Westminster grades B− overall against UK towns: better than 54% of UK towns, and #17 of 33 in London. Its strongest subject is walkability (A+): 77% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is safety (D−): 81.4 violent and sexual offences and 42.3 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has less crime per resident than 0%. The median home sold for £905,000 in the last three years, 12.4 times what households in the Westminster council area earn in a year.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Westminster is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Westminster.
Safety
More crimes per resident in Westminster than in 100% of UK towns
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 71,598 offences in Westminster and 13,190 cases of nuisance behaviour. Among the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, Westminster has more crime per resident than 100% of them. There were 65.8 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both London’s towns (24.1) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences made up 18% of the total.
81.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearD−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 0% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Theft from person16,947
Other theft14,535
Violence & sexual12,673
Shoplifting9,357
Public order3,747
Drugs2,982
Vehicle crime2,739
Robbery2,637
Anti-social13,190
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.
81.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
42.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
65.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
SchoolsA
Results at Westminster’s schools beat 94% of towns in England
GCSE results at the town’s 11 secondary schools: 59% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 53.3. Hampden Gurney CofE Primary School’s results beat nearly every one of schools in England like it. 72% of pupils at the town’s 34 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 53 schools →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
More commuters in Westminster work nearby than in London’s towns or England’s towns: 68% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 56% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Driving is how 16% of commuters got to work at the census. Working mainly from home: 56% of workers, above London’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. Unemployment benefit claims reached 4.2% of 16 to 64s in 2026.
77%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
On foot27%
Underground, tram22%
Driving16%
Bus16%
Bicycle8%
Train5%
68%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
56%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£73K
mean household income, before tax
4.2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A+
Walkability: more walkable than almost every UK town
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
Much of Westminster is a conservation area: 72% of its land, more than in both London’s towns and England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Scaled to its population, Westminster has 191 listed buildings per 10,000 people, higher than both London’s towns (11) and England’s towns (39). It is part of the Palace of the town, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church World Heritage Site. Of the town’s 3,887 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, Grade I counts 203 and Grade II* 361. The town’s listed buildings include the Abbey Precinct Wall, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C−
More households rent privately in Westminster than in London’s towns or across England’s towns: 43%
28% of households rent from a council or housing body. Owners make up 27% of households, below both London’s towns (45%) and England’s towns (61%). Also worth knowing: only one of the 33 towns in London costs more to buy into than Westminster, whose median sale is £905,000.
£905Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Westminster£905K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£6,225,000
42
Semi-detached
£5,050,000
68
Terraced
£2,200,000
652
Flat or maisonette
£830,000
5,323
27%
of households own their home · England 61%
43%
rent privately · England 21%
£3,196
average private rent a month, Westminster council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
In Westminster, 85% say their health is good or very good
14% of residents have a disability, close to London’s towns (13%) and below England’s towns (17%). Men in Westminster can expect to live to 81.2, women to 85.4 (2019–23). 35 GP practices serve the town; 78% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Who lives here
Degrees are more common in Westminster than in London’s towns or across England’s towns: 58% of adults
Children under 15 make up 12% of residents. 12% of residents are 65 or over, near London’s towns (12%) and lower than England’s towns (18%). At 35.9, the median resident of Westminster sits in the middle of the age range. People aged 15 to 24 make up 15% of the town.
35.9median age
WestminsterLondonEngland
Ages · share of residents
15%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship2%
A levels or similar12%
Degree level58%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Elizabeth II: Donald McKague, Public domain · Alan Turing: Elliott & Fry, Public domain · Francis Bacon: Paul van Somer I / Formerly attributed to Frans Pourbus the Younger, Public domain · Charles III: White House, Public domain · Christopher Lee: Manfred Werner - Tsui, CC BY-SA 3.0 · George V: Bassano Ltd, Public domain
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £905,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £830,000, terraced houses £2,200,000, semi-detached houses £5,050,000 and detached houses £6,225,000.
Are schools in Westminster good?
GCSE results beat 88% of towns in England, and primary results beat 92% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
How much is council tax in Westminster?
Band D council tax in Westminster is £1,052 for 2026–27, less than in almost all 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 Westminster
London borough in London
Westminster is a built-up area of 203,571 people, in the Westminster 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
203,571 (Census 2021)
Council
Westminster
City
London
Region
London
Area
7 sq mi (18.1 km²)
ONS code
E63004916
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.
