King's Thorn’s story
King's Thorn: 37% of homes built before 1919
37% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
King's ThornHerefordshire
Some 677 people live in this village, in Herefordshire, West Midlands.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Pauline Eccles · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
677
Census 2021 · Herefordshire council
Median home
£484K
19 sales in 3 years
Median age
55.6
31% are 65+ · Herefordshire 24%
Degree level
46%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is King's Thorn a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, King's Thorn is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. 37% of its homes date from before 1919. 59% of households own their home with no mortgage.
What makes King's Thorn stand out
The 3 things King's Thorn 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%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Own outright
Housing
59% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in King's Thorn.
Work & commute
Under 5 km to work: 12% in King's Thorn, fewer than in Herefordshire’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.5%. 90% of commuters drove, higher than both Herefordshire’s towns (75%) and England’s towns (70%). Home was the main workplace for just over a third of workers at the census.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot5%
Bus2%
12%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
35%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£52K
mean household income, before tax
1.5%
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
Housing
King's Thorn is a town of owners: 87% of households own their home, above Herefordshire’s towns and England’s towns
The private rented sector houses 11% of households. Social housing holds 1% of households, below Herefordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £821 a month across the Herefordshire, County of council area.
£484Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
King's Thorn£484K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £490,000 | 17 |
87%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£821
average private rent a month, Herefordshire, County of council area
£2,527
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
Violent crime runs low in King's Thorn: 3.5 per 1,000 residents a year, under Herefordshire’s towns and England’s towns
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 0.5 reports per 1,000, below both Herefordshire’s towns (7.1) and England’s towns (7.8). Per 1,000 residents, 3.9 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded a year. Police recorded 7 crimes inside King's Thorn’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 14% of the total.
3.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Public order2
Burglary2
Violence & sexual1
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
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.
3.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
7
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
Just 3.1% of people in King's Thorn say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Herefordshire’s towns and across England’s towns
The nearest A&E to King's Thorn is The County Hospital, 5.2 miles away. Self-reported good health: 84% of the town’s residents. At the census, 15% of people here had a disability, below both Herefordshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (17%). Seeing a GP means leaving King's Thorn: the nearest practice is 0.9 miles away.
84%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | King's Thorn | Herefordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.1% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 19% | 17% |
82.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
No listed buildings in King's Thorn
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 King's Thorn’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
37%
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
Who lives here
Degrees are more common in King's Thorn than in Herefordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 46% of adults
12% are under 15, lower than both Herefordshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 31% of residents. King's Thorn has a median age of 55.6 years.
55.6median age
King's ThornHerefordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications10%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level46%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| King's Thorn | Herefordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.7% | 9.7% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.6% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 46% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Herefordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about King's Thorn
13pages on King's Thorn
The big questions
Safety3.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £484K · rent £821 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82.9 (men), 85.4 (women)Work & commute48% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
King's Thorn’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
ClehongerHerefordKingstoneBartestreeEwyas HaroldCredenhillRoss-on-WyeKing's Thorn
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's Thorn | 677 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Clehonger | 1,218 | 4.7 | — | B− | B | B |
| Hereford | 60,471 | 4.9 | C+ | B | C− | C− |
| Kingstone | 1,500 | 5.4 | — | B | C | B+ |
| Bartestree | 1,655 | 6.8 | — | C | A | B+ |
| Ewyas Harold | 1,037 | 7 | — | B− | A− | B |
| Credenhill | 2,334 | 7.8 | — | C+ | A− | B− |
| Ross-on-Wye | 10,993 | 7.8 | B− | C+ | C+ | C |
Clehonger, Kingstone, Bartestree, Ewyas Harold and Credenhill have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about King's Thorn
Is King's Thorn expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £484,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
How much is council tax in King's Thorn?
Band D council tax in King's Thorn is £2,527 for 2026–27, more than in 71% 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.
About King's Thorn
Village in Herefordshire, England
King's Thorn is a built-up area of 677 people, in the Herefordshire 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
- 677 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Herefordshire
- County
- Herefordshire
- Region
- West Midlands
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003988
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.