Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Life expectancy is 87.3 for women and 83.9 for men. Home to 7,170 people, this town lies in Hampshire, South East.
One weak subject stands out against an otherwise good record. Housing is within reach (A): the median home sold for £422,000, 5.3 years of area income. At A overall, Blackwater is better than 90% of UK towns and ranks #25 of 76 in Hampshire. Jobs & income is another plus: the mean household earns £70,933 a year. Hazards are a real consideration: 5.5% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work: 10% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for safety and B− for schools.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · income, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency · commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026.
The 3 things Blackwater does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Blackwater is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 4 buildings inside Blackwater’s built-up area.
5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Blackwater.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II covers all 4 listed buildings that Historic England records here. The pre-1919 share of homes is 5%. Relative to its size, Blackwater keeps 6 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
At the 17 primary schools within 3 km, 62% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. GCSE results at the 6 secondary schools within 3 km: 47% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 46.7.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frogmore Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 224 | B |
Private tenants account for 8% of households. 7% live in social housing, below Hampshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The £422,000 median rests on 250 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £525,000 | 72 |
| Semi-detached | £423,500 | 82 |
| Terraced | £385,000 | 91 |
| Flat or maisonette | £182,000 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
A disability affects 14% of people in Blackwater, and on top of that at the census, 3.5% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below Hampshire’s towns (4.3%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. 85% of people in Blackwater rate their own health good or very good. One GP practice serves the town; 77% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Blackwater | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, 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 and early deaths.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
42% of commuters travelled under 5 km, below both Hampshire’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%). Of the commuters living in Blackwater, 2% work in the town itself. This Hampshire town counts 0.2 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Of all the crimes, 52% were violence and sexual offences. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 266 recorded crimes inside Blackwater’s built-up area, and 42 reports of anti-social behaviour. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Blackwater has less crime per resident than 56% of them.
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.
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.
People 65 and over make up 21% of the town, above Hampshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The age that splits Blackwater in two is 44.1. 16% of residents are children under 15.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Blackwater | Hampshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.5% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 33% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hampshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Blackwater. Best known first.
Abbey or priorySaint Michael’s Abbey4.3 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumHistory Hub2.9 km outside town, to the southwestZooZooTrilakes Animal Park900 m outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwater | 7,170 | — | A | A | B− | A− |
| Hawley | 2,581 | 0.8 | A+ | A | A− | A |
| Sandhurst | 20,220 | 1 | A | B− | A− | A |
| Yateley | 14,676 | 1.6 | A+ | A | B+ | A |
| Minley | 1,041 | 1.7 | — | A− | A+ | A |
| Camberley | 36,787 | 2.6 | A− | B | C+ | B+ |
| Crowthorne | 15,196 | 2.6 | A | C+ | B | A+ |
| Farnborough | 60,665 | 2.9 | C+ | C | C | B− |
Minley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £422,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £182,000, terraced houses £385,000, semi-detached houses £423,500 and detached houses £525,000. Household incomes are higher than in 90% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades A.
Band D council tax in Blackwater is £2,376 for 2026–27, less than in 63% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Town in Hampshire, England
Blackwater is a built-up area of 7,170 people, in the Hart 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
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) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), 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.