Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,614 in Hertfordshire, East of England.
Watton at Stone’s strongest subject is health (A+) — life expectancy is 83.8 for men and 87.4 for women. Overall, Watton at Stone earns an A+, better than 98% of UK towns. The ranking puts it #3 of 50 in Hertfordshire. A median £448,500 buys a home here, 6.4 times what households in the East Hertfordshire council area earn in a year. Natural hazards weigh more here: 1.1% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · flood risk, Environment Agency · 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 Watton at Stone is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Watton at Stone does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 32 buildings inside Watton at Stone’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →32 listed buildings in Watton at Stone, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of St Andrew and St Mary: Photo: AnemoneProjectors · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Bull Public House: Photo: Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Shop: Photo: Bikeboy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The White House: Photo: Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors · CC BY-SA 2.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Watton at Stone.
The nearest A&E to Watton at Stone is Lister Hospital, 6.1 miles away. At the census, 86% of people in Watton at Stone called their health good or very good, near Hertfordshire’s towns (85%) and higher than England’s towns (82%). One GP practice serves the town; 83% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Also worth knowing: 3.6% of residents report bad or very bad health.
| Census 2021 | Watton at Stone | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 14% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
At the 4 primary schools within 3 km, 71% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The one school in town appears below. 235 pupils attend Watton at Stone’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watton-at-Stone Primary and Nursery SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 235 | B |
Violence accounts for 12.9 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Police figures for Watton at Stone’s built-up area: 69 crimes and 26 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. For its size, Watton at Stone records less crime per resident than 93% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
For its size, Watton at Stone has 122 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. The town’s listed buildings include Woodhall Park (Heath Mount School), Grade I. Conservation areas cover nearly a quarter of the town’s land, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (7%). Grade II* covers 2 of them, Grade I 1.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 39% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income came to £69K a year before tax, about level with Hertfordshire’s towns (£70K) and above England’s towns (£55K). At the census, 86% of commuters went by car. Of the commuters living in Watton at Stone, 8% work in the town itself. There are 0.3 jobs in Watton at Stone for each resident in work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Private renters make up 15% of households, lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). Nearly two thirds of households own their home. That is the middle of 84 standard sales inside Watton at Stone’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £685,750 | 16 |
| Semi-detached | £460,460 | 15 |
| Terraced | £410,000 | 41 |
| Flat or maisonette | £239,000 | 12 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Residents of Watton at Stone have a median age of 43.4. 20% of residents are 65 or over, higher than both Hertfordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Graduates make up 37% of adults.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Watton at Stone | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.2% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 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 Watton at Stone. Best known first.
Town in Hertfordshire, England
Watton at Stone is a built-up area of 2,614 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watton at Stone | 2,614 | — | A+ | C+ | A | A+ |
| Datchworth | 1,179 | 1.8 | — | C− | A+ | A |
| Woolmer Green | 1,409 | 2.7 | — | C | B | A |
| Knebworth | 4,191 | 3 | B+ | C | B | B+ |
| Oaklands | 3,960 | 3.5 | A | D | A | A+ |
| Walkern | 1,367 | 4.2 | — | C+ | B | A |
| Hertford | 28,807 | 4.4 | A− | C+ | C | A− |
| Stevenage | 94,462 | 4.5 | C | C | C− | C |
Datchworth, Woolmer Green and Walkern have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Woodhall Park (Heath Mount School).
Primary results beat 91% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Hertfordshire council.
Police recorded 69 crimes inside Watton at Stone’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 58% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £448,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £239,000, terraced houses £410,000, semi-detached houses £460,460 and detached houses £685,750.
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.