Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village in Hertfordshire, East of England, home to 846 people.
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Barkway has no grades; its figures are still real. One in ten commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 51, with 1 at Grade I. The median sale price is £540,000.
The 3 things Barkway does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Barkway’s built-up area.
38% 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 Barkway.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 42% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Among 16 to 64s, 1.3% claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. 88% of commuters drove, above Hertfordshire’s towns (73%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Working from home was the norm for 42% of workers at the census. Work in town: 8% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
There is one school here; it is shown below. Its one primary school teaches 24 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barkway VA Church of England First SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 24 | – |
11% live in social housing, lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,434 a month across the North Hertfordshire council area. Also worth knowing: the private rented sector houses 17% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £627,500 | 22 |
| Semi-detached | £462,500 | 14 |
| Terraced | £421,500 | 8 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
There were 5.9 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (14.3) and England’s towns (7.8). Burglary and damage come to 7.1 per 1,000 residents a year. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 20 crimes and 4 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Barkway’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences were 30% of the crimes.
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.
Barkway has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 4 miles away. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 2.6% of the town. 88% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (85%) and England’s towns (82%). The nearest A&E to Barkway is Lister Hospital, 11.2 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Barkway | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 11% | 14% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
At the top of the list, 1 are Grade I and 3 Grade II*. Barkway’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 38% of the total, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Degrees are held by 39% of adults, near Hertfordshire’s towns (39%) and higher than England’s towns (34%). 24% of residents are 65 or over. Residents of Barkway have a median age of 47.9. Under-15s account for 17% of the population.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Barkway | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.8% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 39% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hertfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barkway | 846 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Royston | 17,443 | 3.6 | A− | B− | B− | A |
| Buntingford | 7,877 | 4.4 | B | C+ | C+ | A |
| Melbourn | 4,907 | 5.3 | A− | B+ | B | A− |
| Bassingbourn | 2,353 | 5.8 | — | B+ | B− | A |
| Meldreth | 1,823 | 6.3 | — | B | B− | B+ |
| Fowlmere | 1,295 | 6.4 | — | B− | B+ | A |
| Ashwell | 1,982 | 7.5 | — | C− | A | A+ |
Bassingbourn, Meldreth, Fowlmere and Ashwell have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 24.7 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary Magdalene.
By type: terraced houses £421,500, semi-detached houses £462,500 and detached houses £627,500.
Band D council tax in Barkway is £2,518 for 2026–27, more than in 69% 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.
Village in Hertfordshire, England
Barkway is a built-up area of 846 people, in the North 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
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.