Illogan | 8,588 | 3.9 | D− | D | D | C |
| St Day | 1,432 | 4.1 | — | D | C | C |
Mount Hawke, Portreath, Illogan and St Day have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
3 on Historic England’s list. That is 1.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Part of it is in the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.
Band D council tax in Porthtowan is £2,634 for 2026–27, more than in 91% 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.
By type: flats £258,000, terraced houses £301,250, semi-detached houses £387,500 and detached houses £405,500. Private rents in the Cornwall council area averaged £1,000 a month in August 2026.
Village in Cornwall, England
Porthtowan is a built-up area of 894 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.