Pontyberem’s story
3 listed buildings
Cadw lists them inside Pontyberem’s built-up area.
34% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PontyberemDyfed
Population 1,484: a village in Dyfed, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Rose and Trev Clough · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,484
Census 2021 · Carmarthenshire council
Median home
£144K
61 sales in 3 years
Median age
47.6
26% are 65+ · Dyfed 24%
Degree level
26%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Pontyberem a good place to live?
Pontyberem’s strongest is cost of living (A) — the median home sold for £143,950, 3.3 years of area income. Incomes are on the low side (D): mean household income £43,213; 2.5% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Getting around depends on the car: 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. The rest of its grades are middling: C+ for safety and C+ for hazard risk.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · income, ONS · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Natural Resources Wales. Pontyberem has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
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 Pontyberem stand out
The 3 things Pontyberem does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (Wales’s towns 16%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
48% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
How Pontyberem grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Wales), ordered by how far Pontyberem is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeIncomes and work are among the weakest comparedDOpen →WalkabilityAmong the weakest of the towns comparedDOpen →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnAOpen →HealthResidents’ health trails most townsCOpen →SafetyAbout average among the towns comparedC+Open →Hazard risk0.4% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC+Open →
SchoolsNot published in Wales–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History3 listed buildingsC+Open →Outdoors58% live within 400 m of a park; 4.7 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC−Open →Civic life2.7 local charities per 1,000 residents; 100% live within 1 km of a libraryAOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Pontyberem.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Only 13% of Pontyberem’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in Dyfed’s towns and across Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 17% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Working mainly from home: 17% of workers, lower than both Dyfed’s towns (20%) and Wales’s towns (24%). At the census, just over nine in ten commuters went by car. Of the commuters living in Pontyberem, 8% work in the town itself. The town counts 0.3 jobs per working resident.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
On foot6%
Bus1%
13%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
17%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£43K
mean household income, before tax
2.5%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D
Walkability: more walkable than 7% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Schools
1 state school in Pontyberem
It is shown below. Its one primary school teaches 227 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ysgol PontyberemLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 227 | – |
Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.The Schools page →
HousingCost of living grade A
Private renting is less common in Pontyberem than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 10%
The owner-occupied share of households is 73%. The median sale, £143,950, comes from 61 standard sales inside Pontyberem’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026. Private rents average £687 a month across the Carmarthenshire council area.
£144Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Pontyberem£144K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £180,000 | 13 |
| Semi-detached | £140,000 | 41 |
| Terraced | £95,000 | 7 |
73%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
10%
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
Health
Disability is more common in Pontyberem than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 26% of residents
The nearest A&E to Pontyberem is Glangwili General Hospital, 7.5 miles away. Asked at the census, 74% of residents of Pontyberem said they were in good or very good health. One GP practice serves the town.
74%good or very good healthCHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 74%Fair 18%Bad or very bad 8%
| Census 2021 | Pontyberem | Dyfed | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 74% | 77% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.1% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 26% | 23% | 22% |
79.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.5
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 · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy among them, do allow for age.
Safety
Pontyberem records less violent crime per resident than Dyfed’s towns or Wales’s towns, at 27 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences accounted for just over half of recorded crime. Pontyberem logged 80 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 6 complaints of anti-social conduct. Also worth knowing: among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Pontyberem has more crime per resident than 78% of them. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 3.8 reports per 1,000, below both Dyfed’s towns (6.9) and Wales’s towns (10.4).
27violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 22% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual41
Damage & arson14
Public order12
Other crime5
Burglary3
Drugs2
Other theft1
Vehicle crime1
Anti-social6
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.
27
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
80
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.
History
Pontyberem’s listed buildings: 3, all Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 34% of the total, above Dyfed’s towns (30%) and Wales’s towns (27%) alike. Pontyberem has 20 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, lower than Dyfed’s towns (41) yet higher than Wales’s towns (18).
3listed buildingsC+History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II3
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
34%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
20
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Pontyberem has fewer young adults than Dyfed’s towns or Wales’s towns: 9.6% are 15 to 24
The middle age in Pontyberem is 47.6. People 65 and over make up just over a quarter of the town, above Dyfed’s towns (24%) and Wales’s towns (21%) alike. One measure of family life: 17% of residents are under 15.
47.6median age
PontyberemDyfedWales
Ages · share of residents
26%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications25%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level26%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Pontyberem | Dyfed | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 22% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 26% | 24% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 19% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.7% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 30% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dyfed and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Pontyberem
15pages on Pontyberem
The big questions
SafetyC+27 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingAMedian home £144K · rent £687 a monthHousing19 sold in 12 months · busiest street MaesyfelinSchools1 state school (no results published in Wales)HealthCWork & commuteD39% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC+0.4% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Famous people from Pontyberem
6 notable people were born in Pontyberem.
D
Dorothy SquiresBritish singer · 1915–1998A
Amy Parry-WilliamsWelsh singer and author (1910-1988)B
Betsan MosesChief Executive of the National Eisteddfod of Wales · born 1971A
Arthur DanielsWelsh rugby league footballer · 1922–2001I
Ioan NicholasWelsh rugby union player · born 1998L
Lee WilliamsWelsh rugby union player · born 1986Pontyberem’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
TumblePontyatesCarwayCross Hands and Pen-y-groesTrimsaranCapel HendreKidwellyPontyberem
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pontyberem | 1,484 | — | — | A | C+ | C |
| Tumble | 4,040 | 2.4 | C− | A− | C− | D |
| Pontyates | 1,475 | 2.5 | — | A− | C− | C |
| Carway | 1,401 | 3.9 | — | B+ | C | C |
| Cross Hands and Pen-y-groes | 6,339 | 4.4 | C− | B+ | C | C− |
| Trimsaran | 2,190 | 5 | — | A | C− | C− |
| Capel Hendre | 1,143 | 5.6 | — | B− | C− | D |
| Kidwelly | 2,761 | 6.2 | C− | A− | C− | C− |
Pontyates, Carway, Trimsaran 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 Pontyberem
How many listed buildings are there in Pontyberem?
3 on Cadw’s list.
Is Pontyberem expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £143,950, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £95,000, semi-detached houses £140,000 and detached houses £180,000.
About Pontyberem
Village in Dyfed, Wales
Pontyberem is a built-up area of 1,484 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
- 1,484 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Carmarthenshire
- County
- Dyfed
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000354
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.