Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 912 people, this village lies in Gloucestershire, South West.
There are no grades for Woodchester: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. 64 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. On the way to work, 14% walk, cycle or take a bus or train.
The 3 things Woodchester does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Woodchester’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
43% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Woodchester. Best known first.
Historic houseGatcombe Park4.5 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseOwlpen Manor4.9 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic houseWoodchester Mansion2.9 km outside town, to the southwest
Museum · English HeritageDunkirk Mill Museum900 m outside town, to the southPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustWoodchester Park2 km outside town, to the southwestPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustTinkley Gate2.3 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Woodchester.
The 15-to-24 age group: 8.4%, below Gloucestershire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Children under 15 make up 16% of residents. Typical age in Woodchester: 50.5, the median. Degrees are held by 46% of adults.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Woodchester | Gloucestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.4% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.2% | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 46% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gloucestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
There is one school here; it is shown below. Attainment 8 at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km averages 63.2, and 75% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. The town’s primary school has 135 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodchester Endowed Church of England Aided Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 135 | B |
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.
46% of workers worked mainly from home, above Gloucestershire’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. Work in town: 5% of resident commuters. Each working resident is matched by 1.4 jobs in Woodchester.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
11% live in social housing, below Gloucestershire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £1,041 a month across the Stroud council area. Half of the 62 standard sales inside Woodchester’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £386,925.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £565,000 | 18 |
| Semi-detached | £380,000 | 14 |
| Terraced | £335,000 | 11 |
| Flat or maisonette | £249,500 | 19 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 5 recorded crimes inside Woodchester’s built-up area, and 2 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 20% of recorded crime. Homes saw 10 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, above Gloucestershire’s towns (8.1) and England’s towns (9.4) alike.
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.
The nearest A&E to Woodchester is Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, 9.9 miles away. Seeing a GP means leaving Woodchester: the nearest practice is 1.6 miles away. At the census, 4.1% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2021 | Woodchester | Gloucestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.1% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs 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.
Woodchester’s listed buildings include the Old Priory, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 43% of the total, above Gloucestershire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. At the top of the list, 1 are Grade I and 4 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodchester | 912 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Amberley | 1,300 | 0.8 | — | C | A+ | A |
| Stroud | 26,073 | 1.5 | B | B | D | B− |
| Brimscombe and Thrupp | 2,187 | 1.8 | — | B− | B− | A |
| Nailsworth | 5,657 | 1.9 | B+ | B− | C | B |
| Leonard Stanley and King's Stanley | 3,584 | 2.1 | A | B− | A | A− |
| Minchinhampton | 3,412 | 2.2 | A− | C | B+ | A |
| Whiteshill and Randwick | 1,442 | 2.9 | — | C | A | B− |
Amberley, Brimscombe and Thrupp and Whiteshill and Randwick have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 28.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Old Priory. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £386,925, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £249,500, terraced houses £335,000, semi-detached houses £380,000 and detached houses £565,000.
Village in Gloucestershire, England
Woodchester is a built-up area of 912 people, in the Stroud 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
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.