Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 343 people, this village lies in Hertfordshire, East of England.
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Reed has none; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 4% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 11 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. The median home sold for £500,000.
The 3 things Reed does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Reed’s built-up area, along with 3 scheduled monuments.
32% 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 Reed.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 43% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.8% of 16 to 64s in 2026. The car took 95% of commuters, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (73%) and England’s towns (70%). Working from home was the norm for 43% of workers at the census. 3% of commuters who live in Reed also work there.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Its one school is below. The town’s primary school has 64 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reed First SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 64 | – |
13% of households rent privately. Social housing holds 15% of households, below both Hertfordshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,434 a month across the North Hertfordshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £495,000 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 7 recorded crimes inside Reed’s built-up area, and 1 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violent crime ran at 11.7 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (21.2) and England’s towns (22). Also worth knowing: of all the crimes, 29% were 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.
Reed has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.4 miles away. The nearest A&E to Reed is Lister Hospital, 10.1 miles away. 16% of residents have a disability, between Hertfordshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (17%).
| Census 2021 | Reed | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 14% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as 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.
The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them. Reed’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 32% of the total, above Hertfordshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (16%) alike.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
7.2% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below Hertfordshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Reed has a median age of 50.6 years. Degrees are held by just over two in five adults.
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Reed | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.2% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.5% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reed | 343 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Royston | 17,443 | 3.1 | A− | B− | B− | A |
| Buntingford | 7,877 | 4.4 | B | C+ | C+ | A |
| Bassingbourn | 2,353 | 5.1 | — | B+ | B− | A |
| Melbourn | 4,907 | 5.4 | A− | B+ | B | A− |
| Ashwell | 1,982 | 6.1 | — | C− | A | A+ |
| Meldreth | 1,823 | 6.1 | — | B | B− | B+ |
| Fowlmere | 1,295 | 6.9 | — | B− | B+ | A |
Bassingbourn, Ashwell, Meldreth and Fowlmere have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 13.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary. It also has 3 scheduled monuments.
Village in Hertfordshire, England
Reed is a built-up area of 343 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.