Pilning’s story
4 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Pilning’s built-up area.
23% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PilningGloucestershire
1,400 people call this village in Gloucestershire, South West home.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Roger Cornfoot · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,400
Census 2021 · South Gloucestershire council
Median home
£329K
57 sales in 3 years
Median age
45
20% are 65+ · Gloucestershire 20%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
5%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Pilning a good place to live?
Pilning’s best grade is for safety — 14.3 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 7.4 home and vehicle crimes. Pupils here do less well than most: primary results beat 7% of towns in England. Getting around depends on the car: on the way to work, 5% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. A median £328,995 buys a home here, 5.4 times what households in the South Gloucestershire council area earn in a year. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for health and B for jobs & income.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP. Pilning is graded on each subject, but towns under 2,500 get no overall grade.
What makes Pilning stand out
The 3 things Pilning 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 (England’s towns 27%)
Rent against income, UK towns
Renting
£1,464 a month
Average private rent, 29% of what households in the area earn: more than in 94% of UK towns
ONS private rents, South Gloucestershire council area.
Primary results, towns in England
Schools
Primary results trail 93%
of towns in England, on Key Stage 2 reading, writing and maths
Department for Education.
How Pilning grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Pilning is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Pilning is graded on each subject, but towns under 2,500 get no overall grade.
WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesD−Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 7% of towns in EnglandD−Open →SafetyLess crime than in most townsA−Open →Cost of livingRent £1,464 a monthCOpen →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB+Open →Jobs & incomeMean household income £59,188; 2.4% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsBOpen →HealthLife expectancy 80.9 for men, 83.1 for womenB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryBelow the middle of the towns comparedC+Open →Outdoors54% live within 400 m of a park; 2 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC+Open →Civic life5.7 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryB+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Pilning.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Only 16% of Pilning’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in both Gloucestershire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 34% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 93% of commuters went by car. 2% of commuters who live in Pilning also work there. For every resident in work, Pilning has 0.9 jobs.
5%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving93%
On foot2%
Bus2%
16%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
34%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£59K
mean household income, before tax
2.4%
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
SchoolsD−
Pilning’s schools fall behind 96% of towns in England on results
49% of pupils at the 2 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The one school in town appears below. Its one primary school teaches 147 pupils.
D−School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter's Anglican / Methodist VC PrimaryLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 147 | C− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Safety
Pilning records less crime per resident than 79% of UK towns
Pilning logged 40 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 6 complaints of anti-social conduct. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2.4 reports per 1,000, lower than both Gloucestershire’s towns (9.3) and England’s towns (7.8). 38% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
14.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearA−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 62% 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 & sexual15
Other theft7
Vehicle crime6
Public order4
Burglary4
Damage & arson3
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
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.
14.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
40
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 C
Most households in Pilning own their home: 83%, more than in both Gloucestershire’s towns and England’s towns
The social rented sector houses 3% of households. Private renters make up 14% of households, below both Gloucestershire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). Behind the median of £328,995: 57 standard sales inside Pilning’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
£329Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Pilning£329K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £428,750 | 12 |
| Semi-detached | £330,000 | 21 |
| Terraced | £292,625 | 22 |
83%
of households own their home · England 61%
14%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,464
average private rent a month, South Gloucestershire council area
£2,503
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
History
Pilning’s listed buildings: 4, all Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Per 10,000 residents, Pilning counts 29 listed buildings, below Gloucestershire’s towns (105) and England’s towns (39) alike. The pre-1919 share of homes is 23%.
4listed buildingsC+History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II4
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
23%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
29
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
Is Pilning a healthy place? 85% of its people say their health is good, above Gloucestershire’s towns and England’s towns
The nearest A&E to Pilning is Southmead Hospital, 5.1 miles away. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4% of the town. There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 2.9 miles off.
85%good or very good healthB−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Pilning | Gloucestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 17% | 17% |
80.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
Who lives here
Fewer people in Pilning hold a degree than in Gloucestershire’s towns or England’s towns: 31%
The median resident of Pilning is 45 years old. Retirement age and beyond: a fifth of residents are 65 or older. One measure of family life: 17% of residents are under 15.
45median age
PilningGloucestershireEngland
Ages · share of residents
20%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar20%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Pilning | Gloucestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gloucestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Bristol Zoo Project and 2 more in and around Pilning
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Pilning. Best known first.
ZooBristol Zoo Project3.3 km outside town, to the southeast
Water parkThe Wave2.4 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric houseHistoric houseBerwick Lodge3.9 km outside town, to the southPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Bristol Zoo Project: Charlie Marshall, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Wave: Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Pilning
14pages on Pilning
The big questions
SafetyA−14.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingCMedian home £329K · rent £1,464 a monthHousing12 sold in 12 months · busiest street Redwick RoadSchoolsD−1 state schoolHealthB−Life expectancy 80.9 (men), 83.1 (women)Work & commuteB53% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB+0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Pilning’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Severn BeachOlvestonAlmondsburyPatchwayBeachleyPortskewettBradley StokePilning
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilning | 1,400 | — | — | C | A− | B− |
| Severn Beach | 2,208 | 1 | — | B− | B− | B− |
| Olveston | 1,009 | 3.1 | — | D | A+ | A |
| Almondsbury | 2,937 | 3.4 | B− | D | B | B |
| Patchway | 16,517 | 3.4 | C | C | D− | C− |
| Beachley | 1,120 | 4 | — | B+ | A+ | B+ |
| Portskewett | 1,627 | 4.1 | — | C− | A− | B+ |
| Bradley Stoke | 25,194 | 4.4 | A− | C | B− | A− |
Severn Beach, Olveston, Beachley and Portskewett have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Pilning
Are schools in Pilning good?
One state school is inside the town; places are handled by South Gloucestershire council.
Is Pilning safe?
Against all UK towns, it grades A−.
Does Pilning flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Pilning
Village in Gloucestershire, England
Pilning is a built-up area of 1,400 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
- Population
- 1,400 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Gloucestershire
- County
- Gloucestershire
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004851
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.