Underwood’s story
No listed buildings inside Underwood’s built-up area
5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
UnderwoodGwent
A village of 2,134 in Gwent, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,134
Census 2021 · Newport council
Median home
£200K
64 sales in 3 years
Median age
36.2
15% are 65+ · Gwent 20%
Degree level
20%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Underwood a good place to live?
Underwood has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is safety (B): 20 violent and sexual offences and 8.4 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Its weakest is jobs & income (C−): mean household income £56,323; 3.9% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. The median home sold for £199,975 in the last three years, 4.3 times what households in the Newport 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.
WeakestC−Jobs & income
What makes Underwood stand out
The 3 things Underwood does most differently from other towns.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (Wales’s towns 31%)
Gwent 28%.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
Only 15% are 65 or over
Against 21% across Wales’s towns
Band D council tax
Council tax
£2,088 Band D
16% below the typical UK town’s £2,472, 2026–27
The Newport council average. Welsh Government.
How Underwood grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Wales), ordered by how far Underwood is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeC−Open →WalkabilityCOpen →SafetyBOpen →Hazard risk0.1% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaBOpen →Cost of livingrent £959 a monthBOpen →Health8.4% in bad or very bad health, 21% disabled (adjusted for age in the grade)C+Open →
SchoolsNot published in Wales–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsD−Open →Outdoors87% live within 400 m of a park; 1.9 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC−Open →Civic life0 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →National Roman Legion Museum and 9 more in and around Underwood
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Underwood. Best known first.
Museum · CadwNational Roman Legion Museum4.4 km outside town, to the west
CastlePencoed Castle1.6 km outside town, to the east
CastlePenhow Castle3.8 km outside town, to the northeast
Museum · CadwCaerleon Roman Fortress Baths4.3 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumArthur Machen's House4.2 km outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionStay Balanced Alpaca Experiences4.9 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- National Roman Legion Museum: Ham, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pencoed Castle: Ben Salter from Wales, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Penhow Castle: Brassknocker, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Caerleon Roman Fortress Baths: Pwimageglow, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Underwood.
History
Underwood has fewer old homes than Gwent’s towns or Wales’s towns: 5% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Cadw’s list has no building inside Underwood’s built-up area.
0listed buildingsD−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
5%
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
Schools
1 state school in Underwood
It appears below. The town’s primary school has 121 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Llanmartin Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 121 | – |
Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.The Schools page →
Who lives here
A town of families: 22% of people in Underwood are under 15, more than in both Gwent’s towns and Wales’s towns
Over-65s are 15% of the population. Underwood has a median age of 36.2 years. 20% of adults hold a degree, below Gwent’s towns (28%) and Wales’s towns (31%) alike.
36.2median age
UnderwoodGwentWales
Ages · share of residents
11%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications27%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level20%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Underwood | Gwent | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 15% | 20% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 27% | 23% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.8% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 20% | 28% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gwent and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Work tends to be further away for Underwood: 30% commute under 5 km, below Gwent’s towns and Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 19% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Nearly a fifth of workers did their job mainly from home at the census. At the census, 11% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below both Gwent’s towns (13%) and Wales’s towns (16%). Also worth knowing: for every resident in work, Underwood has 0.2 jobs.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot6%
Bus3%
Bicycle1%
30%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
19%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£56K
mean household income, before tax
3.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C
Walkability: more walkable than 29% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Underwood records less crime per resident than 60% of UK towns
45% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 74 offences in Underwood and 24 cases of nuisance behaviour. There were 13.1 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Gwent’s towns (15.3) but above Wales’s towns (10.4).
20violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 39% 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 & arson13
Public order9
Other theft7
Vehicle crime4
Burglary3
Other crime2
Shoplifting1
Anti-social24
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.
20
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
74
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 B
Social housing is more common in Underwood than in Gwent’s towns or across Wales’s towns, at 30% of households
Owners make up 58% of households. Private renters make up just over one in ten households, below both Gwent’s towns (14%) and Wales’s towns (17%). The median sale, £199,975, comes from 64 standard sales inside Underwood’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
£200Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Underwood£200K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £220,000 | 17 |
| Terraced | £190,050 | 44 |
58%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
12%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£959
average private rent a month, Newport council area
£2,088
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
79% of residents say their health is good or very good
Life expectancy here is 85.4 for women and 81.2 for men (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Underwood is The Grange University Hospital, 5.7 miles away. One GP practice serves the town.
79%good or very good healthC+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 79%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 8%
| Census 2021 | Underwood | Gwent | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 77% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.4% | 7.7% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 22% | 22% |
81.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.4
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 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.
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Underwood
14pages on Underwood
The big questions
SafetyB20 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingBMedian home £200K · rent £959 a monthHousing24 sold in 12 months · busiest street Waltwood Park DriveSchools1 state school (no results published in Wales)HealthC+Work & commuteC−37% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB0.1% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Underwood’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LangstoneUndy and MagorCaerleonPonthirNewportRogietCaer-wentUnderwood
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underwood | 2,134 | — | — | B | B | C+ |
| Langstone | 2,912 | 0.9 | C+ | D | C+ | A− |
| Undy and Magor | 5,742 | 3 | B | C− | B+ | A− |
| Caerleon | 7,329 | 3.6 | C− | C | C− | B− |
| Ponthir | 1,260 | 4.2 | — | D | B+ | B |
| Newport | 130,882 | 4.5 | D | B− | D− | D |
| Rogiet | 1,791 | 4.7 | — | C | C | B |
| Caer-went | 1,523 | 5.4 | — | D | A− | B+ |
Ponthir, Rogiet and Caer-went have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Underwood
Who lives in Underwood?
A young village. At the 2021 Census, 22% of residents were under 15 and 27% were 25 to 44, against 17% and 25% across Wales’s towns; only 15% were 65 or over.
Is Underwood expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £199,975, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £190,050 and semi-detached houses £220,000.
How much is council tax in Underwood?
Band D council tax in Underwood is £2,088 for 2026–27, less than in 84% of UK towns (the Newport council average, with police and community councils). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Underwood
Village in Gwent, Wales
Underwood is a built-up area of 2,134 people, in the Newport 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
- 2,134 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Newport
- County
- Gwent
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000541
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.