Easy on the wallet, harder on other counts. Where it falls short is jobs & income: mean household income £43,737; 4.5% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. At C overall, Blaenau Ffestiniog ranks #10 of 13 in Gwynedd. That leaves it better than 27% of UK towns. Safety lags: police record 53.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 12.3 home and vehicle crimes. Only 7% of UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people have more crime per resident. Housing is within reach (A): homes sell for a median £123,000, about 2.7 times local household income. Add walkability to its strengths — 22% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.

Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · income, ONS · claimants, DWP · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026.

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.

StrongestACost of living A⁻WalkabilityWeakestD⁻Jobs & income DSafety

What makes Blaenau Ffestiniog stand out

The 3 things Blaenau Ffestiniog does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Homes built before 1919

History

81% of homes built before 1919

Against 15% in the typical UK town

Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.

Median sale, £ thousands

Housing

56% below the typical UK town’s £277K

Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.

Claimant rate, against UK towns

Work

of 16 to 64s in 2026: more than in 93% of UK towns

DWP claimant count, January to August 2026.

How Blaenau Ffestiniog grades

Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Wales), ordered by how far Blaenau Ffestiniog is from typical. American towns are graded separately.

How grading works

Jobs & incomeGraded on incomes, poverty and employmentD⁻Open →SafetyCrime runs among the highest comparedDOpen →Hazard risk5.2% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaDOpen →Cost of livingNear the top of the towns comparedAOpen →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carA⁻Open →Health6% in bad or very bad health, 20% disabled (adjusted for age in the grade)C⁻Open →

SchoolsNot published in Wales–

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

HistoryUnusually rich in historyAOpen →Outdoors70% live within 400 m of a park; 78% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeB⁺Open →Civic life3.2 local charities per 1,000 residents; 75% live within 1 km of a libraryAOpen →

How TownRatings grades towns →

A view of Blaenau Ffestiniog from Graig Ddu, c. 1875 · Photo: Thomas, John · Public domain

Blaenau Ffestiniog’s story

Blaenau Ffestiniog in pictures

Cadw lists 29 buildings inside Blaenau Ffestiniog’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.

Part of the The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site.

81% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.

The archive holds 3 old photos and postcards going back to 1875.

c. 1875Blaenau Ffestiniog viaduct
c. 1875Llwyn-y-gell, Rhiw, Blaenau Ffestiniog

Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Safety

Blaenau Ffestiniog records more crime per resident than nine in ten UK towns

In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 336 crimes and 75 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Blaenau Ffestiniog’s built-up area. There were 24.6 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Gwynedd’s towns (15) and Wales’s towns (10.4) alike. Violence and sexual offences accounted for nearly three fifths of recorded crime.

53.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearDSafety Grade

Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 7% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.

More crimeLess crime

Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026

Violence & sexual199

Public order28

Damage & arson26

Other theft22

Shoplifting21

Burglary14

Other crime12

Vehicle crime5

Anti-social75

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.

53.4

violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026

12.3

burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026

24.6

anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)

336

crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026

Full pageBlaenau Ffestiniog’s safety reportOpen the page

Safety Grade53.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 · Blaenau Ffestiniog has more crime per resident than 91% of UK towns Crime by typeViolence & sexual leads Vs. the neighboursAhead of 1 of its 5 graded neighbours Questions“Is Blaenau Ffestiniog safe?”

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.

Schools

5 state schools in Blaenau Ffestiniog

Two of them are shown below, each with the reason. Between them, three primaries and one secondary teach 687 pupils in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

School	Level	Pupils	Letter
Ysgol MaenofferenLargest primary schoolPrimary	Primary	214	–
Ysgol Y MoelwynLargest secondary schoolSecondary	Secondary	355	–

Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.See all 5 schools →

HousingCost of living grade A

Blaenau Ffestiniog is graded an A for cost of living grade

No town in Gwynedd costs less to buy into than Blaenau Ffestiniog, at £123,000, the lowest of 13. Private rents average £724 a month across the Gwynedd council area. From September 2023 to August 2026, 152 homes sold inside the town’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £123,000.

£123Kmedian sale

Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026

Blaenau Ffestiniog£123K

Typical UK town£277K

By type	Median	Sales
Detached	£135,000	17
Semi-detached	£130,000	18
Terraced	£120,000	115

18%

rent privately · Wales 17%

£724

average private rent a month, Gwynedd council area

£2,469

council tax, Band D, 2026–27

Full pageBlaenau Ffestiniog’s housing & cost pageOpen the page

House pricesMedian sale £123,000 Renting£724 a month · Average private rent Council tax£2,469 Band D · Council tax, 2026–27 Owners and renters63% own their home

HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL

History

Blaenau Ffestiniog keeps more of its old housing than Gwynedd’s towns or Wales’s towns: 81% built before 1919

The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.

It is part of the The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site. Blaenau Ffestiniog counts 29 listed buildings on the national list (Cadw): 1 Grade II*. Relative to its size, Blaenau Ffestiniog keeps 84 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above Gwynedd’s towns (76) and Wales’s towns (18) alike.

29listed buildingsAHistory Grade

Listed buildings by grade · Cadw

Grade I0

Grade II*1

Grade II28

Among them · Grade II*

Hydro-Electric Powerstation Grade II*

scheduled monuments

registered parks and gardens

81%

of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%

listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24

Full pageBlaenau Ffestiniog’s history pageOpen the page

Homes by age81% built before 1919 · Older homes Listed buildings29 listed buildings Vs. the neighboursAhead of 2 of its 5 graded neighbours Questions“How many listed buildings are there in Blaenau Ffestiniog?”

Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL

Work & commuteJobs & income grade D⁻

Blaenau Ffestiniog is more walkable than four in five UK towns

The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 15% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.

Work in town: 37% of resident commuters. 15% of workers worked mainly from home, lower than both Gwynedd’s towns (20%) and Wales’s towns (24%). Driving is how 77% of commuters got to work at the census.

22%walk, cycle or ride

How commuters got to work · March 2021

Driving77%

On foot16%

Bus5%

Bicycle1%

15%

worked mainly from home in March 2021

£44K

mean household income, before tax

4.5%

of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)

A⁻

Walkability: more walkable than 83% of UK towns

Full pageBlaenau Ffestiniog’s work & commute pageOpen the page

Commute map22% walk, cycle or ride Jobs based here1,300 jobs based here · Manufacturing is the biggest, 16%Household income£44K a year · Mean household income Getting to work40% go under 5 km · Short trips to work

ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL

Health

Blaenau Ffestiniog’s life expectancy trails 74% of UK towns

One GP practice serves the town. The nearest A&E to Blaenau Ffestiniog is Ysbyty Gwynedd, 17.6 miles away. 80% of people in Blaenau Ffestiniog rate their own health good or very good.

80%good or very good healthC⁻Health Grade

General health, self-reported

Good or very good 80%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 6%

Census 2021	Blaenau Ffestiniog	Gwynedd	Wales
Good or very good health	80%	80%	78%
Bad or very bad health	6%	5.5%	7.1%
Disabled (Equality Act)	20%	20%	22%

77.3

life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)

83.2

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.

Full pageBlaenau Ffestiniog’s health pageOpen the page

Health GradeLife expectancy: women 83.2, men 77.3 Getting care17.6 miles to A&E · Ysbyty Gwynedd GP practices1 GP practice · 3,449 residents per practice Census health80% in good health

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.

Who lives here

A town of families: 19% of people in Blaenau Ffestiniog are under 15, more than in Gwynedd’s towns or Wales’s towns

Half of Blaenau Ffestiniog is older than 43.4, half younger. People aged 15 to 24 are just over a tenth of the population. 20% of residents are 65 or over, about level with Wales’s towns (21%) and below Gwynedd’s towns (23%). Degrees are held by 27% of adults.

43.4median age

Blaenau FfestiniogGwyneddWales

GwyneddWales

Ages · share of residents

20%

Qualifications · residents 16 and older

No qualifications18%

Apprenticeship8%

A levels or similar18%

Degree level27%

Women and men · all residents

50% women, 50% men

About an even split. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.

Ages and qualifications in Blaenau Ffestiniog
	Blaenau Ffestiniog	Gwynedd	Wales
Under 15	19%	16%	17%
15–24	11%	13%	12%
25–44	22%	22%	25%
45–64	28%	26%	26%
65+	20%	23%	21%
No qualifications	18%	18%	20%
Apprenticeship	7.6%	6.1%	5.6%
A levels or similar	18%	19%	17%
Degree level	27%	32%	31%

Full pageBlaenau Ffestiniog’s Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages43.4 median age · 20% are 65 or over Households1,615 households · 63% own their home Where people were born3% born outside the UK Questions“What is the population of Blaenau Ffestiniog?”

ONS Census 2021 · Gwynedd and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL

Nearby attractions

Llechwedd Slate Caverns and 2 more in and around Blaenau Ffestiniog

Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Blaenau Ffestiniog. Best known first.

All attractions →

MuseumMuseumLlechwedd Slate Caverns300 m outside town, to the north AttractionAttractionZipWorld Titan300 m outside town, to the north Theme parkTheme parkZipWorld Llechwedd500 m outside town, to the north

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Blaenau Ffestiniog

15pages on Blaenau Ffestiniog

The big questions

SafetyD53.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 Cost of livingAMedian home £123K · rent £724 a month Housing34 sold in 12 months · busiest street Manod Road Schools5 state schools (no results published in Wales)HealthC⁻Work & commuteD⁻57% of working residents work in the town Flood & hazardsD5.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk

Out and about

OutdoorsB⁺70% live within 400 m of a park AttractionsClimateJuly highs of 18°C (65°F), 2,332 mm of rain a year Weather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 43.4 · 3,449 people HistoryA29 listed buildings Town Hall & politicsCouncil area: Gwynedd Famous people13 born here, among them Gwyn Thomas

Landmarks

29 listed buildings in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

All landmarks →

Former Diffwys Railway Station (now public toilets)Grade II listed

Old Market HallGrade II listed

Photo credits

Former Diffwys Railway Station (now public toilets): Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domain · Old Market Hall: Photo: Christine Johnstone · CC BY-SA 2.0

Famous people from Blaenau Ffestiniog

13 notable people were born in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

See all 13 →

Gareth JonesWelsh politician (born 1939)

Gwyn ThomasWelsh poet (1936–2016)

Richard Bryn WilliamsWriter (1902–1981)

David FelgateWelsh footballer (born 1960)

Des HarlockFootballer (1922-1981)

David JonesWelsh footballer (1914-1997)

Photo credits

Gareth Jones: Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament from Wales, CC BY 2.0

Blaenau Ffestiniog’s neighbours

The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →

All towns in Gwynedd →

PenrhyndeudraethPorthmadogHarlechLlanrwstLlanberisBlaenau Ffestiniog

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Blaenau Ffestiniog	3,449	—	C	A	D	C⁻
Penrhyndeudraeth	1,463	6.9	—	A⁻	C	C⁺
Porthmadog	2,579	9.4	C⁺	A⁻	C⁻	C⁺
Harlech	1,261	11	—	B⁺	C⁺	B⁻
Llanrwst	2,463	12	—	B⁻	D	B⁻
Llanberis	1,838	12	—	B	C	C

Penrhyndeudraeth, Harlech, Llanrwst and Llanberis have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.

Questions about Blaenau Ffestiniog

Is Blaenau Ffestiniog expensive to live in?

Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £123,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £120,000, semi-detached houses £130,000 and detached houses £135,000.

How many listed buildings are there in Blaenau Ffestiniog?

29 on Cadw’s list, 1 of them Grade II*. That is 3.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Part of it is in the The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site.

Is Blaenau Ffestiniog safe?

It has more crime per resident than most places its size: 93% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less.

Does Blaenau Ffestiniog flood?

Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on Natural Resources Wales’s flood risk service.

About Blaenau Ffestiniog

Town in Gwynedd, Wales

Blaenau Ffestiniog is a built-up area of 3,449 people, in the Gwynedd 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: 3,449 (Census 2021)
Council: Gwynedd
County: Gwynedd
Region: Wales
Area: 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²)
ONS code: W45000158

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.