Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 9,350 people live in this town, in Hampshire, South East.
Whiteley’s best grade is for jobs & income — the mean household earns £78,078 a year. Crime runs high (C+): police record 29.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 10 home and vehicle crimes. Against UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, it has more crime per resident than 64%. It takes 5.6 years of household income in the Fareham council area to buy the median home, at £364,425. All told, that adds up to an A− overall and a rank of #32 of 76 in Hampshire. That leaves it better than 85% of UK towns. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B for schools, B− for walkability and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: income, ONS · claimants, DWP · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency.
The 3 things Whiteley 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 Whiteley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 19 buildings inside Whiteley’s built-up area, and 1 scheduled monument.
3% 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 Whiteley.
At the census, just over a tenth of people here had a disability, below Hampshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 1.9% of the town. Seeing a GP means leaving Whiteley: the nearest practice is 1.2 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Whiteley | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 91% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.9% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · 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 and early deaths.
The one school in town appears below. GCSE results at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km: 42% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 45.1. Key Stage 2 results at the 19 primary schools within 3 km: nearly two thirds of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteley Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 630 | A− |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
3% of its homes were built before 1919, below both Hampshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%). Whiteley has one scheduled monument. Listed buildings per head: 20 for every 10,000 residents of the town.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
650 crimes and 93 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Whiteley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. 44% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
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.
4% live in social housing, below both Hampshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,310 a month across the Fareham council area. Half of the 480 standard sales inside Whiteley’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £364,425.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £522,500 | 180 |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | 98 |
| Terraced | £311,500 | 150 |
| Flat or maisonette | £200,000 | 52 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 45% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Home was the main workplace for 45% of workers at the census. The car took 84% of commuters, higher than both Hampshire’s towns (75%) and England’s towns (70%). 37% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Work in town: 16% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Graduates make up 44% of adults. Children under 15 make up 21%, above both Hampshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). At 38.6, the median resident of Whiteley sits in the middle of the age range.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Whiteley | Hampshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 11% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 6.8% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 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 Whiteley. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · English HeritageTitchfield Abbey100 m outside town, to the southeast
MuseumBursledon Windmill2.4 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseNew Place, Shirrell Heath4.5 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumWestbury Manor Museum3.5 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionWickham Vineyard3 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionTitchfield Haven Visitor Centre4.4 km outside town, to the southPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteley | 9,350 | — | A− | B | C+ | A |
| Locks Heath | 35,744 | 1.6 | A | A− | B− | A |
| Knowle | 1,487 | 2.3 | — | A | D | B+ |
| Bursledon | 8,072 | 2.6 | C+ | A− | C− | C+ |
| Botley | 5,900 | 3 | B | B− | C− | B+ |
| Hedge End | 23,195 | 3.1 | A | B+ | B | B+ |
| Wickham | 2,170 | 3.2 | — | A− | C− | B+ |
| Hamble-le-Rice | 4,613 | 3.3 | A− | A− | B− | A− |
Knowle and Wickham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £364,425, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £200,000, terraced houses £311,500, semi-detached houses £370,000 and detached houses £522,500. Household incomes are higher than in 97% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B.
Against all UK towns, it grades C+.
Town in Hampshire, England
Whiteley is a built-up area of 9,350 people, in the Fareham 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.