Skelton’s story
5 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Skelton’s built-up area.
46% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
SkeltonCumbria
Home to 358 people, this village lies in Cumbria, North West.
3 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Alexander P Kapp · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
358
Census 2021 · Eden council
Median home
£415K
15 sales in 3 years
Median age
53.9
26% are 65+ · Cumbria 23%
Degree level
47%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Skelton a good place to live?
Skelton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 7% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 46% of homes were built before 1919. 57% of households own their home with no mortgage.
What makes Skelton stand out
The 3 things Skelton does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Own outright
Housing
57% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Skelton.
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Skelton: just 10% travel under 5 km, below Cumbria’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
92% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Working mainly from home: just over a third of workers, above Cumbria’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. In 2026, 0.4% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits. Work in town: 2% of resident commuters.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
On foot5%
Bicycle2%
10%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
35%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£50K
mean household income, before tax
0.4%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Schools
The schools around Skelton
The town has one school, shown below. Skelton School’s results beat 95% of schools in England like it. 83% of pupils at the one primary school within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skelton SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 87 | A+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Buying in Skelton costs more than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: the median sale is £415K
11% rent privately, below both Cumbria’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (21%). Social renters account for 6% of households. The owner-occupied share of households is 83%.
£415Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Skelton£415K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £440,000 | 11 |
83%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£816
average private rent a month, Westmorland and Furness council area
£2,493
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violent crime runs low in Skelton: 16.8 per 1,000 residents a year, under Cumbria’s towns and England’s towns
Over the year to August 2026, 12 offences were reported in Skelton. Burglary and damage came to 6.5 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Cumbria’s towns (8.5) and England’s towns (9.4). Also worth knowing: of all the crimes, 42% were violence and sexual offences.
16.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual5
Public order2
Other theft2
Damage & arson1
Burglary1
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
Anti-social0
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.
16.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
12
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Just 2.5% of people in Skelton say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Cumbria’s towns and England’s towns
13% of residents in Skelton live with a disability. At the census, 89% of people in Skelton called their health good or very good, above Cumbria’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 6.7 miles off.
89%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 89%Fair 8%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Skelton | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 89% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.5% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 20% | 17% |
83.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
History
Skelton keeps more of its old housing than Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns: 46% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Skelton has 140 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Historic England’s list names 5 listed buildings locally, every one Grade II.
5listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II5
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
46%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
140
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Skelton is a graduates’ town: 47% hold a degree, more than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns
One measure of family life: one in ten residents are under 15. People 65 and over make up just over a quarter of the town, above both Cumbria’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (18%). Half of Skelton is older than 53.9, half younger.
53.9median age
SkeltonCumbriaEngland
Ages · share of residents
26%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications10%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level47%
Women and men · all residents
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.
| Skelton | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 10% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 37% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.8% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 47% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Skelton
14pages on Skelton
The big questions
Safety16.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £415K · rent £816 a monthHousing4 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 83.8 (men), 85.6 (women)Work & commute54% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Skelton’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
PenrithDalstonWetheralSkelton
Questions about Skelton
How many listed buildings are there in Skelton?
That is 5.7 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Skelton expensive to live in?
Private rents in the Westmorland and Furness council area averaged £816 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Skelton?
Band D council tax in Skelton is £2,493 for 2026–27, more than in 62% 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.
About Skelton
Village in Cumbria, England
Skelton is a built-up area of 358 people, in the Eden 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
- Population
- 358 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Eden
- County
- Cumbria
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000227
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.