Aston’s story
17 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Aston’s built-up area.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
AstonHertfordshire
Population 530: a village in Hertfordshire, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: John Salmon · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
530
Census 2021 · East Hertfordshire council
Median home
£590K
58 sales in 3 years
Median age
54.3
34% are 65+ · Hertfordshire 17%
Degree level
42%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Aston a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Aston is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It has 17 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. The median sale price is £589,500.
What makes Aston stand out
The 3 things Aston 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%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
2 Grade II*, including Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (Church of England); 13.2 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.1 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Aston.
Work & commute
The car carries 90% of commuters in Aston, more than in Hertfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 49% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
2% of commuters who live in Aston also work there. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 31%, below Hertfordshire’s towns (41%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. Home was the main workplace for 49% of workers at the census.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot4%
Bicycle2%
Underground, tram1%
31%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
49%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£71K
mean household income, before tax
1.8%
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
Schools
The schools around Aston
GCSE results at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km: nearly two in five pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 43.1. Aston St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School’s results beat nine in ten schools in England like it. At the 17 primary schools within 3 km, 57% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aston St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 129 | A |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Most households in Aston own their home: 82%, more than in Hertfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns
Private renters make up nearly one in ten households, below both Hertfordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). That is the middle of 58 standard sales inside Aston’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£590Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Aston£590K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £647,500 | 40 |
| Semi-detached | £460,000 | 14 |
82%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,533
average private rent a month, East Hertfordshire council area
£2,383
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
Burglary and damage are rarer in Aston than in Hertfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 4.4 per 1,000 residents a year
Violence and sexual offences made up three fifths of the total. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 15 recorded crimes inside Aston’s built-up area, and 4 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violent crime ran at 17 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (21.2) and England’s towns (22).
17violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual9
Public order2
Drugs2
Other theft1
Burglary1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social4
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.
17
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
15
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% of people in Aston say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Hertfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
There is no GP practice in Aston: the nearest is 0.7 miles off. At the census, 86% of people in Aston called their health good or very good, about level with Hertfordshire’s towns (85%) and above England’s towns (82%). A disability affects 15% of people in the town.
86%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 86%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Aston | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 14% | 17% |
82.1
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Aston is rich in listed buildings: 321 per 10,000 residents, more than Hertfordshire’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.
Homes from before 1919 make up 19% of the total, above Hertfordshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Grade II* covers 2 of them.
17listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*2
Grade II15
Among them · Grade II*
- Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (Church of England) Grade II*
- 43 and 45, Benington Road Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
19%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
321
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
Fewer children live in Aston than in Hertfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 13% are under 15
Just over a third of residents are 65 or over, above Hertfordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The 15-to-24 age group makes up 6.9% of residents. The median resident of Aston is 54.3 years old. Among adults, 42% have a degree.
54.3median age
AstonHertfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
34%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level42%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Aston | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 34% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.9% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hertfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Knebworth House and 7 more in and around Aston
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Aston. Best known first.
Historic houseKnebworth House4.3 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumStevenage Museum3.1 km outside town, to the westHistoric houseHistoric houseHomewood4.1 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumDatchworth Museum4.1 km outside town, to the southChurchChurchChurch Farm4.9 km outside town, to the northeastWater parkWater parkAqua Park2.1 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Knebworth House: Heron2 (Heron on en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stevenage Museum: el ui, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Aston
13pages on Aston
The big questions
Safety17 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £590K · rent £1,533 a monthHousing13 sold in 12 months · busiest street Robins Hill RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 82.1 (men), 87 (women)Work & commute63% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Aston’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
StevenageWalkernKnebworthDatchworthWatton at StoneWoolmer GreenOaklandsAston
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston | 530 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stevenage | 94,462 | 1.8 | C | C | C− | C |
| Walkern | 1,367 | 2.1 | — | C+ | B | A |
| Knebworth | 4,191 | 2.4 | B+ | C | B | B+ |
| Datchworth | 1,179 | 2.7 | — | C− | A+ | A |
| Watton at Stone | 2,614 | 2.8 | A+ | C+ | A | A+ |
| Woolmer Green | 1,409 | 2.9 | — | C | B | A |
| Oaklands | 3,960 | 3.8 | A | D | A | A+ |
Walkern, Datchworth and Woolmer Green have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Aston
Is Aston expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £460,000 and detached houses £647,500. Private rents in the East Hertfordshire council area averaged £1,533 a month in August 2026.
How many listed buildings are there in Aston?
That is 13.2 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Aston?
Band D council tax in Aston is £2,383 for 2026–27, less than in 61% 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 Aston
Village in Hertfordshire, England
Aston is a built-up area of 530 people, in the East Hertfordshire 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
- 530 (Census 2021)
- Council
- East Hertfordshire
- County
- Hertfordshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004148
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.