Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 853: a village in Hertfordshire, East of England.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, High Cross is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 10% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 16, with 0 at Grade I. The median sale price is £640,000.
The 3 things High Cross does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside High Cross’ built-up area.
26% 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 High Cross.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 36% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Average household income comes to £71K a year before tax. A quarter of commuters travelled under 5 km, below Hertfordshire’s towns (41%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. High Cross counts 1.8 jobs per working resident.
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. Three in five pupils at the 3 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its one primary school teaches 45 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puller Memorial, Church of England, Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 45 | D |
14% of households rent from a council or housing body. Owners make up 72% of households, higher than both Hertfordshire’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,533 a month across the East Hertfordshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £840,000 | 7 |
| Semi-detached | £590,000 | 5 |
| Terraced | £462,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
34 crimes and 10 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside High Cross’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Per 1,000 residents, 17.2 violent crimes are recorded each year. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 53% of recorded crime.
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.
Seeing a GP means leaving High Cross: the nearest practice is 2.4 miles away. 86% of High Cross’ residents described their health as good or very good at the census, about level with Hertfordshire’s towns (85%) and above England’s towns (82%). The nearest A&E to High Cross is The Princess Alexandra Hospital, 7 miles away.
| Census 2021 | High Cross | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 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.
Per 10,000 residents, High Cross counts 188 listed buildings. Grade II* covers 3 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Line up the people of High Cross by age and the one in the middle is 44.8. 34% of adults hold a degree, below Hertfordshire’s towns (39%) and close to England’s towns (34%). One measure of family life: 18% of residents are under 15.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| High Cross | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.4% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 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 High Cross. Best known first.
Historic houseFanhams Hall2.5 km outside town, to the south
MuseumWare Museum3.7 km outside town, to the southWater parkWater parkH2O Rampage Aqua Park3.4 km outside town, to the southwestGardenGardenScott's Grotto4.2 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Cross | 853 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ware | 19,631 | 2.3 | B+ | C+ | C+ | B |
| Puckeridge and Standon | 3,861 | 3.3 | B | B− | B+ | A− |
| Great Amwell | 1,017 | 3.3 | — | C− | A− | A |
| Hertford | 28,807 | 4.1 | A− | C+ | C | A− |
| Hadham Cross | 1,275 | 4.1 | — | C− | A− | B |
| Watton at Stone | 2,614 | 4.1 | A+ | C+ | A | A+ |
| Stanstead Abbotts | 3,754 | 4.3 | A− | B− | B− | A− |
Great Amwell and Hadham Cross have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
By type: terraced houses £462,500, semi-detached houses £590,000 and detached houses £840,000.
That is 7.7 times the typical UK town for its size.
Band D council tax in High Cross is £2,397 for 2026–27, less than in 59% 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
High Cross is a built-up area of 853 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
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.