Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,618 in Derbyshire, East Midlands.
Whaley Bridge grades A− overall against UK towns: better than 81% of UK towns, and #10 of 59 in Derbyshire. Its strongest subject is health (A−): life expectancy 81.7 for men, 84.3 for women. Its weakest is hazard risk (D): 3.4% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. The median home sold for £300,000 in the last three years, 5.9 times what households in the High Peak council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Whaley Bridge 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 Whaley Bridge is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 16 buildings inside Whaley Bridge’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
41% 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 Whaley Bridge.
Whaley Bridge sits below both Derbyshire’s towns (6%) and England’s towns (5.2%) on this measure. The nearest A&E to Whaley Bridge is Stepping Hill Hospital, 7.1 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.
| Census 2021 | Whaley Bridge | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School’s results beat 90% of schools in England like it. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 192 | A |
That puts Whaley Bridge above both Derbyshire’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%). Under-15s account for 14% of the population. Whaley Bridge has a median age of 49.6.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Whaley Bridge | Derbyshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Derbyshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
On this, Whaley Bridge is above both Derbyshire’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (16%). Whaley Bridge has 16 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 1 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
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.
In the comparison, Whaley Bridge comes below both Derbyshire’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). 18% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
For Whaley Bridge, that is above both Derbyshire’s towns (67%) and England’s towns (61%). Social housing holds 6% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £462,000 | 103 |
| Semi-detached | £280,000 | 73 |
| Terraced | £227,000 | 80 |
| Flat or maisonette | £207,500 | 10 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Police recorded 224 crimes inside Whaley Bridge’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 37 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 46% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking, so it runs higher than U.S. “violent crime”.
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
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Whaley Bridge. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustLyme Hall3.7 km outside town, to the west
AttractionThe Lantern3 km outside town, to the west
MuseumNew Mills Heritage Centre3.5 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttraction · National TrustThe Cage3.7 km outside town, to the westHistoric siteHistoric site1943 P-47D Thunderbolt 42-7873 crash site4.7 km outside town, to the southHistoric siteHistoric site1943 P-47D Thunderbolt 42-78984.7 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
16 listed buildings in Whaley Bridge.
Canal Warehouse at end of Peak Forest Canal: Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Canal Cottage and Attached Former Stable Block: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · White Hart Public House: Photo: John Slater · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Railway Bridge: Photo: David Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whaley Bridge | 4,618 | — | A− | C+ | B− | A− |
| Furness Vale | 1,069 | 1.4 | — | B+ | A− | B+ |
| Chinley | 1,913 | 2.1 | — | C+ | A− | B |
| New Mills | 9,195 | 2.7 | B | B | C+ | C+ |
| Disley | 3,891 | 2.8 | A | C | A− | A |
| Chapel-en-le-Frith | 7,235 | 2.9 | B | B | B− | B− |
| Hayfield | 1,878 | 4 | — | B− | B | C |
| High Lane | 4,617 | 4.2 | — | D− | — | B− |
Furness Vale, Chinley and Hayfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. High Lane has no Safety Grade: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish to police.uk. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 1.4 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
An older town. At the 2021 Census, 23% of residents were 65 or over and 34% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 14% were under 15.
Town in Derbyshire, England
Whaley Bridge is a built-up area of 4,618 people, in the High Peak 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.