Birstwith’s story
5 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Birstwith’s built-up area.
37% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BirstwithNorth Yorkshire
Some 396 people live in this village, in North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Ben Brooksbank · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
396
Census 2021 · Harrogate council
Median home
£480K
22 sales in 3 years
Median age
54.5
34% are 65+ · North Yorkshire 22%
Degree level
42%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Birstwith a good place to live?
There are no grades for Birstwith: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 10% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 5 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I.
What makes Birstwith stand out
The 3 things Birstwith does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 5.2 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
34% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Birstwith.
Who lives here
An older town: 34% of people in Birstwith are 65 or over, more than in North Yorkshire’s towns or England’s towns
54.5median age
11% are under 15, lower than both North Yorkshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). People aged 15 to 24 make up 7.1% of the town. The age that splits Birstwith in two is 54.5. Graduates make up just over two in five adults.
BirstwithNorth YorkshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
34%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications11%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level42%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Birstwith | North Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.1% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 34% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.4% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · North Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Birstwith work nearby than in North Yorkshire’s towns or England’s towns: 21% travel under 5 km
10%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 36% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
1% of commuters who live in Birstwith also work there. The car took 88% of commuters, above both North Yorkshire’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). Working from home was the norm for 36% of workers at the census.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot10%
21%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
36%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£59K
mean household income, before tax
0.8%
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
Buying in Birstwith costs more than in North Yorkshire’s towns or across England’s towns: the median sale is £480K
£480Kmedian sale
Social housing holds 6% of households, below both North Yorkshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private renters make up 12% of households. Owners make up just over four in five households.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Birstwith£480K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £525,000 | 16 |
81%
of households own their home · England 61%
12%
rent privately · England 21%
£849
average private rent a month, North Yorkshire council area
£2,522
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
Violent crime runs low in Birstwith: 6.7 per 1,000 residents a year, under North Yorkshire’s towns and England’s towns
6.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Burglary and damage come to 5.1 per 1,000 residents a year. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 7 crimes and 2 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Birstwith’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 71% of recorded crime.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual5
Other theft2
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social2
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.
6.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
7
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
Bad health is less common in Birstwith than in North Yorkshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.6% of residents
82%good or very good health
Birstwith has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 4.2 miles away. The nearest A&E to Birstwith is Harrogate District Hospital, 5.3 miles away. A fifth of residents have a disability, about level with North Yorkshire’s towns (19%) and above England’s towns (17%).
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Birstwith | North Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 5.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
85
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Old homes shape Birstwith: 37% were built before 1919, more than in North Yorkshire’s towns or England’s towns
5listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Birstwith has 126 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, above both North Yorkshire’s towns (59) and England’s towns (39).
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II5
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
37%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
126
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Birstwith
13pages on Birstwith
The big questions
Safety6.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £480K · rent £849 a monthHousing4 sold in 12 months · busiest street Birstwith GrangeSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 85 (men), 87.4 (women)Work & commute49% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards9.3% of homes at high or medium flood risk
About Birstwith
Village in North Yorkshire, England
Birstwith is a built-up area of 396 people, in the Harrogate 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
- 396 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Harrogate
- County
- North Yorkshire
- Region
- Yorkshire and The Humber
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000567
Birstwith’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
HampsthwaiteKillinghallHarrogatePannalPateley BridgeKnaresboroughRiponBirstwith
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birstwith | 396 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hampsthwaite | 1,169 | 1.3 | — | C | A+ | A |
| Killinghall | 1,476 | 2.7 | — | C | B+ | A |
| Harrogate | 75,522 | 4.6 | A | B+ | C+ | B− |
| Pannal | 2,530 | 6.3 | A | D | A+ | A |
| Pateley Bridge | 1,343 | 6.5 | — | A− | B− | A− |
| Knaresborough | 15,781 | 6.8 | A− | B− | B− | B |
| Ripon | 16,593 | 8 | A− | A− | B− | C+ |
Hampsthwaite, Killinghall and Pateley Bridge have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Birstwith
How many listed buildings are there in Birstwith?
That is 5.2 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Birstwith expensive to live in?
Private rents in the North Yorkshire council area averaged £849 a month in August 2026.
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.