Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in County Durham, North East has a population of 3,107.
A tough set of grades. The weak point is safety — police record 54.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 33.2 home and vehicle crimes. Buying a home costs less than in most towns: the median home sold for £113,500, 2.7 years of area income. Overall, that makes a D, better than 6% of UK towns. It also trails on schools — primary results beat 1% of towns in England; secondary results beat 29% of towns in England. Work and incomes lag: households earn a mean £43,587 a year, and 3.7% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Health outcomes fall short of most towns: men here can expect to live to 79.1, women to 81.2.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · income and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far West Auckland is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things West Auckland does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 30 buildings inside West Auckland’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
30% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →30 listed buildings in West Auckland, 1 of them Grade I.
The Old Hall: Photo: peter robinson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · West Auckland Working Mens Club: Photo: Stanley Howe · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 19-19A, Front Street: Photo: Victuallers · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Eden Arms Public House: Photo: Stanley Howe · CC BY-SA 2.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in West Auckland.
Reported offences in West Auckland came to 284 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 158. There were 59.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both County Durham’s towns (16) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for 46% of recorded crime.
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.
Below is one of its 2 schools, and why it was picked. 40% of pupils at the town’s 2 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Between them, two primaries teach 291 pupils in West Auckland.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakley Cross Primary School and NurseryLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 161 | D |
75% of people in West Auckland rate their own health good or very good. At the census, 23% of people here had a disability, above County Durham’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Seeing a GP means leaving West Auckland: the nearest practice is 1.6 miles away. Also worth knowing: men in West Auckland can expect to live to 79.1, women to 81.2 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | West Auckland | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 75% | 77% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.6% | 7.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 22% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
21% live in social housing, about level with County Durham’s towns (20%) and above England’s towns (18%). Half of the 107 standard sales inside West Auckland’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £113,500. Private rents average £650 a month across the County Durham council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £202,500 | 18 |
| Semi-detached | £145,000 | 36 |
| Terraced | £80,000 | 49 |
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.
Conservation areas cover just over a fifth of West Auckland’s land, higher than both County Durham’s towns (0%) and England’s towns (7%). The town’s listed buildings include The Old Manor House Hotel, Grade I. Scaled to its population, that is 97 listed buildings for every 10,000 people here. Historic England’s list names 30 listed buildings in the town: 1 Grade I, 1 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · 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.
14% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, below County Durham’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (27%) alike. For 38% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Jobs per working resident: 0.8.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Half the people of West Auckland are older than 45.9. People 65 and over make up nearly a quarter of the town, above both County Durham’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (18%). The 15-to-24 age group makes up 10% of residents.
53% women, 47% men
About 90 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.
| West Auckland | County Durham | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 26% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.6% | 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 West Auckland. Best known first.
Historic house · English HeritageAuckland Castle4.6 km outside town, to the northeast
CastleWitton Castle4.5 km outside town, to the northwest
Art galleryMining Art Gallery4.4 km outside town, to the northeastTheme parkTheme parkKynren4.7 km outside town, to the northeastCastleCastle · English HeritageAuckland Castle Deer Shelter4.9 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumFaith Museum4.5 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
7 notable people were born in West Auckland.
Town in County Durham, England
West Auckland is a built-up area of 3,107 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Auckland | 3,107 | — | D | A− | D− | D |
| Evenwood | 1,587 | 1.6 | — | A− | D | C |
| Toft Hill and High Etherley | 1,865 | 1.7 | — | A− | B+ | C |
| Bishop Auckland | 23,359 | 2.2 | D | A− | D− | D |
| Shildon | 9,650 | 3.2 | D | A− | D− | D− |
| Cockfield | 1,351 | 3.6 | — | A | C | C |
| Coundon and Leeholme | 2,522 | 4.3 | C− | A | D− | D− |
| Staindrop | 1,339 | 4.8 | — | B | C+ | C+ |
Evenwood, Toft Hill and High Etherley, Cockfield and Staindrop 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 £113,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £80,000, semi-detached houses £145,000 and detached houses £202,500.
That is 4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is The Old Manor House Hotel. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
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.