Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,722 in Derbyshire, East Midlands.
Whitwell grades C overall against UK towns: better than 34% of UK towns, and #35 of 59 in Derbyshire. Its strongest subject is schools (B+): primary results beat 68% of towns in England. Its weakest is health (D): life expectancy 77 for men, 80.7 for women. The median home sold for £165,000 in the last three years, 3.8 times what households in the Bolsover council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Whitwell 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 Whitwell is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 8 buildings inside Whitwell’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
25% 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 Whitwell.
For Whitwell, that is above both Derbyshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). Women here live to 80.7 on average and men to 77 (2019–23). 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 | Whitwell | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 75% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.2% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 25% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitwell Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 257 | C− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 18% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Whitwell sits below both Derbyshire’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%) on this measure. At the census, 10% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
That puts Whitwell above both Derbyshire’s towns (8.8) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 288 crimes inside Whitwell’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 33 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence comes to 30.5 per 1,000 residents a year.
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
On this, Whitwell is below both Derbyshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £235,000 | 40 |
| Semi-detached | £155,750 | 70 |
| Terraced | £123,500 | 35 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Whitwell has 8 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 1 Grade II*. 25% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
In the comparison, Whitwell comes below both Derbyshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). 9% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Whitwell has a median age of 47.8.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Whitwell | Derbyshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 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 Whitwell. Best known first.
Art galleryHarley Gallery and Foundation2.5 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumCreswell Crags Museum and Heritage Centre1.7 km outside town, to the southHistoric siteHistoric siteCreswell Crags1.7 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumLangwith Whaley Thorns Heritage Centre4.8 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
8 listed buildings in Whitwell, 1 of them Grade I.
The Old George Inn: Photo: Dave Bevis · CC BY-SA 2.0 · War Memorial: Photo: Jonathan Clitheroe · CC BY-SA 2.0
12 notable people were born in Whitwell.
John William Streets: Arthur St. John Adcock, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitwell | 3,722 | — | C | B+ | C | D |
| Creswell | 5,792 | 1.6 | C− | B+ | D | D− |
| Clowne | 7,759 | 2.4 | C | B+ | C− | C− |
| Barlborough | 2,859 | 3.3 | C+ | B | C+ | C |
| Shireoaks | 1,774 | 3.3 | — | C+ | C | C |
| Harthill | 1,729 | 3.4 | — | C+ | A− | C |
| Langwith | 3,009 | 3.9 | D− | B+ | C− | D− |
| Worksop | 43,435 | 4 | C | B+ | D | D |
Shireoaks and Harthill have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Its Grade I building is Church of St Lawrence.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £165,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £123,500, semi-detached houses £155,750 and detached houses £235,000.
It has more crime per resident than most places its size: 78% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less. Police recorded 288 crimes inside Whitwell’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 39% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Town in Derbyshire, England
Whitwell is a built-up area of 3,722 people, in the Bolsover 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.
