Foston’s story
5 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Foston’s built-up area.
21% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
FostonLincolnshire
In Lincolnshire, East Midlands, this village has 561 residents.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Tim Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
561
Census 2021 · South Kesteven council
Median home
£405K
20 sales in 3 years
Median age
50.9
21% are 65+ · Lincolnshire 22%
Degree level
37%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
3%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Foston a good place to live?
Foston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 3% of commuters. 5 buildings are listed here, 1 at Grade I. Homes change hands at a median £405,000.
What makes Foston stand out
The 3 things Foston does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
3% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Church of St. Peter; 3.7 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.5 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 Foston.
Work & commute
Only 18% of Foston’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in both Lincolnshire’s towns and England’s towns
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.
There are 0.6 jobs in Foston for each resident in work. The car took 96% of commuters, above both Lincolnshire’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (70%). Among 16 to 64s, 1.1% claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. 4% of commuters who live in Foston also work there.
3%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving96%
On foot1%
Bus1%
Train1%
18%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
46%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
1.1%
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
More households own their home in Foston than in Lincolnshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 88%
6% rent privately, below both Lincolnshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (21%). Social housing holds 5% of households. Private rents average £845 a month across the South Kesteven council area.
£405Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Foston£405K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £415,000 | 19 |
88%
of households own their home · England 61%
6%
rent privately · England 21%
£845
average private rent a month, South Kesteven council area
£2,271
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
Burglary and damage hit Foston harder than Lincolnshire’s towns or England’s towns: 19 per 1,000 residents a year
Violent crime ran at 14.3 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Lincolnshire’s towns (21.3) and England’s towns (22). Over the year to August 2026, 30 offences were reported in Foston, along with 8 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 13% of the crimes.
14.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Vehicle crime10
Other theft7
Damage & arson5
Violence & sexual4
Burglary3
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Anti-social8
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.
14.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
19
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
30
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
84% of people in Foston say their health is good or very good, more than in both Lincolnshire’s towns and England’s towns
Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4.1% of the town. 16% of residents have a disability, below Lincolnshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. There is no GP practice in Foston: the nearest is 2.1 miles off.
84%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Foston | Lincolnshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.1% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 20% | 17% |
80.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.9
life expectancy at birth, women
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.
History
Foston keeps more of its old housing than Lincolnshire’s towns or England’s towns: 21% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Foston’s listed buildings include the Church of St. Peter, Grade I. For its size, Foston has 89 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, higher than both Lincolnshire’s towns (42) and England’s towns (39).
5listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II4
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St. Peter Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
21%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
89
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
Foston is a graduates’ town: 37% hold a degree, more than in both Lincolnshire’s towns and England’s towns
Under-15s account for 16% of the population. The 15-to-24 age group: 10%, below both Lincolnshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Residents of Foston have a median age of 50.9.
50.9median age
FostonLincolnshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
21%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level37%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 108 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Foston | Lincolnshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 39% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.2% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 25% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lincolnshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Foston
12pages on Foston
The big questions
Safety14.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £405K · rent £845 a monthHousing4 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 80.3 (men), 86.9 (women)Work & commute58% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Foston’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Long BenningtonGreat GonerbyClaypoleBottesfordBarrowbyGranthamBaldertonFoston
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foston | 561 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Long Bennington | 2,149 | 1.9 | — | B | A | A− |
| Great Gonerby | 1,880 | 3.6 | — | A | B | B |
| Claypole | 1,352 | 3.9 | — | A | A | A− |
| Bottesford | 3,046 | 4.1 | A | A | B− | A− |
| Barrowby | 2,041 | 4.5 | — | A− | A− | B+ |
| Grantham | 44,906 | 5.4 | B− | A+ | C− | C− |
| Balderton | 12,876 | 5.9 | B | B+ | B− | C+ |
Long Bennington, Great Gonerby, Claypole and Barrowby have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Foston
How many listed buildings are there in Foston?
That is 3.7 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St. Peter. 21% of Foston’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
How much is council tax in Foston?
Band D council tax in Foston is £2,271 for 2026–27, less than in 78% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Foston
Village in Lincolnshire, England
Foston is a built-up area of 561 people, in the South Kesteven 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
- 561 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Kesteven
- County
- Lincolnshire
- Region
- East Midlands
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001972
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.