Ponthir’s story
2 listed buildings
Cadw lists them inside Ponthir’s built-up area.
13% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PonthirGwent
A village of 1,260 in Gwent, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,260
Census 2021 · Torfaen council
Median home
£320K
45 sales in 3 years
Median age
55.1
29% are 65+ · Gwent 20%
Degree level
46%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Ponthir a good place to live?
Ponthir has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is jobs & income (A−): mean household income £53,158; 1.7% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Its weakest is walkability (D): 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. The median home sold for £320,000 in the last three years, 7.4 times what households in the Torfaen council area earn in a year.
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 Ponthir stand out
The 3 things Ponthir does most differently from other towns.
How Ponthir grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Wales), ordered by how far Ponthir is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
WalkabilityDOpen →Cost of livingDOpen →Jobs & incomeA−Open →SafetyB+Open →Hazard risk0.4% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC+Open →HealthBOpen →
SchoolsNot published in Wales–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History2 listed buildingsC−Open →Outdoors78% live within 400 m of a park; 2.9 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsCOpen →Civic life1.6 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryC−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Newport Castle and 13 more in and around Ponthir
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Ponthir. Best known first.
Castle · CadwNewport Castle4.2 km outside town, to the south
Museum · CadwNational Roman Legion Museum1.5 km outside town, to the southeast
Abbey or prioryLlantarnam Abbey700 m outside town, to the west
Museum · CadwCaerleon Roman Fortress Baths1.5 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumNewport Museum and Art Gallery4.6 km outside town, to the south
MuseumNewport Medieval Ship4.3 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 (6)
- Newport Castle: The original uploader was Owain at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- National Roman Legion Museum: Ham, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Llantarnam Abbey: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Caerleon Roman Fortress Baths: Pwimageglow, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Newport Museum and Art Gallery: Pwimageglow, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Newport Medieval Ship: Owain at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ponthir.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Ponthir is a driving town: 92% of commuters go by car, above Gwent’s towns and Wales’s towns
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.
37% of commuters travelled under 5 km, near Gwent’s towns (39%) and lower than Wales’s towns (41%). Working from home was the norm for 45% of workers at the census. About 3% of its commuters stay in Ponthir for work. There are 0.3 jobs in Ponthir for each resident in work.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
On foot4%
Train1%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
37%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
45%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£53K
mean household income, before tax
1.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D
Walkability: more walkable than 5% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Schools
1 state school in Ponthir
It is listed below. The town’s primary school has 101 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponthir Church in Wales SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 101 | – |
Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.The Schools page →
Who lives here
More people in Ponthir hold a degree than in Gwent’s towns or Wales’s towns: 46%
People 65 and over make up 29% of the town, higher than both Gwent’s towns (20%) and Wales’s towns (21%). The under-15s are 12% of the population here. Ponthir has a median age of 55.1. The share aged 15 to 24 is 8.7%.
55.1median age
PonthirGwentWales
Ages · share of residents
29%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level46%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Ponthir | Gwent | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 18% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 26% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 29% | 20% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 23% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.6% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 46% | 28% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gwent and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
HousingCost of living grade D
Private renting is less common in Ponthir than in Gwent’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 5%
Owners make up 92% of households, above both Gwent’s towns (65%) and Wales’s towns (65%). Council and housing-body homes hold 4% of households. Private rents average £862 a month across the Torfaen council area.
£320Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Ponthir£320K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £375,000 | 24 |
| Semi-detached | £285,000 | 13 |
92%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
5%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£862
average private rent a month, Torfaen council area
£2,156
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
All 2 of Ponthir’s listed buildings are Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 13% of the total, below Gwent’s towns (26%) and Wales’s towns (27%) alike. Per 10,000 residents, Ponthir counts 16 listed buildings, in line with Gwent’s towns (11) and Wales’s towns (18).
2listed buildingsC−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II2
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
13%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
16
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Violent crime runs low in Ponthir: 19.6 per 1,000 residents a year, under Gwent’s towns and Wales’s towns
Violence and sexual offences made up 63% of the total. Per 1,000 residents, 7.1 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded a year. Reported offences in Ponthir came to 52 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 6. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 6.4 reports per 1,000, below both Gwent’s towns (15.3) and Wales’s towns (10.4).
19.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 44% 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 & sexual33
Damage & arson5
Public order4
Other theft4
Vehicle crime2
Other crime2
Burglary1
Bicycle theft1
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.
19.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
52
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.
Health
Just 3.3% of people in Ponthir say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Gwent’s towns and Wales’s towns
At the census, 84% of people in Ponthir called their health good or very good, above both Gwent’s towns (77%) and Wales’s towns (78%). A disability affects 17% of people locally. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 1.4 miles off.
84%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Ponthir | Gwent | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 77% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 7.7% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 22% | 22% |
80.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.2
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 · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy.
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ponthir
14pages on Ponthir
The big questions
SafetyB+19.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingDMedian home £320K · rent £862 a monthHousing11 sold in 12 months · busiest street Hafod RoadSchools1 state school (no results published in Wales)HealthBWork & commuteA−55% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC+0.4% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Ponthir’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
CaerleonNewportCwmbrânLangstoneUnderwoodRogerstonePontypoolPonthir
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponthir | 1,260 | — | — | D | B+ | B |
| Caerleon | 7,329 | 0.9 | C− | C | C− | B− |
| Newport | 130,882 | 2.8 | D | B− | D− | D |
| Cwmbrân | 47,075 | 2.9 | D− | C+ | D | D |
| Langstone | 2,912 | 3.3 | C+ | D | C+ | A− |
| Underwood | 2,134 | 4.2 | — | B | B | C+ |
| Rogerstone | 7,546 | 4.5 | B | C− | B | B |
| Pontypool | 29,070 | 5.4 | D− | B− | D | D |
Underwood has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Ponthir
How much is council tax in Ponthir?
Band D council tax in Ponthir is £2,156 for 2026–27, less than in 83% of UK towns (the Torfaen council average, with police and community councils). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Is Ponthir safe?
Against all UK towns, it grades B+. Burglary was rare, with 1 report in the year.
About Ponthir
Village in Gwent, Wales
Ponthir is a built-up area of 1,260 people, in the Torfaen 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
- 1,260 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Torfaen
- County
- Gwent
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000514
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.