Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
545 residents make their home in this village in Gloucestershire, South West.
There are no grades for Iron Acton: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. 22 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade I. On the way to work, 14% walk, cycle or take a bus or train.
The 3 things Iron Acton does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Iron Acton’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
34% 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 Iron Acton.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 45% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
45% of workers did their job mainly from home at the census. The car took 85% of commuters, above both Gloucestershire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). For 36% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Of the commuters living in Iron Acton, 4% work in the town itself.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Key Stage 2 results at the 10 primary schools within 3 km: nearly two thirds of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Iron Acton Church of England Primary School’s results beat 85% of schools in England like it. The town has one school, shown below. Secondary results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 51.6, with 55% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Acton Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 98 | A |
Half the homes sold went for more than £413K, higher than both Gloucestershire’s towns (£347K) and England’s towns (£308K). Home ownership stands at 69% of households. Private rents average £1,464 a month across the South Gloucestershire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £490,000 | 11 |
| Semi-detached | £322,750 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violent crime comes to 37.3 per 1,000 residents a year. Reported offences in Iron Acton came to 39 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 3. Violence and sexual offences made up 46% of the total.
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.
At the census, 6.1% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, higher than both Gloucestershire’s towns (4.5%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Seeing a GP means leaving Iron Acton: the nearest practice is 1.8 miles away. The nearest A&E to Iron Acton is Southmead Hospital, 6.6 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Iron Acton | Gloucestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.1% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, 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 and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Iron Acton’s listed buildings include Acton Court, And Gateway and Flank Walls 40M East, Grade I. 34% of its homes were built before 1919, above both Gloucestershire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (16%). The top grade, Grade I, goes to 2 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Graduates make up 37% of adults. At 48, the median resident of Iron Acton sits in the middle of the age range. People aged 15 to 24 make up 11% of the town, about level with Gloucestershire’s towns (11%) and below England’s towns (12%).
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Iron Acton | Gloucestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.3% | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gloucestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Iron Acton. Best known first.
Historic houseActon Courtin townMuseumMuseumYate Heritage Centre2.9 km outside town, to the eastWater parkWater parkWest Country Water Park4.8 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Village in Gloucestershire, England
Iron Acton is a built-up area of 545 people, in the South Gloucestershire 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Acton | 545 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne | 14,969 | 1.9 | A− | D | B | A− |
| Yate | 28,352 | 2.2 | C+ | C+ | C− | C+ |
| Chipping Sodbury | 8,026 | 3.2 | B | C− | B− | B+ |
| Bradley Stoke | 25,194 | 3.8 | A− | C | B− | A− |
| Alveston | 2,065 | 3.9 | — | D | C+ | A |
| Wickwar | 1,701 | 4.1 | — | D | B | A |
| Almondsbury | 2,937 | 4.2 | B− | D | B | B |
Alveston and Wickwar have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 16.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Acton Court, And Gateway and Flank Walls 40M East. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
By type: semi-detached houses £322,750 and detached houses £490,000.
Band D council tax in Iron Acton is £2,559 for 2026–27, more than in 78% 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.
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.