Plenty in its favour, and one clear drawback. Its best grade is for walkability (A) — on the way to work, 26% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Jobs and pay trail most towns: the mean household earns £48,668 a year. The median home sold for £277,500, 5.6 times what households in the Herefordshire council area earn in a year. Police record more crime here than in most towns: 26.7 violent and sexual offences and 10.8 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Set beside UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, its crime per resident is higher than in 61%. Put together, the subjects come to a B+ overall, ranking #1 of 5 in Herefordshire. That leaves it better than 66% of UK towns.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · income, ONS · claimants, DWP · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Ledbury is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ledbury.
Who lives here
An older town: 31% of people in Ledbury are 65 or over, more than in Herefordshire’s towns or England’s towns
Half of Ledbury is older than 51.7, half younger. 13% are under 15, lower than both Herefordshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). In addition, people aged 15 to 24 make up nearly a tenth of the town.
51.7median age
LedburyHerefordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level33%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenEnglandMen
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.
ONS Census 2021 · Herefordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsB+
Results at Ledbury’s schools beat 74% of towns in England
Its two schools are listed below. Between them, one primary and one secondary teach 1,269 pupils in Ledbury. Just over two thirds of pupils at the 2 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 2 schools →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Ledbury is more walkable than 91% of UK towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 23% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Among 16 to 64s, 3% claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. 41% of commuters travelled under 5 km, below Herefordshire’s towns (53%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. Jobs per working resident: 1.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
Ledbury is rich in listed buildings: 247 per 10,000 residents, more than Herefordshire’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 19 of them, Grade I 3. Historic England’s list names 206 listed buildings in Ledbury: 3 Grade I, 19 Grade II*. 18% of homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
Lifespans in Ledbury run longer than in 76% of UK towns
One GP practice serves the town; 62% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Ledbury is The County Hospital, 11.9 miles away. Four fifths of people in Ledbury rate their own health good or very good.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
Safety
Per resident, Ledbury sees more crime than 60% of UK towns
There were 11.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Herefordshire’s towns (7.1) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 409 recorded crimes inside Ledbury’s built-up area, and 89 reports of anti-social behaviour. 47% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
26.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 39% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual192
Damage & arson50
Public order44
Shoplifting25
Vehicle crime24
Other theft22
Burglary21
Drugs13
Anti-social89
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.
26.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.8
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
HousingCost of living grade C+
Ledbury’s grade for cost of living grade: a C+
Social housing holds 14% of households, lower than both Herefordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Ledbury is the second most expensive of the 5 towns in Herefordshire, at £277,500. Private rents average £821 a month across the Herefordshire, County of council area.
£278Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Ledbury£278K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£385,000
157
Semi-detached
£264,500
122
Terraced
£220,000
99
Flat or maisonette
£115,000
43
65%
of households own their home · England 61%
£821
average private rent a month, Herefordshire, County of council area
Colwall Stone, Malvern Wells, Welland, Corse and Upton upon Severn have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Ledbury
How many listed buildings are there in Ledbury?
That is 10.1 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Church of St Michael and All Angels, Including the Detached Bell Tower.
How much is council tax in Ledbury?
Band D council tax in Ledbury is £2,695 for 2026–27, more than in 95% 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.
Is Ledbury safe?
Against all UK towns, it grades C+.
About Ledbury
Town in Herefordshire, England
Ledbury is a built-up area of 8,344 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
8,344 (Census 2021)
Council
Herefordshire
County
Herefordshire
Region
West Midlands
Area
1.1 sq mi (2.9 km²)
ONS code
E63003888
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.
