Bettws’s story
1 listed building, 1 of them Grade I
Cadw lists them inside Bettws’ built-up area.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BettwsMid Glamorgan
Population 2,237: a village in Mid Glamorgan, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,237
Census 2021 · Bridgend council
Median home
£161K
40 sales in 3 years
Median age
37.4
16% are 65+ · Mid Glamorgan 20%
Degree level
16%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Bettws a good place to live?
Prices are modest for what you get: the median home sold for £161,250, 3.6 years of area income. Where it falls short is jobs & income: the mean household earns £37,185 a year. Residents’ health trails most towns (D): one in ten residents report bad or very bad health, and 29.3% are disabled. Safety is weaker too: 44 violent and sexual offences and 6.4 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Only nearly a tenth of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people have more crime per resident.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · income, ONS · claimants, DWP · health, Census 2021 (the grade adjusts for age) · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Bettws has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
This town's Health Grade uses ONS's small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns' grades also use OHID's small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
What makes Bettws stand out
The 3 things Bettws does most differently from other towns.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (Wales’s towns 31%)
Mid Glamorgan 28%.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
42% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Household income, against UK towns
Work
Mean, before tax: lower than in 98% of UK towns
ONS small-area income estimates.
How Bettws grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Wales), ordered by how far Bettws is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeIn the bottom fifth of the towns comparedD−Open →HealthBased on how healthy residents are for their agesDOpen →SafetyMore crime than in most townsC−Open →Cost of livingRent £763 a monthB+Open →Walkability11% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transportCOpen →Hazard risk0.2% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB−Open →
SchoolsNot published in Wales–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History1 listed building, 1 Grade IDOpen →Outdoors71% live within 400 m of a park; 0.7 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsD−Open →Civic life0.4 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bettws.
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in Bettws than in Mid Glamorgan’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 16% of adults
Children under 15 make up 21%, above Mid Glamorgan’s towns (17%) and Wales’s towns (17%) alike. Typical age in Bettws: 37.4, the median. Young adults of 15 to 24 are just over a tenth of the population.
37.4median age
BettwsMid GlamorganWales
Ages · share of residents
12%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications38%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level16%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Bettws | Mid Glamorgan | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 16% | 20% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 38% | 24% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.2% | 5.3% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 16% | 28% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Mid Glamorgan and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
2 state schools in Bettws
Bettws’s two primaries have 367 pupils between them. One of them is below, with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Calon Y CymoeddLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 193 | – |
Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.See all 2 schools →
Health
Fewer people in Bettws say their health is good than in Mid Glamorgan’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 71%
There is no GP practice in Bettws: the nearest is 2.1 miles off. 29% of residents have a disability, higher than both Mid Glamorgan’s towns (23%) and Wales’s towns (22%). Men in Bettws can expect to live to 77.2, women to 82.2 (2019–23).
71%good or very good healthDHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 71%Fair 19%Bad or very bad 10%
| Census 2021 | Bettws | Mid Glamorgan | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 71% | 77% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 10% | 8.2% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 29% | 23% | 22% |
77.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.2
life expectancy at birth, women
Welsh towns’ Health Grades use ONS’s small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns’ also use OHID’s small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · ONS, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy among them, do allow for age.
History
Among Bettws’s 1 listed buildings: the Church of St David, Bettws, Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Bettws’s listed buildings include the Church of St David, Bettws, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 8% of the total, lower than both Mid Glamorgan’s towns (47%) and Wales’s towns (27%).
1listed buildingsDHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II0
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St David, Bettws Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
8%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
4
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Bettws has more crime per resident than nine in ten of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
173 crimes and 17 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Bettws’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences accounted for two thirds of recorded crime. There were 8.1 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both Mid Glamorgan’s towns (9.5) and Wales’s towns (10.4).
44violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 9% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual116
Public order30
Damage & arson9
Other theft5
Other crime5
Shoplifting2
Burglary2
Vehicle crime2
Anti-social17
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.
44
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
173
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.
HousingCost of living grade B+
Fewer households own their home in Bettws than in Mid Glamorgan’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 48%
Social renters account for 42% of households. 9% rent privately, below both Mid Glamorgan’s towns (17%) and Wales’s towns (17%). The £161,250 median rests on 40 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
£161Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Bettws£161K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £262,500 | 6 |
| Semi-detached | £157,500 | 22 |
| Terraced | £139,000 | 12 |
48%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
9%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£763
average private rent a month, Bridgend council area
£2,478
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Work tends to be further away for Bettws: 24% commute under 5 km, below Mid Glamorgan’s towns and Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 12% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 12% of workers worked mainly from home. 4.2% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, above both Mid Glamorgan’s towns (3.1%) and Wales’s towns (3%). Driving is how 86% of commuters got to work at the census.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving86%
On foot6%
Bus3%
Bicycle1%
24%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
12%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£37K
mean household income, before tax
4.2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C
Walkability: more walkable than 30% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Llangynwyd Castle and 2 more in and around Bettws
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bettws. Best known first.
CastleLlangynwyd Castle4.6 km outside town, to the westHeritage railwayHeritage railwayGarw Valley Railway2.2 km outside town, to the southTheme parkTheme parkBridgend Minature Railway2.7 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Llangynwyd Castle: FruitMonkey, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bettws
15pages on Bettws
The big questions
SafetyC−44 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingB+Median home £161K · rent £763 a monthHousing9 sold in 12 months · busiest street Glannant RowSchools2 state schools (no results published in Wales)HealthDWork & commuteD−29% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB−0.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Bettws’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LlangeinorSarnPont Rhyd-y-cyffPontycymerOgmore ValePen-y-faiBlaengarwBettws
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bettws | 2,237 | — | — | B+ | C− | D |
| Llangeinor | 1,016 | 0.8 | — | B+ | B− | D |
| Sarn | 11,867 | 1.9 | D | B | C | D |
| Pont Rhyd-y-cyff | 1,481 | 2.2 | — | B+ | B | D |
| Pontycymer | 2,421 | 2.6 | — | A− | C+ | D |
| Ogmore Vale | 3,098 | 2.9 | D | A− | C | D− |
| Pen-y-fai | 2,301 | 3 | — | C | A | C+ |
| Blaengarw | 1,779 | 3.6 | — | A− | C+ | D |
Llangeinor, Pont Rhyd-y-cyff, Pontycymer, Pen-y-fai and Blaengarw have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Bettws
Is Bettws safe?
Burglary was rare, with 2 reports in the year.
Is Bettws expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £161,250, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £139,000, semi-detached houses £157,500 and detached houses £262,500.
About Bettws
Village in Mid Glamorgan, Wales
Bettws is a built-up area of 2,237 people, in the Bridgend 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
- 2,237 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Bridgend
- County
- Mid Glamorgan
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000562
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) · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, 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.