Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Over-65s are only 13% of the population. Some 11,936 people live in this town, in Hertfordshire, East of England.
Crime is the sore point: police record 43.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 21.8 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 16%. It lags on health as well: men here can expect to live to 77.2, women to 82.8. Walking, cycling and public transport work well here (A+): on the way to work, 36% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Buying the median home, at £379,500, takes 6.4 years of household income in the Broxbourne council area. The overall grade comes out at D, better than 6% of UK towns.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Waltham Cross is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Waltham Cross does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 10 buildings inside Waltham Cross’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
10% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1907.
Explore the history →10 listed buildings in Waltham Cross, 1 of them Grade I.
Eleanor Cross: Photo: Nigel Cox · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Christ Church Waltham Cross: Photo: John Salmon · CC BY-SA 2.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Waltham Cross.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Work in town: just over a tenth of resident commuters. Waltham Cross counts 1.3 jobs per working resident. Household income came to £50K a year before tax, below Hertfordshire’s towns (£70K) and England’s towns (£55K) alike. 60% of commuters drove to work at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
One of its 5 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Some 1,009 pupils attend Waltham Cross’s four primaries. At the town’s 4 primary schools, 51% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurst Drive Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 399 | C− |
Reported offences in Waltham Cross came to 1,222 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 302. Among the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Waltham Cross has more crime per resident than 84% of them. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 29.7 reports per 1,000, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (14.2) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for just over a third 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.
The nearest A&E to Waltham Cross is North Middlesex University Hospital, 5.5 miles away. 5.3% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, about level with England’s towns (5.2%) and above Hertfordshire’s towns (3.8%). 2 GP practices serve the town; 66% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Waltham Cross | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.3% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 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.
24% rent privately, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). Home ownership covers 54% of households. Private rents average £1,685 a month across the Broxbourne council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £580,000 | 11 |
| Semi-detached | £457,000 | 65 |
| Terraced | £407,000 | 149 |
| Flat or maisonette | £237,500 | 133 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Waltham Cross’s listed buildings include Eleanor Cross, Grade I. Scaled to its population, that is 8 listed buildings for every 10,000 people in the town. The national list protects one ancient monument in the town.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Children are 20% of the town. People 65 and over make up 13% of the town, below both Hertfordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Ages in Waltham Cross split evenly at 36.4: half are older, half younger.
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Waltham Cross | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 33% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.2% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 29% | 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 Waltham Cross. Best known first.
MuseumForty Hall Museum2 km outside town, to the southwest
GardenMyddelton House Gardens1.2 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumEpping Forest District Museum800 m outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumRSA Interpretation Centre1.4 km outside town, to the southeastZooZooLee Valley Animal Adventure Park2.2 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
5 notable people were born in Waltham Cross.
Russ Ballard: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Jerry Shirley: Jerry Shirley. Original uploader was Panyd, CC BY-SA 3.0
Town in Hertfordshire, England
Waltham Cross is a built-up area of 11,936 people, in the Broxbourne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waltham Cross | 11,936 | — | D | C− | D | C− |
| Cheshunt | 43,694 | 1.6 | C | D | C | C+ |
| Waltham Abbey | 18,645 | 1.8 | D | C | D | C− |
| Goff's Oak | 3,503 | 3.1 | B+ | D | C | A |
| Lower Nazeing | 3,631 | 3.8 | B− | D | B− | B+ |
| Enfield | 329,822 | 3.9 | C+ | C | C− | C+ |
| Cuffley | 4,350 | 4.1 | A | D | B | A+ |
| Hoddesdon | 40,615 | 4.8 | B− | D | C | B |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results trail 56% of towns in England, and primary results trail 90% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
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.
