Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 782 in Devon, South West. 9% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
Northlew has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Northlew does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Northlew’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
50% 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 Northlew.
Aged 15 to 24: 7.6% of residents. 13% are under 15, lower than both Devon’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Ages in Northlew split evenly at 52.9: half are older, half younger.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 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.
| Northlew | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.6% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.1% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Below is its only school. 22 pupils attend Northlew’s one primary school. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northlew and Ashbury Parochial Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 22 | C+ |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income came to £48K a year before tax, lower than both Devon’s towns (£52K) and England’s towns (£55K). 88% of commuters drove to work at the census. Home was the main workplace for 37% of workers at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Private renters make up 15% of households, below Devon’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. 2% of households live in social housing. Half of the 30 standard sales inside Northlew’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £317,500.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £355,000 | 17 |
| Semi-detached | £246,000 | 5 |
| Terraced | £185,500 | 8 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 17 crimes inside Northlew’s built-up area. Violent crime comes to 8.4 per 1,000 residents a year. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2.3 reports per 1,000, below both Devon’s towns (5.7) and England’s towns (7.8). Nearly three fifths of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
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.
Northlew has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 4.6 miles away. At the census, a fifth of people here had a disability, below Devon’s towns (21%) but above England’s towns (17%). 5.1% of residents report bad or very bad health.
| Census 2021 | Northlew | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.1% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 21% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Northlew’s listed buildings include the Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Grade I. For its size, Northlew has 281 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Conservation areas cover 21% of the town’s land, above both Devon’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (7%). Also worth knowing: it has 22 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northlew | 782 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Okehampton | 9,108 | 6 | C− | B− | C | C+ |
| Winkleigh | 1,342 | 9.8 | — | D | A− | B |
| North Tawton | 1,785 | 10 | — | C+ | B− | C+ |
| Holsworthy | 3,472 | 10 | D | D | C+ | C+ |
Winkleigh and North Tawton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 11.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Thomas of Canterbury. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
Band D council tax in Northlew is £2,632 for 2026–27, more than in 91% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Village in Devon, England
Northlew is a built-up area of 782 people, in the West Devon 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.