Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
4,691 residents make their home in this town in Derbyshire, East Midlands.
Plenty to like here, at a price. Health is a strength: men here can expect to live to 83.2, women to 86.5. Jobs & income is another plus — the mean household earns £71,568 a year. At a median £475,000, a home costs 9.8 times the yearly income of households in the Amber Valley council area. What holds it back is hazard risk — just over one in ten homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. All told, that adds up to an A+ overall and a rank of #5 of 59 in Derbyshire. On that grade it does better than 95% of UK towns.
Figures: life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Makeney 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 Makeney is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 32 buildings inside Makeney’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
22% 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 Makeney.
At the census, 3.1% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below both Derbyshire’s towns (6%) and England’s towns (5.2%); what’s more, 15% of residents in Makeney live with a disability. Men in Makeney can expect to live to 83.2, women to 86.5 (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Makeney is Royal Derby Hospital, 5.3 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Makeney | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.1% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
75% of pupils at the town’s 2 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). William Gilbert Endowed Church of England Primary School’s results beat 96% of schools in England like it. Secondary results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 51.8, with 56% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Below are its three schools.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duffield the Meadows Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 260 | B+ |
| The Ecclesbourne SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,604 | A |
| William Gilbert Endowed Church of England Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 244 | A+ |
Over the year to August 2026, 137 offences were reported in Makeney, along with 23 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Violent crime ran at 15.8 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Derbyshire’s towns (25.9) and England’s towns (22). Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Makeney has less crime per resident than 86% of them. Violence and sexual offences were 54% of the crimes.
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Makeney’s listed buildings include the Church of St Alkmund, Grade I. Relative to its size, Makeney keeps 68 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above Derbyshire’s towns (23) and England’s towns (39) alike. Also worth knowing: 22% of homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Makeney is the most expensive of the 59 towns in Derbyshire: its median sale is £475,000. 7% of households rent from a council or housing body.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £595,000 | 101 |
| Semi-detached | £450,000 | 45 |
| Terraced | £232,000 | 29 |
| Flat or maisonette | £258,000 | 25 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 43% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
13% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, below both Derbyshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (27%). Working from home was the norm for 43% of workers at the census. In 2026, 1.4% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
A quarter of residents are 65 or over. Typical age in Makeney: 48.1, the median. One measure of family life: 18% of residents are under 15.
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.
| Makeney | Derbyshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 9.8% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.9% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 53% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Derbyshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Makeney. Best known first.
Castle · National TrustDuffield Castlein town
Historic house · National TrustKedleston Hall3.4 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumStrutt's North Mill3.5 km outside town, to the northPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustKedleston Park3.1 km outside town, to the southwestArt galleryArt galleryDuffield Art Gallery2.9 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionFamous Trains Model Railway4.7 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
32 listed buildings in Makeney, 1 of them Grade I.
Duffield Hall: Photo: TenthEagle · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Twelfth century tower keep castle, including sites of an eleventh century motte and bailey castle, an Anglian cemetery and a Romano-British settlement: Photo: Beep boop beep · CC BY-SA 4.0 · North Chapel at Duffield Cemetery: Photo: G105b · CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Forge: Photo: Alan Rosevear · CC BY-SA 2.0
5 notable people were born in Makeney.
John Heathcoat: Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. Yo…, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makeney | 4,691 | — | A+ | C | A− | A+ |
| Milford | 1,077 | 1.5 | — | B+ | A− | C+ |
| Little Eaton | 1,875 | 1.7 | — | C | A | A− |
| Holbrook | 1,802 | 2 | — | B− | A+ | B+ |
| Belper | 19,076 | 3 | B+ | B+ | B− | B− |
| Kilburn and Horsley Woodhouse | 4,447 | 3.1 | B | A | B− | B− |
| Denby Bottles | 1,756 | 3.3 | — | A | B | B− |
| Smalley | 2,201 | 4.4 | — | B | C | C+ |
Milford, Little Eaton, Holbrook, Denby Bottles and Smalley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
That is 2.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Alkmund. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
GCSE results beat 83% of towns in England, and primary results beat 96% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Makeney has 3 state schools; places are handled by Derbyshire council.
Town in Derbyshire, England
Makeney is a built-up area of 4,691 people, in the Amber Valley 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.