Picket Piece’s story
No listed buildings inside Picket Piece’s built-up area
1% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Picket PieceHampshire
Over-65s are only 6% of the population. The village, home to 2,329 people, lies in Hampshire, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Shaun Ferguson · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,329
Census 2021 · Test Valley council
Median home
£360K
109 sales in 3 years
Median age
31.2
6% are 65+ · Hampshire 20%
Degree level
37%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Picket Piece a good place to live?
Homes are affordable (A−): a typical home costs £360,000 and rent runs £1,235 a month. Schools lag: primary results beat 2% of towns in England; secondary results beat 2% of towns in England. Natural hazards are less of a worry than in most UK towns (A). It also trails on walkability — 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency · commuting, Census 2021. With fewer than 2,500 residents, Picket Piece has subject grades but no overall one.
What makes Picket Piece stand out
The 3 things Picket Piece does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
Only 6% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Secondary results, towns in England
Schools
Secondary results trail 98%
of towns in England, on GCSE results (Attainment 8, English and maths)
Primary results beat 2%. Department for Education.
How Picket Piece grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Picket Piece is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SchoolsPrimary results beat 2% of towns in England; secondary results beat 2% of towns in EnglandD−Open →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carDOpen →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →Cost of livingMedian sale £360,000, 5.5 years of area incomeA−Open →HealthResidents’ health trails most townsCOpen →SafetyBehind most towns comparedC+Open →Jobs & incomeNear typical for the towns comparedB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsD−Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 33% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeA−Open →Civic life0.4 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Picket Piece.
History
Most of Picket Piece is newer: only 1% of homes were built before 1919, below Hampshire’s towns and England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Picket Piece’s built-up area.
0listed buildingsD−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
1%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
The car carries 90% of commuters in Picket Piece, more than in Hampshire’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
3.1% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, above Hampshire’s towns (1.9%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. For 33% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Income per household averages £67K a year, before tax.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot4%
Train1%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
33%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
38%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£67K
mean household income, before tax
3.1%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D
Walkability: more walkable than 6% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade A−
Private renting is less common in Picket Piece than in Hampshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 6%
Behind the median of £360,000: 109 standard sales inside Picket Piece’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Home ownership stands at 65% of households. Social housing holds 17% of households, higher than Hampshire’s towns (16%) yet lower than England’s towns (18%).
£360Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Picket Piece£360K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £502,500 | 35 |
| Semi-detached | £340,000 | 39 |
| Terraced | £332,500 | 30 |
| Flat or maisonette | £202,000 | 5 |
65%
of households own their home · England 61%
6%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,235
average private rent a month, Test Valley council area
£2,292
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
91% of people in Picket Piece say their health is good or very good, more than in Hampshire’s towns and across England’s towns
Disability touches 11% of Picket Piece’s population, and at the census, 1.7% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below Hampshire’s towns (4.3%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. Life expectancy here is 81.3 for women and 76 for men (2019–23). This Hampshire town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.2 miles away.
91%good or very good healthCHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 91%Fair 7%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Picket Piece | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 91% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.7% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
76
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
81.3
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Safety
Violence is recorded more often in Picket Piece than in Hampshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 31.9 per 1,000 residents a year
Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Picket Piece has more crime per resident than just over four fifths of them. Burglary and damage came to 7.2 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Hampshire’s towns (8.7) and England’s towns (9.4). The 12 months to August 2026 brought 96 recorded crimes inside the town’s built-up area, and 11 reports of anti-social behaviour. 64% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
31.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 19% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual61
Public order9
Damage & arson8
Other theft6
Shoplifting5
Burglary3
Weapons2
Other crime2
Anti-social11
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.
31.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
96
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.
Who lives here
Children make up 29% of Picket Piece, above Hampshire’s towns and England’s towns
Degrees are held by 37% of adults, higher than both Hampshire’s towns (33%) and England’s towns (34%). Retirement age and beyond: 5.8% of residents are 65 or older. Picket Piece has a median age of 31.2. Those aged 15 to 24 account for 7.7% of residents.
31.2median age
Picket PieceHampshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
8%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications8%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar27%
Degree level37%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Picket Piece | Hampshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 29% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.7% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 41% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 17% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 5.8% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 7.7% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 27% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 33% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hampshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Andover Museum and 2 more in and around Picket Piece
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Picket Piece. Best known first.
MuseumAndover Museum2.3 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumMuseum of the Iron Age2.4 km outside town, to the southwestZooZooFinkley Down Farm300 m outside town, to the westPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Andover Museum: Chris Talbot, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Picket Piece
14pages on Picket Piece
The big questions
SafetyC+31.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingA−Median home £360K · rent £1,235 a monthHousing36 sold in 12 months · busiest street Locksbridge RoadSchoolsD−HealthCLife expectancy 76 (men), 81.3 (women)Work & commuteB−53% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Picket Piece’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
AndoverCharltonAnna Valley and Upper ClatfordWhitchurchOvertonLudgershallSouth WonstonPicket Piece
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picket Piece | 2,329 | — | — | A− | C+ | C |
| Andover | 48,484 | 1.6 | B− | A | C− | C |
| Charlton | 2,121 | 2.5 | — | A | A | A |
| Anna Valley and Upper Clatford | 1,557 | 3.4 | — | B+ | A | A− |
| Whitchurch | 5,291 | 4.5 | A | B+ | B− | A− |
| Overton | 4,350 | 7.8 | A+ | B+ | B | A |
| Ludgershall | 5,400 | 8 | C+ | A− | C | C |
| South Wonston | 2,686 | 8.5 | A+ | C | A+ | A+ |
Charlton and Anna Valley and Upper Clatford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Picket Piece
Are schools in Picket Piece good?
Places are handled by Hampshire council.
Is Picket Piece safe?
Burglary was rare, with 3 reports in the year.
Is Picket Piece expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £360,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £202,000, terraced houses £332,500, semi-detached houses £340,000 and detached houses £502,500. Household incomes are higher than in 84% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades A−.
About Picket Piece
Village in Hampshire, England
Picket Piece is a built-up area of 2,329 people, in the Test Valley 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
- 2,329 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Test Valley
- County
- Hampshire
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005660
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.