Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Secondary school results beat 99% of towns in England. A town in Leicestershire, East Midlands, home to 2,563 people.
Cost of living is where it shines — homes sell for a median £246,000, about 4.6 times local household income. What holds it back is walkability — 8% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Overall, that makes an A−, good for #16 of 50 in Leicestershire. Nationally, it does better than 77% of UK towns.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021.
The 3 things Barlestone 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 Barlestone is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 4 buildings inside Barlestone’s built-up area.
14% 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 Barlestone.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Nine in ten commuters took the car to work at the census. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.3% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below Leicestershire’s towns (2%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. Average household income comes to £59K a year before tax. About 4% of its commuters stay in Barlestone for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Nearly three in five pupils at the 4 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). There is one school here; it is shown below. GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: 74% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 61.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barlestone Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 185 | B |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
For its size, Barlestone has 16 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below Leicestershire’s towns (34) and England’s towns (39) alike. The pre-1919 share of homes is 14%.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The social rented sector houses just over one in ten households. The £246,000 median rests on 108 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026). Private rents average £934 a month across the Hinckley and Bosworth council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £356,000 | 40 |
| Semi-detached | £225,000 | 45 |
| Terraced | £182,250 | 23 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
There is no GP practice in Barlestone: the nearest is 1.5 miles off. The nearest A&E to Barlestone is Leicester Royal Infirmary, 10 miles away. 4.5% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, close to Leicestershire’s towns (4.7%) and below England’s towns (5.2%).
| Census 2021 | Barlestone | Leicestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.5% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 16% | 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.
Violence accounts for 26.7 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Reported offences in Barlestone came to 147 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 20. Of all the crimes, 50% 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.
People aged 15 to 24 are a tenth of the population. Line up the people of Barlestone by age and the one in the middle is 47.6. Children under 15 count for 16% of the people here.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Barlestone | Leicestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.3% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Leicestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Barlestone. Best known first.
MuseumShackerstone railway station3.8 km outside town, to the westZooZooTropical Birdland4 km outside town, to the eastWater parkWater parkBosworth Water Park4 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barlestone | 2,563 | — | A− | A− | C+ | B+ |
| Newbold Verdon | 3,097 | 1.8 | B− | B+ | B− | C+ |
| Bagworth | 1,869 | 2.2 | — | B+ | B− | B |
| Market Bosworth | 2,104 | 2.4 | — | C+ | C+ | A− |
| Thornton | 1,030 | 2.8 | — | B− | B− | B |
| Ibstock | 6,806 | 3.2 | C+ | A | C+ | C |
| Ellistown | 2,971 | 3.5 | B− | A− | B | C+ |
| Desford | 3,817 | 3.5 | B | B− | B− | B− |
Bagworth, Market Bosworth and Thornton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
About the middle for its size: 65% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, it grades C+.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Primary results are closer to the middle, trailing 62%. One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Leicestershire council.
Town in Leicestershire, England
Barlestone is a built-up area of 2,563 people, in the Hinckley and Bosworth 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.