Thornhill’s story
No listed buildings inside Thornhill’s built-up area
10% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ThornhillCumbria
A village of 824 in Cumbria, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Nigel Monckton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
824
Census 2021 · Copeland council
Median home
£125K
32 sales in 3 years
Median age
40.5
21% are 65+ · Cumbria 23%
Degree level
19%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Thornhill a good place to live?
Thornhill has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Thornhill stand out
The 3 things Thornhill does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Thornhill.
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in Thornhill than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 19% of adults
Thornhill has a median age of 40.5. People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town, below Cumbria’s towns (23%) but above England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 10% of the town.
40.5median age
ThornhillCumbriaEngland
Ages · share of residents
21%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications25%
Apprenticeship9%
A levels or similar20%
Degree level19%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Thornhill | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.7% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 19% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Thornhill
Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 39.6, with 32% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Its one school is below. 59% of pupils at the 5 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thornhill Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 85 | D |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Only 14% of commuters in Thornhill go to work without a car, fewer than in Cumbria’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 17% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
84% of commuters drove to work at the census. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 27%, lower than both Cumbria’s towns (53%) and England’s towns (45%). Before tax, the average household brings in £51K a year. Of the commuters living in Thornhill, 1% work in the town itself.
14%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving84%
On foot7%
Bus4%
Bicycle2%
27%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
17%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£51K
mean household income, before tax
2.3%
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
Housing
Buying in Thornhill costs less than in Cumbria’s towns and across England’s towns: the median sale is £125K
Renting privately is how 7% of households live. Social housing holds 26% of households, above Cumbria’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £681 a month across the Cumberland council area.
£125Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Thornhill£125K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £122,500 | 24 |
| Terraced | £122,000 | 5 |
67%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£681
average private rent a month, Cumberland council area
£2,480
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
Thornhill records less burglary and damage per resident than Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns, at 5.3 per 1,000 a year
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 26 crimes inside Thornhill’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 54% of recorded crime. Violent crime comes to 27.5 per 1,000 residents a year.
27.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual14
Public order4
Other theft4
Other crime2
Damage & arson1
Burglary1
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.
27.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.3
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)
26
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
More people in Thornhill live with a disability than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 22%
77% of people in Thornhill rate their own health good or very good. At the census, 7% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above both Cumbria’s towns (6.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 1.3 miles off.
77%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 77%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Thornhill | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 20% | 17% |
81
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.8
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
Thornhill has fewer old homes than Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns: 10% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Thornhill’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
10%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Egremont Castle and 2 more in and around Thornhill
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Thornhill. Best known first.
CastleEgremont Castle1.4 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionBraystones Tower2.4 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumWest Cumberland Railway Museum4.7 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Egremont Castle: Paul Lakin, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Thornhill
13pages on Thornhill
The big questions
Safety27.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £125K · rent £681 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street Thorny RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 81 (men), 86.8 (women)Work & commute31% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Thornhill’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
EgremontSt BeesCleator MoorSeascaleFrizingtonWhitehavenMoresby ParksThornhill
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornhill | 824 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Egremont | 5,791 | 1.2 | D | B | D | D |
| St Bees | 1,187 | 3 | — | C | B− | B+ |
| Cleator Moor | 6,671 | 3.9 | D | B | C− | C− |
| Seascale | 1,708 | 5 | — | B− | A− | B |
| Frizington | 1,754 | 5.5 | — | B+ | D− | D |
| Whitehaven | 22,952 | 5.5 | D | B− | D | D |
| Moresby Parks | 1,180 | 6.6 | — | B | A+ | C− |
St Bees, Seascale, Frizington and Moresby Parks have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Thornhill
Is Thornhill expensive to live in?
By type: terraced houses £122,000 and semi-detached houses £122,500.
Who lives in Thornhill?
At the 2021 Census, 10% of Thornhill’s 824 residents were 15 to 24 and 21% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
How much is council tax in Thornhill?
Band D council tax in Thornhill is £2,480 for 2026–27, more than in 60% 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 Thornhill
Village in Cumbria, England
Thornhill is a built-up area of 824 people, in the Copeland 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
- 824 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Copeland
- County
- Cumbria
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000360
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.