Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,239 in County Durham, North East.
Murton grades C overall against UK towns: better than 34% of UK towns, and #25 of 52 in County Durham. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is safety (D−): 54.8 violent and sexual offences and 40.8 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 1%. The median home sold for £100,000 in the last three years, 2.3 times what households in the County Durham council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Murton does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Murton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 5 buildings inside Murton’s built-up area.
14% 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 Murton.
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 1,225 crimes and 183 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Murton’s built-up area. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 22.6 reports per 1,000, above both County Durham’s towns (16) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences were just over a third 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.
Of its 2 schools, one is shown below, with the reason. Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 47.8, with 48% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. At the town’s 2 primary schools, 66% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ribbon SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 514 | B |
Just over a quarter of residents in Murton live with a disability. At the census, nearly three quarters of people in Murton called their health good or very good, lower than both County Durham’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (82%). Women here live to 79 on average and men to 75.4 (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Murton is Sunderland Royal Hospital, 5.9 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Murton | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 74% | 77% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 9.2% | 7.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 26% | 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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 14% of the total, lower than County Durham’s towns (20%) and near England’s towns (16%). Listed buildings per head: 7 for every 10,000 residents of Murton.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The owner-occupied share of households is 56%. Private rents average £650 a month across the County Durham council area. Also worth knowing: 251 standard sales inside Murton’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £100,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £261,000 | 27 |
| Semi-detached | £108,000 | 92 |
| Terraced | £92,500 | 122 |
| Flat or maisonette | £79,000 | 10 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
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.
Just over four in five commuters took the car to work at the census. About 13% of its commuters stay in Murton for work. There are 0.8 jobs in Murton for each resident in work. Household income came to £40K a year before tax, below County Durham’s towns (£43K) and England’s towns (£55K) alike.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
People aged 15 to 24 make up 9.7% of the town, below both County Durham’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). Typical age in Murton: 42.7, the median. A fifth of residents have reached 65.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Murton | County Durham | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.7% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.9% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 21% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · County Durham and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Murton. Best known first.
MuseumRyhope Engines Museum4.7 km outside town, to the northZooZooDown at the Farm4.4 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumEast Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre3.5 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murton | 7,239 | — | C | A− | D− | D− |
| South Hetton | 2,877 | 1.5 | B− | A− | C | D |
| Easington Lane | 4,170 | 1.9 | C+ | A | D | D− |
| Seaham | 21,660 | 1.9 | C+ | A− | C− | D |
| Hetton-le-Hole | 8,968 | 2.4 | C | A− | D | D− |
| Haswell | 1,185 | 2.6 | — | A− | C | D− |
| Easington | 6,968 | 3.1 | C | A− | D− | D− |
| East Rainton | 1,476 | 3.5 | — | C+ | C+ | D |
Haswell and East Rainton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get 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 £100,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £79,000, terraced houses £92,500, semi-detached houses £108,000 and detached houses £261,000.
Band D council tax in Murton is £2,709 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.
Town in County Durham, England
Murton is a built-up area of 7,239 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
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.