Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 705 people live in this village, in Hertfordshire, East of England.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Barley is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. It has 52 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. 15% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It skews older: 32% of residents are 65 or over.
The 3 things Barley does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 52 buildings inside Barley’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
44% 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 Barley.
People 65 and over make up nearly a third of the town, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are nearly a tenth of the population. Barley has a median age of 52.7 years. Among adults, 44% have a degree.
53% women, 47% men
About 90 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.
| Barley | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 32% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.6% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hertfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The town has one school, shown below. 25 pupils attend Barley’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barley (VA) Church of England First SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 25 | – |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 52% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For every resident in work, Barley has 0.9 jobs. The car took 83% of commuters, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (73%) and England’s towns (70%). Home was the main workplace for 52% of workers at the census. About 11% of its commuters stay in Barley for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
13% rent privately, below Hertfordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. The owner-occupied share of households is 70%. Private rents average £1,434 a month across the North Hertfordshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £675,000 | 13 |
| Semi-detached | £435,000 | 9 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
56% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Violent crime ran at 10.9 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (21.2) and England’s towns (22). Police figures for Barley’s built-up area: 16 crimes and 4 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026.
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.
3.6% of residents report bad or very bad health. At the census, nearly a fifth of people here had a disability, above Hertfordshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Barley has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.5 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Barley | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 14% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Relative to its size, Barley keeps 738 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (55) and England’s towns (39). Grade II* covers 3 of them. This Hertfordshire town has one scheduled monument.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Village in Hertfordshire, England
Barley is a built-up area of 705 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barley | 705 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Royston | 17,443 | 3.2 | A− | B− | B− | A |
| Melbourn | 4,907 | 4 | A− | B+ | B | A− |
| Fowlmere | 1,295 | 4.8 | — | B− | B+ | A |
| Meldreth | 1,823 | 5.1 | — | B | B− | B+ |
| Bassingbourn | 2,353 | 5.4 | — | B+ | B− | A |
| Buntingford | 7,877 | 6.1 | B | C+ | C+ | A |
| Foxton | 1,275 | 6.3 | — | C+ | B− | A+ |
Fowlmere, Meldreth, Bassingbourn and Foxton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 30.3 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument. 44% of Barley’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £456,750, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £435,000 and detached houses £675,000.
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.