Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Over-65s are 36% of the population. Home to 3,418 people, this town lies in Lincolnshire, East Midlands.
Good on most counts; one lags. At A− overall, Nettleham ranks #12 of 61 in Lincolnshire. Set against the rest, it does better than 79% of UK towns. Its strongest is health — men here can expect to live to 82.5, women to 86. Schools lag: primary results beat a fifth of towns in England; secondary results beat 14% of towns in England. The median home sold for £313,750, 6.3 times what households in the West Lindsey council area earn in a year. It also trails on hazard risk — 2.6% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Nettleham 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 Nettleham is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 22 buildings inside Nettleham’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Nettleham. Best known first.
CathedralLincoln Cathedral3.7 km outside town, to the southwest
CastleLincoln Castle3.8 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumLincoln Museum4 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic house · English HeritageMedieval Bishop's Palace3.8 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumUsher Gallery3.9 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumMuseum of Lincolnshire Life3.7 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Nettleham.
40% of adults hold a degree. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 6.9% of residents, below Lincolnshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Children under 15 make up 13% of residents. Line up the people of Nettleham by age and the one in the middle is 55.4.
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.
| Nettleham | Lincolnshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 36% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 40% | 25% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lincolnshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Below is one of its 2 schools, and why it was picked. Key Stage 2 results at the 8 primary schools within 3 km: 55% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). GCSE results at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km: just over a third of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 39.9.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Nettleham Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 236 | C− |
At the census, 4.4% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. One GP practice serves the town; 87% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Nettleham is Lincoln County Hospital, 2.6 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Nettleham | Lincolnshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 20% | 17% |
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.
Of all the crimes, 50% were violence and sexual offences. Police figures for Nettleham’s built-up area: 145 crimes and 38 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Per 1,000 residents, 17.1 violent crimes are recorded each year. Also worth knowing: there were 12.9 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Lincolnshire’s towns (9.5) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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.
7% live in social housing, below both Lincolnshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). Renting privately is how 9% of households live. Private rents average £741 a month across the West Lindsey council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £342,000 | 113 |
| Semi-detached | £218,500 | 24 |
| Terraced | £180,000 | 13 |
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 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
32% of workers worked mainly from home, above Lincolnshire’s towns (20%) and close to England’s towns (31%). For 38% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Work in town: a tenth of resident commuters. Income per household averages £60K a year, before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Nettleham’s listed buildings include the Church of All Saints, Grade I. It has one scheduled monument. For its size, Nettleham has 64 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
22 listed buildings in Nettleham, 1 of them Grade I.
The Plough Inn: Photo: Gerald England · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Old School and School House: Photo: Gary Brothwell · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph · Walnut Farm House Barn and Stables: Photo: Jo and Steve Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph · The Cottage: Photo: Jo and Steve Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nettleham | 3,418 | — | A− | B+ | A− | A |
| Sudbrooke | 1,737 | 1.7 | — | B | A+ | A |
| Cherry Willingham | 3,446 | 2.2 | B+ | A | A− | B− |
| Dunholme | 1,869 | 2.4 | — | A− | B+ | A− |
| Welton | 4,586 | 2.9 | A | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Fiskerton | 1,202 | 3.3 | — | A | A− | C+ |
| Washingborough and Heighington | 6,386 | 3.5 | A | A | A | B+ |
| Lincoln | 104,553 | 3.8 | D− | C+ | D | D |
Sudbrooke, Dunholme and Fiskerton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of All Saints. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
GCSE results trail 87% of towns in England, and primary results trail 80% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Nettleham has 2 state schools; places are handled by Lincolnshire council.
It has less crime than most places its size: less crime per resident than 85% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
Town in Lincolnshire, England
Nettleham is a built-up area of 3,418 people, in the West Lindsey 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.