Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The village, home to 1,009 people, lies in Gloucestershire, South West.
Crime is low (A+): 6.6 violent and sexual offences and 2.6 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Homes are dear: the median home sold for £445,000, 7.3 years of area income. It also trails on walkability — on the way to work, 10% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Natural hazards are less of a worry than in most UK towns (A).
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency. Olveston is graded on each subject, but towns under 2,500 get no overall grade.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Olveston is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Olveston is graded on each subject, but towns under 2,500 get no overall grade.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Olveston does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Olveston’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
33% 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 Olveston.
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 1.3 reports per 1,000, lower than both Gloucestershire’s towns (9.3) and England’s towns (7.8). A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 10 offences in Olveston and 1 cases of nuisance behaviour. Violence and sexual offences made up half 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.
Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 43.3, with 40% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. There is one school here; it is shown below. 69% of pupils at the 3 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olveston Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 201 | A− |
Seeing a GP means leaving Olveston: the nearest practice is 2 miles away. The nearest A&E to Olveston is Southmead Hospital, 6.1 miles away. 16% of residents in Olveston live with a disability.
| Census 2021 | Olveston | Gloucestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 17% | 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.
Conservation areas cover 55% of Olveston’s land, above Gloucestershire’s towns (9%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. The town counts 33 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 3 Grade II*. One scheduled monument lies in the town.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
4% live in social housing, below both Gloucestershire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). Private tenants account for 9% of households. Behind the median of £445,000: 42 standard sales inside Olveston’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £655,000 | 18 |
| Semi-detached | £410,000 | 13 |
| Terraced | £282,500 | 11 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 46% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income came to £68K a year before tax, higher than both Gloucestershire’s towns (£59K) and England’s towns (£55K). 89% of commuters drove to work at the census. Work in town: 2% of resident commuters. Home was the main workplace for 46% of workers at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Children under 15 make up 15% of residents. People aged 15 to 24 make up 7.8% of the town, lower than both Gloucestershire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). At 50.6, the median resident of Olveston sits in the middle of the age range. 47% of adults hold a degree.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Olveston | Gloucestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 33% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.1% | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 47% | 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 Olveston. Best known first.
CastleThornbury Castle4.4 km outside town, to the northeast
Water parkThe Wave4.1 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumThornbury and District Museum4 km outside town, to the northeastWater parkWater parkWest Country Water Park4.8 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Village in Gloucestershire, England
Olveston is a built-up area of 1,009 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olveston | 1,009 | — | — | D | A+ | A |
| Alveston | 2,065 | 1.9 | — | D | C+ | A |
| Almondsbury | 2,937 | 1.9 | B− | D | B | B |
| Pilning | 1,400 | 3.1 | — | C | A− | B− |
| Thornbury | 14,483 | 3.2 | B− | C− | C+ | B |
| Patchway | 16,517 | 3.6 | C | C | D− | C− |
| Bradley Stoke | 25,194 | 3.6 | A− | C | B− | A− |
| Severn Beach | 2,208 | 4 | — | B− | B− | B− |
Alveston, Pilning and Severn Beach have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 13.4 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £445,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £282,500, semi-detached houses £410,000 and detached houses £655,000.
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.