Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 1,391 in County Durham, North East.
Startforth has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is schools (A+): primary results beat 98% of towns in England; secondary results beat 96% of towns in England. Its weakest is safety (D−): 71.2 violent and sexual offences and 9.4 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, it has less crime per resident than 2%. The median home sold for £249,975 in the last three years, 5.9 times what households in the County Durham council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Startforth 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 Startforth is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Startforth’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
35% 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 Startforth.
For Startforth, that is above both County Durham’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). Over-65s are 23% of the population. Startforth has a median age of 38.3.
41% women, 59% men
About 69 women for every 100 men. Across England, 51% of residents are women. A large institution, such as a prison, barracks, boarding school, university or care home, can tilt a town’s split: the census counts the people living there as residents.
| Startforth | County Durham | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 27% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 22% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.4% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · County Durham and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Violence came to 71.2 per 1,000 residents a year, above both County Durham’s towns (35.8) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 201 crimes inside Startforth’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 3 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 46% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Startforth sits above both County Durham’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (16%) on this measure. For its size, Startforth has 158 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Startforth’s listed buildings include Barnard Castle Bridge, Over the River Tees, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 25% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Startforth below both County Durham’s towns (3.1%) and England’s towns (2.3%). At the census, 20% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
On this, Startforth is above both County Durham’s towns (62%) and England’s towns (61%). 9% of households rent privately.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £308,745 | 47 |
| Semi-detached | £214,995 | 30 |
| Terraced | £182,000 | 8 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
In the comparison, Startforth comes below both County Durham’s towns (7.3%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Startforth has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 0.8 miles away. 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.
| Census 2021 | Startforth | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 77% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 7.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 22% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Startforth. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageBarnard Castle Grounds100 m outside town, to the northeast
Museum · English HeritageThe Bowes Museum500 m outside town, to the east
Abbey or priory · English HeritageEgglestone Abbey700 m outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseRokeby Park2.9 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseLartington Hall2.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Startforth | 1,391 | — | — | C+ | D− | B− |
| Barnard Castle | 5,783 | 0.7 | B+ | C+ | C+ | C+ |
| Staindrop | 1,339 | 5.8 | — | B | C+ | C+ |
| Cockfield | 1,351 | 7 | — | A | C | C |
| Gainford | 1,127 | 7.9 | — | B− | A− | C+ |
| Evenwood | 1,587 | 8.9 | — | A− | D | C |
| West Auckland | 3,107 | 10 | D | A− | D− | D |
| Toft Hill and High Etherley | 1,865 | 11 | — | A− | B+ | C |
Staindrop, Cockfield, Gainford, Evenwood and Toft Hill and High Etherley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Burglary was rare, with 2 reports in the year.
Among the strongest in England: GCSE results beat 96% of towns in England, and primary results beat 98% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Places are handled by County Durham council.
That is 6.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Barnard Castle Bridge, Over the River Tees. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Village in County Durham, England
Startforth is a built-up area of 1,391 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.