Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,191 in Devon, South West.
Northam grades C overall against UK towns: better than 25% of UK towns, and #30 of 47 in Devon. Its strongest subject is safety (A−): 14 violent and sexual offences and 6.2 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Its weakest is cost of living (D−): median sale £322,500, 7.6 years of area income; rent £789 a month.
Devon And Cornwall Police published 33 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
The 3 things Northam 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 Northam is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 33 buildings inside Northam’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
18% 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 Northam.
In the comparison, Northam comes above both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). Under-15s account for 12% of the population. Northam has a median age of 55.8.
53% women, 47% men
About 88 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.
| Northam | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.4% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 36% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.1% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Margaret's Church of England Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 184 | D− |
For Northam, that is above both Devon’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). 16% of households rent privately.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £400,000 | 144 |
| Semi-detached | £262,500 | 32 |
| Terraced | £235,000 | 63 |
| Flat or maisonette | £150,000 | 23 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence came to 14 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Devon’s towns (21.5) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 139 crimes inside Northam’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 13 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 56% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Northam has 33 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 2 Grade II*. 18% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Northam sits below both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (27%) on this measure. 82% of commuters drove to work at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
That puts Northam above both Devon’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Northam is North Devon District Hospital, 7.9 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 | Northam | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 76% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.8% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 24% | 21% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Northam. Best known first.
MuseumNorth Devon Maritime Museum800 m outside town, to the northeast
MuseumBurton at Bideford900 m outside town, to the south
CastleTapeley Park2 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumBideford Railway Heritage Centre1.5 km outside town, to the southTheme parkTheme parkThe BIG Sheep2.4 km outside town, to the southwestPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustBurrough Farm200 m outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
33 listed buildings in Northam, 1 of them Grade I.
Former School: Photo: Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph · Fairlea Residential Home: Photo: Roger A Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Northam War Memorial: Photo: Harry Mitchell · CC BY 4.0 · Stone Tablet at Bloody Corner (Approximately 700 Yards East of St Margaret's Church): Photo: Rob Purvis · CC BY-SA 2.0
6 notable people were born in Northam.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northam | 5,191 | — | C | D− | A− | C+ |
| Westward Ho! | 3,468 | 0.9 | D− | D | C | B− |
| Appledore | 1,711 | 1.1 | — | D− | B | C+ |
| Bideford | 19,493 | 1.6 | D− | C− | C− | C |
| Fremington | 5,229 | 4 | B− | D | A− | B− |
| Chivenor and Wrafton | 1,953 | 4.8 | — | C− | B+ | B− |
| Braunton | 6,610 | 5.1 | B | D | B+ | B |
| Bickington | 2,105 | 5.6 | — | D | B+ | B |
Appledore, Chivenor and Wrafton and Bickington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Margaret.
GCSE results trail 70% of towns in England, and primary results trail 90% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Northam has 2 state schools; places are handled by Devon council.
Town in Devon, England
Northam is a built-up area of 5,191 people, in the Torridge 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.
