Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,305 in County Durham, North East.
Pelton and Ouston grades C overall against UK towns: better than 26% of UK towns, and #30 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 health (C−): life expectancy 78.3 for men, 80.7 for women. The median home sold for £182,000 in the last three years, 4.3 times what households in the County Durham council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Pelton and Ouston 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 Pelton and Ouston is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 4 buildings inside Pelton and Ouston’s built-up area.
16% 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 Pelton and Ouston.
Women here live to 80.7 on average and men to 78.3 (2019–23). At the census, 77% of people in Pelton and Ouston called their health good or very good, close to County Durham’s towns (77%) and below England’s towns (82%). One GP practice serves the town; 72% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Pelton and Ouston | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 77% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.2% | 7.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 22% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pelton Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 290 | D |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Pelton and Ouston has 4 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 16% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
For Pelton and Ouston, that is above both County Durham’s towns (17.7) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 504 crimes inside Pelton and Ouston’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 149 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence comes to 31 per 1,000 residents a year.
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
Pelton and Ouston sits below both County Durham’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (21%) on this measure.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £299,250 | 91 |
| Semi-detached | £178,475 | 156 |
| Terraced | £114,000 | 82 |
| Flat or maisonette | £41,500 | 8 |
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 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Pelton and Ouston below both County Durham’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (27%). 31% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
On this, Pelton and Ouston is below both County Durham’s towns (27%) and England’s towns (34%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 9.6% of residents. The median resident of Pelton and Ouston is 46.5 years old.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 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.
| Pelton and Ouston | County Durham | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.2% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 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 Pelton and Ouston. Best known first.
MuseumBeamish Museum2.6 km outside town, to the west · 350K visitors a year
CastleLumley Castle3.6 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleLambton Castle3.9 km outside town, to the east
CastleRavensworth Castle4.7 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumBowes Railway4.5 km outside town, to the northeastGardenGardenBirkheads Secret Gardens4 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelton and Ouston | 7,305 | — | C | B+ | C− | C− |
| Urpeth | 2,048 | 0.8 | — | A− | A | B |
| Newfield | 1,529 | 1 | — | A− | B+ | D |
| Whitehill | 1,679 | 1.4 | — | B | D | D− |
| Chester-le-Street | 23,554 | 1.7 | B | A− | C− | C |
| Birtley | 13,840 | 1.8 | C | C+ | C− | D |
| Kibblesworth | 1,500 | 2 | — | B− | B− | D |
| Washington | 51,318 | 3.4 | B− | A− | C− | D |
Urpeth, Newfield, Whitehill and Kibblesworth have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
It has more crime per resident than most places its size: 83% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less. Police recorded 504 crimes inside Pelton and Ouston’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 44% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £182,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £41,500, terraced houses £114,000, semi-detached houses £178,475 and detached houses £299,250.
GCSE results beat 52% of towns in England, and primary results trail 89% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Pelton and Ouston has 3 state schools; places are handled by County Durham council.
Town in County Durham, England
Pelton and Ouston is a built-up area of 7,305 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.