Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 480 in Cumbria, North West.
Cartmel has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Cartmel does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Cartmel’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
28% 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 Cartmel.
44% of adults hold a degree, above both Cumbria’s towns (28%) and England’s towns (34%). Children under 15 count for a tenth of the people here. Half of Cartmel is older than 60.1, half younger. Aged 15 to 24: 5.6% of residents.
56% women, 44% men
About 80 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.
| Cartmel | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 10% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 5.6% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 42% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.9% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Some 418 pupils attend Cartmel’s one primary and one secondary. Both of the town’s schools appear below. Three in five pupils at the 4 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cartmel CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 47 | D |
| Cartmel Priory CofE SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 371 | B |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims came to 0.9% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below Cumbria’s towns (1.6%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. Driving is how 84% of commuters got to work at the census. Of the commuters living in Cartmel, 9% work in the town itself. Also worth knowing: for nearly a third of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
21% live in social housing, above both Cumbria’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Home ownership stands at 70% of households. The £345,000 median rests on 19 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £391,250 | 12 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 56% of recorded crime. Homes saw 3.5 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Cumbria’s towns (8.5) and England’s towns (9.4). Over the year to August 2026, 34 offences were reported in Cartmel.
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.
One GP practice serves the town; 96% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Self-reported good health: 77% of Cartmel’s residents. The nearest A&E to Cartmel is Furness General Hospital, 11.2 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Cartmel | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 25% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs 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 28% of the total, near Cumbria’s towns (28%) and higher than England’s towns (16%). Cartmel’s listed buildings include the Priory Church of St Mary, Grade I. It has 69 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 2 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Cartmel. Best known first.
Abbey or prioryCartmel Prioryin town
Historic houseHolker Hall2.1 km outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionLakeland Miniature Village2.8 km outside town, to the southwestGardenGardenOrnamental Gardens2.6 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartmel | 480 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Allithwaite | 1,171 | 1.1 | — | D− | A+ | B |
| Grange-over-Sands | 4,047 | 1.5 | B− | D− | A− | B |
| Arnside | 2,231 | 4.7 | — | D− | A+ | B+ |
| Silverdale | 1,056 | 5.5 | — | D− | A | B− |
| Ulverston | 11,219 | 5.7 | C− | D | C− | C+ |
| Swarthmoor | 1,030 | 6.7 | — | C | A− | B |
| Milnthorpe | 1,871 | 7.6 | — | C− | B− | B |
Allithwaite, Arnside, Silverdale, Swarthmoor and Milnthorpe have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 59 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Priory Church of St Mary. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £345,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. Private rents in the Westmorland and Furness council area averaged £816 a month in August 2026.
Village in Cumbria, England
Cartmel is a built-up area of 480 people, in the South Lakeland 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.