Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Hertfordshire, East of England has a population of 4,523.
A good place to live, if you can afford it. At A− overall, Wheathampstead ranks #19 of 50 in Hertfordshire. It comes out better than 83% of UK towns. Where it does best is health — life expectancy is 84.9 for men and 87.1 for women. The trade-off is cost of living (C−): the median home sold for £625,000, 7.9 years of area income. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for safety and C+ for hazard risk.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Environment Agency.
The 3 things Wheathampstead does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Wheathampstead is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 48 buildings inside Wheathampstead’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
13% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 3 old photos and postcards going back to 1910.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Wheathampstead.
The nearest A&E to Wheathampstead is Lister Hospital, 8.6 miles away. At the census, 3.2% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. Seeing a GP means leaving Wheathampstead: the nearest practice is 2.6 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Wheathampstead | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 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 · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 2 primary schools: 63% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Some 355 pupils attend Wheathampstead’s two primaries.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Helen's Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 184 | B+ |
Social housing holds just over a fifth of households, above Hertfordshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. 71% of households own their home. Behind the median of £625,000: 155 standard sales inside Wheathampstead’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £865,000 | 47 |
| Semi-detached | £663,750 | 44 |
| Terraced | £487,500 | 36 |
| Flat or maisonette | £241,500 | 28 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 46% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Income per household averages £75K a year, before tax. At the census, 17% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (27%). Also worth knowing: 9% of commuters who live in Wheathampstead also work there. For every resident in work, Wheathampstead has 0.6 jobs.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 18% of Wheathampstead’s land, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (7%). Its listed buildings include the Church of St Helen, Grade I. For its size, Wheathampstead has 106 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Violence and sexual offences made up 50% of the total. Over the year to August 2026, 212 offences were reported in Wheathampstead, along with 62 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 12.5 reports per 1,000, lower than Hertfordshire’s towns (14.4) yet higher than England’s towns (7.8).
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.
9.1% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Ages in Wheathampstead split evenly at 44.1: half are older, half younger. Over-65s are just over a fifth of the population. Degrees are held by 45% of adults, above Hertfordshire’s towns (39%) and England’s towns (34%) alike.
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Wheathampstead | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.4% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 45% | 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 Wheathampstead. Best known first.
Historic houseBrocket Hall2.8 km outside town, to the east
Museum · National TrustShaw's Corner2.3 km outside town, to the northeast
ZooCat Survival Trust4.6 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
48 listed buildings in Wheathampstead, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of St Helen: Photo: Colin Riegels / Legis at en · Public domain · The Swan Public House: Photo: Geographer · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Old School: Photo: Nigel Cox · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph · The Bull Inn: Photo: Colin Riegels / Legis at en · Public domain
4 notable people were born in Wheathampstead.
Robin Chapple: Australian Greens, CC BY-SA 2.5 au
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheathampstead | 4,523 | — | A− | C− | B− | A+ |
| Sandridge | 1,457 | 2.1 | — | C | C | B+ |
| Harpenden | 30,964 | 2.6 | A+ | C− | A− | A+ |
| Kimpton | 1,546 | 2.8 | — | C− | A | B+ |
| Welwyn | 3,906 | 3.6 | A− | D | B | B+ |
| Codicote | 2,677 | 3.6 | A− | C | B+ | B+ |
| St Albans | 75,544 | 4.1 | A | C | C | A− |
| Hatfield | 41,561 | 4.3 | C | C+ | D | C |
Sandridge and Kimpton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £625,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £241,500, terraced houses £487,500, semi-detached houses £663,750 and detached houses £865,000.
That is 4.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Helen.
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 80% of towns in England. Primary results are closer to the middle, beating 57%. Wheathampstead has 2 state schools; places are handled by Hertfordshire council.
Town in Hertfordshire, England
Wheathampstead is a built-up area of 4,523 people, in the St Albans 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.