Penisa'r Waun’s story
Penisa'r Waun: 53% of homes built before 1919
53% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Penisa'r WaunGwynedd
With 235 residents, it is a village in Gwynedd, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
235
Census 2021 · Gwynedd council
Median age
47.5
23% are 65+ · Gwynedd 23%
Degree level
37%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Penisa'r Waun a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Penisa'r Waun has no grades; its figures are still real. Pre-1919 homes make up 53% of the housing. 8% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
What makes Penisa'r Waun stand out
The 2 things Penisa'r Waun does most differently from other towns.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Castell Dolbadarn and 4 more in and around Penisa'r Waun
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Penisa'r Waun. Best known first.
CastleCastle · CadwCastell Dolbadarn4.5 km outside town, to the southeast
Heritage railwayLlanberis Lake Railway2.4 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumWelsh Slate Museum4 km outside town, to the southeast
Theme parkGreenwood Family Park3.4 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumOld Quarry Hospital3.5 km outside town, to the southeast
Heritage railwayLlanberis Lake Railway2.4 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumWelsh Slate Museum4 km outside town, to the southeastTheme parkGreenwood Family Park3.4 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumOld Quarry Hospital3.5 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Llanberis Lake Railway: The original uploader was Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Welsh Slate Museum: Talsarnau Times, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Greenwood Family Park: TCExplorer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Old Quarry Hospital: Trevor Rickard, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Penisa'r Waun.
Work & commute
Work tends to be further away for Penisa'r Waun: 9% commute under 5 km, below Gwynedd’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.
92% of commuters drove, above Gwynedd’s towns (79%) and Wales’s towns (81%) alike. Households take home £49K a year before tax, on average. Unemployment benefit claims reached 2.1% of 16 to 64s in 2026.
8%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
On foot4%
Bus3%
9%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
19%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£49K
mean household income, before tax
2.1%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Schools
1 state school in Penisa'r Waun
It is listed below. The town’s primary school has 39 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ysgol Gymuned PenisarwaunLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 39 | – |
Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.The Schools page →
Housing
Private renting is less common in Penisa'r Waun than in Gwynedd’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 10%
Council and housing-body homes hold 22% of households. Private rents average £724 a month across the Gwynedd council area. Nearly two thirds of households are owner-occupiers.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Penisa'r Waun£0K
Typical UK town£277K
65%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
10%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£724
average private rent a month, Gwynedd council area
£2,469
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
Penisa'r Waun records less violent crime per resident than Gwynedd’s towns or Wales’s towns, at 24.1 per 1,000 a year
Of all the crimes, 56% were violence and sexual offences. Over the year to August 2026, 16 offences were reported in Penisa'r Waun. Homes saw 11.4 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, above Gwynedd’s towns (8.7) and Wales’s towns (10.7) alike.
24.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual9
Burglary4
Public order1
Other theft1
Drugs1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social0
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.
24.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
16
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
Good or very good health: 80% of Penisa'r Waun’s residents
Penisa'r Waun has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.9 miles away. The nearest A&E to Penisa'r Waun is Ysbyty Gwynedd, 3.9 miles away. Just over a fifth of residents in Penisa'r Waun live with a disability.
80%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Penisa'r Waun | Gwynedd | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 80% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.6% | 5.5% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 20% | 22% |
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 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy.
History
Penisa'r Waun keeps more of its old housing than Gwynedd’s towns or Wales’s towns: 53% 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 Penisa'r Waun’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
53%
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
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Penisa'r Waun than in Gwynedd’s towns or Wales’s towns: 13% are under 15
Residents of Penisa'r Waun have a median age of 47.5. Degrees are held by 37% of adults, above Gwynedd’s towns (32%) and Wales’s towns (31%) alike. The 65-and-over age group makes up nearly a quarter of residents.
47.5median age
Penisa'r WaunGwyneddWales
Ages · share of residents
23%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level37%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Penisa'r Waun | Gwynedd | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 22% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 23% | 23% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 18% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.1% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 32% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gwynedd and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Penisa'r Waun
12pages on Penisa'r Waun
The big questions
Penisa'r Waun’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LlanrugClwt-y-bontBethelLlanberisY FelinheliTregarthCaernarfonPenisa'r Waun
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penisa'r Waun | 235 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Llanrug | 1,537 | 1.2 | — | B | B | B− |
| Clwt-y-bont | 1,385 | 1.4 | — | A | C | C− |
| Bethel | 1,091 | 2 | — | B | A | B− |
| Llanberis | 1,838 | 2.7 | — | B | C | C |
| Y Felinheli | 2,333 | 2.9 | — | B+ | B− | B− |
| Tregarth | 1,252 | 4 | — | B | A+ | C+ |
| Caernarfon | 9,831 | 4.3 | C | B+ | D− | C− |
Llanrug, Clwt-y-bont, Bethel, Llanberis, Y Felinheli and Tregarth have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Penisa'r Waun
How much is council tax in Penisa'r Waun?
Band D council tax in Penisa'r Waun is £2,469 for 2026–27, more than in 56% of UK towns (the Gwynedd council average, with police and community councils). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Penisa'r Waun
Village in Gwynedd, Wales
Penisa'r Waun is a built-up area of 235 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
- 235 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Gwynedd
- County
- Gwynedd
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000112
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.