Matlock grades B+ overall against UK towns: better than 72% of UK towns, and #15 of 59 in Derbyshire. Its strongest subject is cost of living (A): median sale £270,000, 5.1 years of area income; rent £819 a month. Its weakest is hazard risk (C): 1.4% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Matlock is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 6 schools →
Who lives here
Older residents shape Matlock: 26% are 65 or over, above Derbyshire’s towns and England’s towns
That puts Matlock above both Derbyshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). Children under 15 make up 15% of residents. Matlock has a median age of 49.4.
49.4median age
MatlockDerbyshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
26%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level37%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
ONS Census 2021 · Derbyshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
20% of commuters in Matlock walk, cycle or ride, against 17% in Derbyshire’s towns and 27% in England’s towns
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.
The car took 78% of commuters, close to Derbyshire’s towns (80%) and above England’s towns (70%). 2.6% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
Matlock keeps more of its old housing than Derbyshire or England’s towns: 26% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
On this, Matlock is above both Derbyshire’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (16%). Matlock has 36 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 4 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Matlock records more violent crime per resident than Derbyshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 33.1 per 1,000 a year
In the comparison, Matlock comes above both Derbyshire’s towns (25.6) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 823 crimes inside Matlock’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 173 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 47% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
33.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearCSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 57% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual390
Public order107
Shoplifting98
Damage & arson59
Drugs50
Other theft49
Burglary18
Vehicle crime16
Anti-social173
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.
33.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
16.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
More people in Matlock live with a disability than in Derbyshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 21%
For Matlock, that is above both Derbyshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Matlock is Chesterfield Royal Hospital, 9.2 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Tansley, Cromford, Crich and South Wingfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Matlock
How many listed buildings are there in Matlock?
That is 1.2 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
Does Matlock flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Is Matlock safe?
About the middle for its size: 43% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C.
About Matlock
Town in Derbyshire, England
Matlock is a built-up area of 11,990 people, in the Derbyshire Dales 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
11,990 (Census 2021)
Council
Derbyshire Dales
County
Derbyshire
Region
East Midlands
Area
1.5 sq mi (3.9 km²)
ONS code
E63001739
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.
