Penybanc’s story
No listed buildings inside Penybanc’s built-up area
22% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →PenybancDyfed
A village of 1,165 in Dyfed, Wales.
Population
1,165
Census 2021 · Carmarthenshire council
Median home
£190K
42 sales in 3 years
Median age
51.3
31% are 65+ · Dyfed 24%
Degree level
29%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
5%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Penybanc a good place to live?
Penybanc has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is safety (A−): 18.4 violent and sexual offences and 4.5 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Its weakest is walkability (D−): 5% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. The median home sold for £190,000 in the last three years, 4.4 times what households in the Carmarthenshire council area earn in a year.
Dyfed Powys Police published 32 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published. This town's Health Grade uses ONS's small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns' grades also use OHID's small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
What makes Penybanc stand out
The 3 things Penybanc does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
5% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (Wales’s towns 16%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
31% are 65 or over
Against 21% across Wales’s towns
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
31% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
How Penybanc grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Wales), ordered by how far Penybanc is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
WalkabilityD−Open →HealthDOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £43,047DOpen →SafetyA−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →Hazard risk0.2% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB−Open →
SchoolsNot published in Wales–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsDOpen →Outdoors35% live within 400 m of a park; 7.4 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsB−Open →Civic life1.7 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryC−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Penybanc.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
More commuters in Penybanc drive than in Dyfed’s towns or Wales’s towns: 94%
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.
Short trips to work, under 5 km: 30%, below both Dyfed’s towns (41%) and Wales’s towns (41%). Unemployment benefit claims reached 2.7% of 16 to 64s in 2026. Work in town: 1% of resident commuters. Penybanc counts 0.3 jobs per working resident.
5%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving94%
On foot3%
Bus1%
30%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
22%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£43K
mean household income, before tax
2.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D−
Walkability: behind almost every UK town
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Who lives here
An older town: 31% of people in Penybanc are 65 or over, more than in both Dyfed’s towns and Wales’s towns
Residents of Penybanc have a median age of 51.3. The under-15s are 13% of the population here. What’s more, 9.5% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below Dyfed’s towns (12%) and Wales’s towns (12%) alike.
51.3median age
PenybancDyfedWales
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications24%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level29%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Penybanc | Dyfed | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 9.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 22% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 31% | 24% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 24% | 19% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.6% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 29% | 30% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dyfed and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Health
Disability is more common in Penybanc than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 29% of residents
Seeing a GP means leaving Penybanc: the nearest practice is 0.9 miles away. Its share in bad or very bad health, 15%, is the highest of the 57 towns in Dyfed. 70% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below both Dyfed’s towns (77%) and Wales’s towns (78%). Men in Penybanc can expect to live to 76.6, women to 81.8 (2019–23).
70%good or very good healthDHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 70%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 15%
| Census 2021 | Penybanc | Dyfed | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 70% | 77% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 15% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 29% | 23% | 22% |
76.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
81.8
life expectancy at birth, women
Welsh towns’ Health Grades use ONS’s small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns’ also use OHID’s small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · ONS, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy.
History
Most of Penybanc is newer: only 22% of homes were built before 1919, below Dyfed’s towns and Wales’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Cadw’s list has no building inside Penybanc’s built-up area.
0listed buildingsDHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
22%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Per resident, Penybanc sees less crime than 75% of UK towns
Penybanc logged 36 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 5 complaints of anti-social conduct. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 3.9 reports per 1,000, lower than both Dyfed’s towns (6.9) and Wales’s towns (10.4). Violence and sexual offences were two thirds of the crimes.
18.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearA−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 57% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual24
Public order6
Other theft2
Vehicle crime2
Weapons1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Anti-social5
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.
18.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
36
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
HousingCost of living grade B+
Most households in Penybanc own their home: 79%, more than in both Dyfed’s towns and Wales’s towns
Social renters account for 8% of households. 12% rent privately, below both Dyfed’s towns (18%) and Wales’s towns (17%). Private rents average £687 a month across the Carmarthenshire council area.
£190Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Penybanc£190K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £248,750 | 14 |
| Semi-detached | £170,000 | 25 |
79%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
12%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£687
average private rent a month, Carmarthenshire council area
£2,351
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Penybanc
13pages on Penybanc
The big questions
SafetyA−18.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingB+Median home £190K · rent £687 a monthHousing14 sold in 12 months · busiest street Penybanc RoadSchoolsHealthDWork & commuteD36% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB−0.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Penybanc’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
AmmanfordTycroesLlandybieCapel HendreCross Hands and Pen-y-groesGlanamanTumblePenybanc
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penybanc | 1,165 | — | — | B+ | A− | D |
| Ammanford | 8,282 | 1 | D | B+ | D | D |
| Tycroes | 2,480 | 1.1 | — | B+ | A− | C− |
| Llandybie | 2,563 | 1.7 | D | B+ | C | D |
| Capel Hendre | 1,143 | 1.8 | — | B− | C− | D |
| Cross Hands and Pen-y-groes | 6,339 | 3.1 | C− | B+ | C | C− |
| Glanaman | 3,866 | 4.1 | D | A− | C− | D |
| Tumble | 4,040 | 4.9 | C− | A− | C− | D |
Tycroes and Capel Hendre have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Penybanc
Is Penybanc safe?
Against all UK towns, it grades A−.
Is Penybanc expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £190,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £170,000 and detached houses £248,750.
About Penybanc
Village in Dyfed, Wales
Penybanc is a built-up area of 1,165 people, in the Carmarthenshire 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
- 1,165 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Carmarthenshire
- County
- Dyfed
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000345
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) · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, 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.