Fochriw’s story
No listed buildings inside Fochriw’s built-up area
24% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
FochriwGwent
A village of 1,148 in Gwent, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Eddy Blanche · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,148
Census 2021 · Caerphilly council
Median home
£100K
20 sales in 3 years
Median age
43.2
19% are 65+ · Gwent 20%
Degree level
13%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Fochriw a good place to live?
Fochriw has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is cost of living (A): median sale £100,000, 2.3 years of area income; rent £747 a month. Its weakest is jobs & income (D−): mean household income £33,361; 4% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits.
This town's Health Grade uses ONS's small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns' grades also use OHID's small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
What makes Fochriw stand out
The 3 things Fochriw does most differently from other towns.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
64% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (Wales’s towns 31%)
Gwent 28%.
Household income, against UK towns
Work
Mean, before tax: lower than in 100% of UK towns
ONS small-area income estimates.
How Fochriw grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Wales), ordered by how far Fochriw is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeD−Open →HealthD−Open →Cost of livingAOpen →SafetyDOpen →WalkabilityCOpen →Hazard risk0.3% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB−Open →
SchoolsNot published in Wales–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsC−Open →Outdoors73% live within 400 m of a park; 1 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC−Open →Civic life1.7 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryC−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fochriw.
Who lives here
Fewer people in Fochriw hold a degree than in Gwent’s towns or Wales’s towns: 13%
Residents of Fochriw have a median age of 43.2. 16% are under 15, below both Gwent’s towns (18%) and Wales’s towns (17%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 12% of the town.
43.2median age
FochriwGwentWales
Ages · share of residents
12%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications46%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar12%
Degree level13%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Fochriw | Gwent | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 19% | 20% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 46% | 23% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.5% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 13% | 28% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gwent and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
1 state school in Fochriw
It is listed below. The town’s primary school has 91 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fochriw Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 91 | – |
Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.The Schools page →
Health
Disability is more common in Fochriw than in Gwent’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 29% of residents
Men in Fochriw can expect to live to 74.9, women to 80.2 (2019–23). Of the 63 towns in Gwent, Fochriw has the second-largest share in bad or very bad health: 14%. 66% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, lower than both Gwent’s towns (77%) and Wales’s towns (78%). There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 1.3 miles off.
66%good or very good healthD−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 66%Fair 20%Bad or very bad 14%
| Census 2021 | Fochriw | Gwent | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 66% | 77% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 14% | 7.7% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 29% | 22% | 22% |
74.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
80.2
life expectancy at birth, women
Welsh towns’ Health Grades use ONS’s small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns’ also use OHID’s small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · ONS, 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.
HousingCost of living grade A
More households in Fochriw live in social housing than in Gwent’s towns or Wales’s towns: 28%
Private renters make up just over one in ten households. Three in five households own their home, below Gwent’s towns (65%) and Wales’s towns (65%) alike. Behind the median of £100,000: 20 standard sales inside Fochriw’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
£100Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Fochriw£100K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £100,000 | 14 |
| Terraced | £107,500 | 6 |
60%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
12%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£747
average private rent a month, Caerphilly council area
£2,083
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Fochriw records more burglary and damage per resident than Gwent’s towns or Wales’s towns, at 19.2 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 59% of recorded crime. Violent crime ran at 41.8 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Gwent’s towns (36.5) and Wales’s towns (33.8). Police recorded 73 crimes inside Fochriw’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 3 reports of anti-social behaviour.
41.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearDSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 5% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual43
Damage & arson8
Public order8
Vehicle crime5
Other crime4
Burglary3
Other theft1
Drugs1
Anti-social3
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.
41.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
19.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
73
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.
History
No listed buildings in Fochriw
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Before 1919: that is when 24% of homes were built. Cadw’s list has no building inside Fochriw’s built-up area.
0listed buildingsC−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
24%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Only 29% of Fochriw’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in both Gwent’s towns and Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 10% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 11% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below Gwent’s towns (13%) and Wales’s towns (16%) alike. The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 4%. There are 0.1 jobs in Fochriw for each resident in work.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
Bus6%
On foot4%
Train1%
29%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
10%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£33K
mean household income, before tax
4%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C
Walkability: more walkable than 32% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Winding House and 3 more in and around Fochriw
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Fochriw. Best known first.
MuseumMuseumWinding House4.5 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumTredegar Medical Aid Society Heritage Centre4.4 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumTredegar Museum4.4 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumThe Block of Coal4.2 km outside town, to the northeast
Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fochriw
14pages on Fochriw
The big questions
SafetyD41.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingAMedian home £100K · rent £747 a monthHousing4 sold in 12 months · busiest street Pontlottyn RoadSchools1 state school (no results published in Wales)HealthD−Work & commuteD−34% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB−0.3% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Fochriw’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
PontlottynRhymneyAbertysswgBedlinogNew TredegarTroedyrhiw and PentrebachTredegarFochriw
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fochriw | 1,148 | — | — | A | D | D− |
| Pontlottyn | 1,832 | 0.8 | — | A | D− | D− |
| Rhymney | 4,998 | 1.5 | D | A | D− | D− |
| Abertysswg | 1,424 | 1.5 | — | A | C | D− |
| Bedlinog | 1,098 | 2.6 | — | B− | C− | D− |
| New Tredegar | 3,280 | 2.8 | D | A | D− | D− |
| Troedyrhiw and Pentrebach | 3,780 | 2.8 | D− | B− | D | D− |
| Tredegar | 14,534 | 3.4 | D− | B− | D− | D− |
Pontlottyn, Abertysswg and Bedlinog have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Fochriw
Is Fochriw expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £100,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £107,500 and semi-detached houses £100,000.
Who lives in Fochriw?
At the 2021 Census, 12% of Fochriw’s 1,148 residents were 15 to 24 and 19% were 65 or over, against 12% and 21% across Wales’s towns.
About Fochriw
Village in Gwent, Wales
Fochriw is a built-up area of 1,148 people, in the Caerphilly 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
- 1,148 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Caerphilly
- County
- Gwent
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000403
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) · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, 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.