Strong in places, weak in others. It is easy to get around without a car (A+): on the way to work, 31% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. At B− overall, Cheltenham ranks #29 of 48 in Gloucestershire. On that grade it does better than 52% of UK towns. Schools are a strength too — primary results beat 44% of towns in England; secondary results beat 87% of towns in England. Police record more crime here than in most towns (C−): 35.2 violent and sexual offences and 17.3 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Against UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has more crime per resident than 29%. Cost of living is weaker too: a typical home costs £320,750 and rent runs £1,258 a month.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
Gloucestershire Police published 29 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Cheltenham is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cheltenham.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Work is close at hand in Cheltenham: 63% of commuters travel under 5 km, more than in Gloucestershire’s towns or England’s towns
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.
The car took two thirds of commuters, below both Gloucestershire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). Nearly three in five commuters who live in Cheltenham also work there. In 2026, 2.8% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
SchoolsB+
Results at Cheltenham’s schools beat 69% of towns in England
GCSE results at the town’s 5 secondary schools: 56% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 54. Pate's Grammar School’s results beat nearly every one of schools in England like it. Below are three of its 37 schools, each with why it was picked. At the town’s 23 primary schools, 60% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 37 schools →
History
1,036 listed buildings, 5 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
26% of homes were built before 1919. Cheltenham’s listed buildings include Cheltenham Minster (St Mary's), Grade I. Of the town’s land, 23% lies in conservation areas, higher than both Gloucestershire’s towns (9%) and England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Per resident, Cheltenham sees more crime than 81% of UK towns
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Reported offences in Cheltenham came to 4,053 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 1,206. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 23.6 reports per 1,000, above both Gloucestershire’s towns (9.1) and England’s towns (7.8). Of all the crimes, 39% were violence and sexual offences. For its size, Cheltenham records less crime per resident than 71% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more.
35.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 71% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual1,599
Shoplifting663
Public order343
Vehicle crime286
Damage & arson285
Other theft278
Burglary224
Other crime108
Anti-social1,206
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.
35.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
17.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
23.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
Who lives here
Cheltenham is a graduates’ town: 43% hold a degree, more than in Gloucestershire’s towns or England’s towns
The median resident of Cheltenham is 40.1 years old. 16% are under 15, about level with Gloucestershire’s towns (17%) and below England’s towns (18%). Aged 15 to 24: just over one in ten residents.
40.1median age
CheltenhamGloucestershireEngland
Ages · share of residents
12%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level43%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
ONS Census 2021 · Gloucestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C
More households rent privately in Cheltenham than in Gloucestershire’s towns or across England’s towns: 24%
Social housing holds just over one in ten households, below both Gloucestershire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). Half of the 5,298 standard sales inside Cheltenham’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £320,750. 63% of households own their home.
£321Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Cheltenham£321K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£620,000
841
Semi-detached
£365,000
1,576
Terraced
£295,000
1,480
Flat or maisonette
£205,000
1,401
63%
of households own their home · England 61%
24%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,258
average private rent a month, Cheltenham council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
Good or very good health: 84% of Cheltenham’s residents
12 GP practices serve the town; 83% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 16% of people here had a disability, below both Gloucestershire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Cheltenham is Cheltenham General Hospital, 0.7 miles away.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Nearby attractions
The Wilson and 8 more in and around Cheltenham
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Cheltenham. Best known first.
Gustav Holst: Herbert Lambert, Public domain · Eric Dier: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Brian Jones: Steve Denenberg, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ralph Richardson: Paramount Pictures, Public domain · FKA twigs: Foraggio Photographic from Sydney, Australia Foraggio Photographic on Instagram, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet: Fg Off Stannus, Royal Air Force official photographer, Public domain
Shurdington and Gotherington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Cheltenham
How many listed buildings are there in Cheltenham?
That is 3.7 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Cheltenham Minster (St Mary's). It also has 3 scheduled monuments.
Is Cheltenham safe?
Against all UK towns, most of them far smaller, it grades C−.
Does Cheltenham flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Cheltenham
City in Gloucestershire, England
Cheltenham is a built-up area of 115,941 people, in the Cheltenham 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
115,941 (Census 2021)
Council
Cheltenham (mostly)
County
Gloucestershire
Region
South West
Area
10.8 sq mi (28.1 km²)
ONS code
E63004173
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.
