Wadebridge grades D overall against UK towns: better than 15% of UK towns, and #13 of 35 in Cornwall. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): 21% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is cost of living (D−): median sale £315,000, 6.9 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.

StrongestA⁻WalkabilityWeakestD⁻Cost of living C⁻Safety

What makes Wadebridge stand out

The 2 things Wadebridge does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Residents 65 and over

Who lives here

30% are 65 or over

Against 18% across England’s towns

Own outright

Housing

44% own outright

of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)

65% own their home in all.

How Wadebridge grades

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

How grading works

Cost of livingrent £1,000 a monthD⁻Open →SafetyC⁻Open →WalkabilityA⁻Open →Jobs & incomeMean household income £46,070; 2.8% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsC⁻Open →Hazard risk0.7% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC⁺Open →HealthLife expectancy 82.2 for men, 84.1 for womenBOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 31% of towns in England; secondary results beat 63% of towns in EnglandB⁻Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

HistoryBOpen →Outdoors74% live within 400 m of a park; 17% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeCOpen →Civic life3 local charities per 1,000 residents; 92% live within 1 km of a libraryAOpen →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Wadebridge and River Camel, Cornwall, England, c. 1890 · Photo: Photochrom Print Collection · Public domain

Wadebridge’s story

Wadebridge in pictures

Historic England lists 26 buildings inside Wadebridge’s built-up area, and 3 scheduled monuments.

19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.

The archive holds 5 old photos and postcards going back to 1890.

c. 1890Wadebridge from south, Cornwall, England
1904Cornwall Postcard - Polseath (Posted St.Minver 1904 + Wadebridge Canc…
1914Pre 1914 Postcard of Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall

Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Wadebridge.

Who lives here

An older town: 30% of people in Wadebridge are 65 or over, more than in Cornwall’s towns or England’s towns

In the comparison, Wadebridge comes above both Cornwall’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). Under-15s account for 14% of the population. The median resident of Wadebridge is 50.4 years old.

50.4median age

WadebridgeCornwallEngland

CornwallEngland

Ages · share of residents

30%

Qualifications · residents 16 and older

No qualifications16%

Apprenticeship7%

A levels or similar19%

Degree level31%

Women and men · all residents

54% women, 46% men

About 87 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.

Ages and qualifications in Wadebridge
	Wadebridge	Cornwall	England
Under 15	14%	16%	18%
15–24	8.8%	11%	12%
25–44	20%	22%	27%
45–64	27%	27%	25%
65+	30%	24%	18%
No qualifications	16%	17%	18%
Apprenticeship	6.6%	6.7%	5.3%
A levels or similar	19%	19%	17%
Degree level	31%	30%	34%

Full pageWadebridge’s Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages50.4 median age · 30% are 65 or over Households2,654 households · 65% own their home Where people were born4.3% born outside the UK Questions“What is the population of Wadebridge?”

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

SchoolsB⁻

Results at Wadebridge’s schools trail 54% of towns in England

Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

B⁻School Grade

School	Level	Pupils	Letter
Wadebridge Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary	Primary	373	C
Wadebridge SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary	Secondary	1,018	B

Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 3 schools →

HousingCost of living grade D⁻

Wadebridge gets a D− for cost of living grade

£315Kmedian sale

Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026

Wadebridge£315K

Typical UK town£277K

By type	Median	Sales
Detached	£402,500	100
Semi-detached	£300,000	37
Terraced	£282,500	70
Flat or maisonette	£179,000	56

65%

of households own their home · England 61%

19%

rent privately · England 21%

£1,000

average private rent a month, Cornwall council area

£2,706

council tax, Band D, 2026–27

Full pageWadebridge’s housing & cost pageOpen the page

House pricesMedian sale £315,000 Renting£1,000 a month · Average private rent Council tax£2,706 Band D · Council tax, 2026–27 Owners and renters65% own their home

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

Safety

Violent crime runs high in Wadebridge: 42.4 per 1,000 residents a year, above Cornwall’s towns and England’s towns

For Wadebridge, that is above both Cornwall’s towns (25) and England’s towns (22). Homes see 13 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 478 crimes inside Wadebridge’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 40 reports of anti-social behaviour.

42.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC⁻Safety Grade

Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 12% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 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 & sexual254

Damage & arson62

Other theft54

Shoplifting35

Public order32

Burglary10

Other crime7

Drugs6

Anti-social40

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.

42.4

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

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

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

478

crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026

Full pageWadebridge’s safety reportOpen the page

Safety Grade42.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 · Wadebridge has more crime per resident than 84% of UK towns Crime by typeViolence & sexual leads Vs. the neighboursAhead of 1 of its 7 graded neighbours Questions“Is Wadebridge safe?”

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

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C⁻

Fewer commuters in Wadebridge work nearby than in Cornwall’s towns or England’s towns: 37% travel under 5 km

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.

Wadebridge sits below both Cornwall’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%) on this measure. 78% of commuters drove to work at the census.

21%walk, cycle or ride

How commuters got to work · March 2021

Driving78%

On foot18%

Bicycle2%

Bus1%

37%

of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%

20%

worked mainly from home in March 2021

£46K

mean household income, before tax

2.8%

of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)

A⁻

Walkability: more walkable than 80% of UK towns

Full pageWadebridge’s work & commute pageOpen the page

Commute map21% walk, cycle or ride Jobs based here2,400 jobs based here · Health and social care is the biggest, 17%Household income£46K a year · Mean household income Getting to work37% 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

History

26 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.

Wadebridge has 26 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 19% of its homes were built before 1919.

26listed buildingsBHistory Grade

Listed buildings by grade · Historic England

Grade I0

Grade II*0

Grade II26

scheduled monuments

registered parks and gardens

19%

of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%

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

Full pageWadebridge’s history pageOpen the page

Listed buildings26 listed buildings Homes by age19% built before 1919 · Older homes Vs. the neighboursAhead of 3 of its 7 graded neighbours Questions“How many listed buildings are there in Wadebridge?”

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

Health

Wadebridge is 20.5 miles from the nearest A&E

One GP practice serves the town; 77% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 22% of people here had a disability, close to Cornwall’s towns (22%) and above England’s towns (17%). 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.

79%good or very good healthBHealth Grade

General health, self-reported

Good or very good 79%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 5%

Census 2021	Wadebridge	Cornwall	England
Good or very good health	79%	79%	82%
Bad or very bad health	5.5%	6.4%	5.2%
Disabled (Equality Act)	22%	22%	17%

82.2

life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)

84.1

life expectancy at birth, women

Full pageWadebridge’s health pageOpen the page

Health GradeLife expectancy: women 84.1, men 82.2 Getting care20.5 miles to A&E · Royal Cornwall Hospital GP practices1 GP practice · 77% rate their practice good Census health79% in good health

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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Wadebridge

13pages on Wadebridge

The big questions

SafetyC⁻42.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 Cost of livingD⁻Median home £315K · rent £1,000 a month Housing88 sold in 12 months · busiest street Talmena Avenue SchoolsB⁻3 state schools HealthBLife expectancy 82.2 (men), 84.1 (women)Work & commuteC⁻54% of working residents work in the town Flood & hazardsC⁺0.7% of homes at high or medium flood risk

Out and about

OutdoorsC74% live within 400 m of a park ClimateJuly highs of 20°C (68°F), 1,050 mm of rain a year Weather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 50.4 · 5,626 people HistoryB26 listed buildings Town Hall & politicsCouncil area: Cornwall

Landmarks

26 listed buildings in Wadebridge.

All landmarks →

Late medieval and 19th century bridge at WadebridgeScheduled monument

The Conservative ClubGrade II listed

The Molesworth Arms HotelGrade II listed

Wadebridge StationGrade II listed

Photo credits

Late medieval and 19th century bridge at Wadebridge: Photo: Ron Strutt · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Conservative Club: Photo: Mutney · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Molesworth Arms Hotel: Photo: Mutney · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wadebridge Station: Photo: Phil Williams · CC BY-SA 2.0

Wadebridge’s neighbours

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

All towns in Cornwall →

EgloshayleRockPadstowBodminSt MerrynRocheSt Columb MajorWadebridge

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Wadebridge	5,626	—	D	D⁻	C⁻	B
Egloshayle	1,185	0.5	—	D⁻	B	B
Rock	1,156	3.8	—	D⁻	B⁺	B⁺
Padstow	2,351	5.1	—	D⁻	B⁻	B⁻
Bodmin	16,904	5.9	D⁻	D	D	C⁻
St Merryn	1,344	6.7	—	D⁻	B⁺	B⁻
Roche	2,311	7.3	—	C⁻	B⁻	C⁻
St Columb Major	3,663	7.6	D	D	C⁻	C⁺

Egloshayle, Rock, Padstow, St Merryn 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 Wadebridge

Is Wadebridge safe?

It has more crime per resident than most places its size: 88% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less. Police recorded 478 crimes inside Wadebridge’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 53% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.

How much is council tax in Wadebridge?

Band D council tax in Wadebridge is £2,706 for 2026–27, more than in 96% 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 Wadebridge

Town in Cornwall, England

Wadebridge is a built-up area of 5,626 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: 5,626 (Census 2021)
Council: Cornwall
County: Cornwall
Region: South West
Area: 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km²)
ONS code: E63006852

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.