Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The village has 626 residents and lies in Hertfordshire, East of England.
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Benington has none; the figures on this page are still real. 37 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade I. On the way to work, 11% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Homes change hands at a median £450,000.
The 3 things Benington does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Benington’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
31% 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 Benington.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 41% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
By car: that was how 88% of commuters travelled at the census. Household income came to £71K a year before tax, near Hertfordshire’s towns (£70K) and higher than England’s towns (£55K). 1.1% of people aged 16 to 64 were on unemployment benefits in 2026. Work in town: 7% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Key Stage 2 results at the 5 primary schools within 3 km: 67% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benington Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 94 | B |
Owners make up 57% of households, below Hertfordshire’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%) alike. 17% of households rent privately. Private rents average £1,533 a month across the East Hertfordshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £840,000 | 5 |
| Terraced | £420,250 | 8 |
| Flat or maisonette | £222,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Burglary and damage come to 7.5 per 1,000 residents a year. 17 crimes and 7 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Benington’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. 53% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
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.
Asked at the census, 89% of residents of Benington said they were in good or very good health. At the census, 3.5% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below Hertfordshire’s towns (3.8%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.6 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Benington | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 89% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 11% | 14% | 17% |
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 3 of them, Grade I 2. Benington’s listed buildings include the Parish Church of St Peter, Grade I. 31% of its homes were built before 1919, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The middle age in Benington is 41. Degrees are held by 34% of adults, about level with England’s towns (34%) and below Hertfordshire’s towns (39%). Children under 15 count for 19% of the people here.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Benington | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 34% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hertfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Benington. Best known first.
Village in Hertfordshire, England
Benington is a built-up area of 626 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benington | 626 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Walkern | 1,367 | 1.8 | — | C+ | B | A |
| Watton at Stone | 2,614 | 2.7 | A+ | C+ | A | A+ |
| Stevenage | 94,462 | 3.3 | C | C | C− | C |
| Datchworth | 1,179 | 3.6 | — | C− | A+ | A |
| Knebworth | 4,191 | 4 | B+ | C | B | B+ |
| Woolmer Green | 1,409 | 4.2 | — | C | B | A |
| Buntingford | 7,877 | 5.1 | B | C+ | C+ | 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.
That is 24.3 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
By type: flats £222,500, terraced houses £420,250 and detached houses £840,000.
Band D council tax in Benington is £2,400 for 2026–27, less than in 58% 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.
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.