Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 370 residents, it is a village in Lincolnshire, East Midlands.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Freiston is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. It has 5 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. Just over one in ten commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. A degree-level qualification is held by 16% of adults.
The 3 things Freiston does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Freiston’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
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 Freiston.
Under 15: just over one in ten residents. A tenth of the population is aged 15 to 24, below both Lincolnshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). The median resident of Freiston is 54.8 years old.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Freiston | Lincolnshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 34% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 36% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.5% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 16% | 25% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lincolnshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 21% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households take home £42K a year before tax, on average. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 54%, higher than both Lincolnshire’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%). On top of that, 83% of commuters drove to work at the census. Work in town: 4% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds 36% of households. Owners make up 58% of households, below Lincolnshire’s towns (65%) and close to England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £806 a month across the Boston council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £412,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences made up a third of the total. A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 9 offences in Freiston and 2 cases of nuisance behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 18 reports per 1,000, above both Lincolnshire’s towns (9.6) and England’s towns (7.8).
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.
74% of people in Freiston rate their own health good or very good. At the census, 24% of people here had a disability, higher than both Lincolnshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 2.9 miles off.
| Census 2021 | Freiston | Lincolnshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 74% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.9% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 24% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Freiston’s listed buildings include the Church of St James, Grade I. 19% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Lincolnshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%). One scheduled monument lies here.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Freiston. Best known first.
MuseumBoston Guildhall4.3 km outside town, to the westHistoric siteHistoric siteHussey Tower4 km outside town, to the westCastleCastleRoos Hall100 m outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumWe'll Meet Again2.2 km outside town, to the southeastCastleCastleWybert's Castle4.6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freiston | 370 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Butterwick | 1,363 | 1 | — | C | B | C |
| Fishtoft | 1,077 | 1.2 | — | D | A | C+ |
| Boston | 45,347 | 3.1 | D | C+ | D | C− |
| Old Leake | 1,173 | 4.4 | — | C | C | C− |
| Sibsey | 1,520 | 4.5 | — | C− | A | C+ |
| Kirton | 5,576 | 5.3 | D− | C− | C | C− |
| Sutterton | 1,068 | 7.6 | — | D | C | C− |
Butterwick, Fishtoft, Old Leake, Sibsey and Sutterton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 5.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St James. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Band D council tax in Freiston is £2,394 for 2026–27, less than in 60% 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.
Village in Lincolnshire, England
Freiston is a built-up area of 370 people, in the Boston 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.