Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 4,761: a town in Leicestershire, East Midlands. Mortgage-free owners make up 50% of households.
Markfield’s overall grade is A, better than 87% of UK towns. The ranking puts it #7 of 50 in Leicestershire. Prices are modest for what you get: a typical home costs £257,200 and rent runs £934 a month. Schools are another plus: primary results beat 67% of towns in England; secondary results beat 70% of towns in England. Most journeys need a car: on the way to work, 10% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for safety and B for health.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy, ONS.
The 3 things Markfield 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 Markfield is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 6 buildings inside Markfield’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
9% 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 Markfield.
Markfield has a median age of 51.1. 8.5% of residents are 15 to 24, below Leicestershire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. In addition, under 15: 13% of residents.
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.
| Markfield | Leicestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.9% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Leicestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: 50% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 49.5. The town has one school, shown below. 65% of pupils at the 5 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercenfeld Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 235 | B+ |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Nearly one in ten homes were built before 1919. Relative to its size, Markfield keeps 13 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Social housing holds 7% of households, lower than both Leicestershire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). The private rented sector houses 12% of households. Behind the median of £257,200: 278 standard sales inside Markfield’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £326,550 | 109 |
| Semi-detached | £242,500 | 107 |
| Terraced | £185,000 | 51 |
| Flat or maisonette | £120,000 | 11 |
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 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.5%. 89% of commuters drove, higher than both Leicestershire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). Household income averages £51K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 53% of recorded crime. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 166 crimes and 29 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Markfield’s built-up area. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Markfield has less crime per resident than 67% of them.
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.
One GP practice serves the town; 95% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 18% of residents have a disability, above Leicestershire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Life expectancy here is 85.7 for women and 81.5 for men (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Markfield is Leicester Royal Infirmary, 7 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Markfield | Leicestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.2% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 16% | 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.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Markfield. Best known first.
GardenBradgate Park2.4 km outside town, to the east
CastleGroby Castle2.9 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic house · National TrustNational Trust Stoneywell1.4 km outside town, to the northZooZooTropical Birdland4.8 km outside town, to the southAttractionAttractionPackhorse Bridge4.9 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markfield | 4,761 | — | A | A− | B | B |
| Thornton | 1,030 | 2.2 | — | B− | B− | B |
| Groby | 6,559 | 2.6 | A | B | B− | A− |
| Ratby | 4,262 | 2.8 | B+ | A− | C | B− |
| Bagworth | 1,869 | 3.2 | — | B+ | B− | B |
| Anstey | 7,043 | 3.5 | B+ | A− | C+ | B |
| Woodhouse Eaves | 1,618 | 3.5 | — | B− | B | A |
| Ellistown | 2,971 | 4 | B− | A− | B | C+ |
Thornton, Bagworth and Woodhouse Eaves have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
GCSE results beat 70% of towns in England, and primary results beat 67% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Leicestershire council.
Town in Leicestershire, England
Markfield is a built-up area of 4,761 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.