Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 2,522 residents and lies in County Durham, North East.
Easy on the wallet, harder on other counts. With a C− overall, Coundon and Leeholme sits #38 of 52 in County Durham. Set against the rest, it does better than just over a fifth of UK towns. Police record more crime here than in most towns: 60.8 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 38.1 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 1%. Its strongest is cost of living — a typical home costs £85,000 and rent runs £650 a month. Health lags: life expectancy 75.2 for men, 78.6 for women. It lags on jobs & income as well — the mean household earns £36,235 a year.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Coundon and Leeholme is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Coundon and Leeholme does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 2 buildings inside Coundon and Leeholme’s built-up area.
39% 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 Coundon and Leeholme.
The under-15s are 18% of the population here. Line up the people of Coundon and Leeholme by age and the one in the middle is 41.1. The 15-to-24 age group makes up just over one in ten residents.
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Coundon and Leeholme | County Durham | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 30% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 16% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · County Durham and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Between them, two primaries teach 255 pupils in Coundon and Leeholme. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Attainment 8 at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km averages 47.9, and 44% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Lane AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 155 | B− |
Over the year to August 2026, 305 offences were reported in Coundon and Leeholme, along with 69 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 27.2 reports per 1,000, higher than both County Durham’s towns (16) and England’s towns (7.8). 47% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
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.
73% of Coundon and Leeholme’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below both County Durham’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (82%). Men in Coundon and Leeholme can expect to live to 75.2, women to 78.6 (2019–23). Seeing a GP means leaving Coundon and Leeholme: the nearest practice is 1.8 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Coundon and Leeholme | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 73% | 77% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 10% | 7.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 28% | 22% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · 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.
48% of households are owner-occupiers. Private renters make up just over a fifth of households. Behind the median of £85,000: 93 standard sales inside Coundon and Leeholme’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £190,000 | 17 |
| Semi-detached | £120,000 | 23 |
| Terraced | £66,839 | 53 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list names 2 listed buildings in Coundon and Leeholme, every one Grade II. The town has 8 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, higher than County Durham’s towns (7) yet lower than England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 18% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Coundon and Leeholme counts 0.4 jobs per working resident. Work in town: 8% of resident commuters. Also worth knowing: 18% of workers worked mainly from home at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Coundon and Leeholme. Best known first.
Historic house · English HeritageAuckland Castle2 km outside town, to the west
MuseumLocomotion - The National Railway Museum at Shildon3.8 km outside town, to the south · 94K visitors a year
Art galleryMining Art Gallery2.1 km outside town, to the westTheme parkTheme parkKynren2.5 km outside town, to the westCastleCastle · English HeritageAuckland Castle Deer Shelter1.8 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumFaith Museum2 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
4 notable people were born in Coundon and Leeholme.
Town in County Durham, England
Coundon and Leeholme is a built-up area of 2,522 people, in the County Durham 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coundon and Leeholme | 2,522 | — | C− | A | D− | D− |
| Bishop Auckland | 23,359 | 2.1 | D | A− | D− | D |
| Shildon | 9,650 | 2.4 | D | A− | D− | D− |
| Chilton | 4,693 | 2.9 | D | A− | D− | D |
| Spennymoor | 20,401 | 3 | C− | A− | D− | D |
| Newton Aycliffe | 25,760 | 3.5 | C− | A− | D | D |
| Ferryhill | 8,857 | 3.7 | D | A− | D− | D− |
| School Aycliffe | 1,590 | 4 | — | B− | A | B− |
School Aycliffe has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £85,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £66,839, semi-detached houses £120,000 and detached houses £190,000.
2 on Historic England’s list.
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.
