Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,552 in Lancashire, North West.
Caton grades B+ overall against UK towns: better than 70% of UK towns, and #11 of 65 in Lancashire. Its strongest subject is schools (A): primary results beat 82% of towns in England. Its weakest is hazard risk (D): 5.2% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. The median home sold for £270,000 in the last three years, 6.2 times what households in the Lancaster council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Caton 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 Caton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 21 buildings inside Caton’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
19% 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 Caton.
Private tenants account for 11% of households. 8% live in social housing, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). The median sale, £270,000, comes from 121 standard sales inside Caton’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £422,500 | 38 |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | 49 |
| Terraced | £193,500 | 22 |
| Flat or maisonette | £125,000 | 12 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Below is one of its 2 schools, and why it was picked. 68% of pupils at the town’s 2 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Between them, two primaries teach 252 pupils in Caton.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caton St Paul's Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 171 | B+ |
Life expectancy here is 85.6 for women and 82.5 for men (2019–23). Caton has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 4.1 miles away. The nearest A&E to Caton is Royal Lancaster Infirmary, 5 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Caton | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.5% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 20% | 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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 26% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.8% of 16 to 64s in 2026, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (2.3%) and England’s towns (2.3%). 9% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census. About 6% of its commuters stay in Caton for work. Jobs per working resident: 0.6.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for three fifths of recorded crime. Violent crime runs at 14 per 1,000 residents a year. Burglary and damage came to 6.5 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (9.8) and England’s towns (9.4). A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 82 offences in Caton and 16 cases of nuisance behaviour.
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
For its size, Caton has the second most listed buildings of the towns in Lancashire. Grade II* covers 1 of them. Homes from before 1919 make up 19% of the total, lower than Lancashire’s towns (23%) yet higher than England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Children under 15 make up 16%, below Lancashire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for nearly a tenth of the town. The middle age in Caton is 49.6. Among adults, 38% have a degree.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Caton | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.2% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Caton. Best known first.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caton | 2,552 | — | B+ | D | A− | A |
| Halton | 2,652 | 1.8 | B− | D | A− | A |
| Bolton-le-Sands | 6,728 | 3.7 | B | D | A | A− |
| Lancaster | 52,646 | 4 | C+ | B− | D | C− |
| Carnforth | 5,852 | 4.2 | C | C+ | C+ | C+ |
| Warton (Lancaster) | 1,801 | 5.3 | — | D | A | B− |
| Bailrigg | 4,788 | 5.4 | A | D | A+ | B |
| Morecambe | 32,745 | 5.7 | D− | C+ | D | D |
Warton (Lancaster) has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 3.4 times the typical UK town for its size.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Primary results beat 82% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). Caton has 2 state schools; places are handled by Lancashire council.
Town in Lancashire, England
Caton is a built-up area of 2,552 people, in the Lancaster 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.