Old Dalby’s story
12 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Old Dalby’s built-up area.
25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Old DalbyLeicestershire
On the way to work, 12% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 332 residents make their home in this village in Leicestershire, East Midlands.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
332
Census 2021 · Melton council
Median home
£458K
38 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.1
23% are 65+ · Leicestershire 17%
Degree level
44%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Old Dalby a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Old Dalby has none; the figures on this page are still real. 12 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. The median sale price is £457,500.
What makes Old Dalby stand out
The 3 things Old Dalby does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St John the Baptist; 14.8 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
12% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.7 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Old Dalby.
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Old Dalby: just 11% travel under 5 km, below Leicestershire’s towns and England’s towns
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.
87% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Jobs per working resident: 1. Unemployment benefit claims came to 2.3% of 16 to 64s in 2026, about level with England’s towns (2.3%) and above Leicestershire’s towns (2%).
12%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot9%
Bus1%
Train1%
Bicycle1%
11%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
39%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£56K
mean household income, before tax
2.3%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Old Dalby is a town of owners: 90% of households own their home, above Leicestershire’s towns and England’s towns
10% rent privately, below both Leicestershire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). Private rents average £806 a month across the Melton council area. From September 2023 to August 2026, 38 homes sold inside Old Dalby’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £457,500.
£458Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Old Dalby£458K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £610,000 | 23 |
| Semi-detached | £309,500 | 14 |
90%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£806
average private rent a month, Melton council area
£2,445
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Old Dalby records more violent crime per resident than Leicestershire’s towns or England’s towns, at 29.1 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences made up 57% of the total. Homes saw 13.1 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Leicestershire’s towns (11.9) and England’s towns (9.4). 23 crimes and 1 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Old Dalby’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026.
29.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual13
Damage & arson4
Other theft3
Public order1
Vehicle crime1
Bicycle theft1
Shoplifting0
Burglary0
Anti-social1
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.
29.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
23
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Just 2.7% of people in Old Dalby say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Leicestershire’s towns and across England’s towns
Self-reported good health: 87% of Old Dalby’s residents. At the census, 15% of people here had a disability, lower than both Leicestershire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (17%). The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 4 miles away.
87%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Old Dalby | Leicestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.7% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
80.1
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.9
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
History
More buildings in Old Dalby are listed than in Leicestershire’s towns or England’s towns: 361 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 25% of the total, above both Leicestershire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (16%). Grade II* covers 1 of them.
12listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II11
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St John the Baptist Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
25%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
361
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Old Dalby has fewer young adults than Leicestershire’s towns or England’s towns: 8.2% are 15 to 24
The share of residents under 15 is 20%. People 65 and over make up nearly a quarter of the town, higher than both Leicestershire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Half the people of Old Dalby are older than 48.1. Among adults, 44% have a degree.
48.1median age
Old DalbyLeicestershireEngland
Ages · share of residents
23%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level44%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Old Dalby | Leicestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.2% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Leicestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Old Dalby
12pages on Old Dalby
The big questions
Safety29.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £458K · rent £806 a monthHousing9 sold in 12 months · busiest street Hedgerow CloseSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 80.1 (men), 82.9 (women)Work & commute52% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Old Dalby’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
AsfordbyWymeswoldBurton on the WoldsKeyworthMelton MowbrayRearsbySilebyOld Dalby
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Dalby | 332 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Asfordby | 2,761 | 3.6 | B+ | A | C+ | B− |
| Wymeswold | 1,364 | 4.3 | — | C+ | B− | A |
| Burton on the Wolds | 1,260 | 5.5 | — | B− | A | A |
| Keyworth | 6,822 | 5.7 | A+ | A | A | A |
| Melton Mowbray | 27,451 | 5.8 | B− | A | C− | C+ |
| Rearsby | 1,181 | 6 | — | C+ | A | A |
| Sileby | 8,954 | 6.6 | B− | A | C | C+ |
Wymeswold, Burton on the Wolds and Rearsby have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Old Dalby
How many listed buildings are there in Old Dalby?
That is 14.8 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Old Dalby expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £309,500 and detached houses £610,000.
Who lives in Old Dalby?
At the 2021 Census, 8.2% of Old Dalby’s 332 residents were 15 to 24 and 23% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
About Old Dalby
Village in Leicestershire, England
Old Dalby is a built-up area of 332 people, in the Melton 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
- Population
- 332 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Melton
- County
- Leicestershire
- Region
- East Midlands
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002240
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.