Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 3,333 people live in this town, in North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
Bishopthorpe’s best grade is for safety (A+) — police record 10 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 3.9 home and vehicle crimes. The catch is cost of living — a typical home costs £392,500 and rent runs £1,199 a month. Hazards are a real consideration: 14.5% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Put together, the subjects come to an A overall, ranking #4 of 54 in North Yorkshire. Nationally, it does better than 94% of UK towns.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency.
The 3 things Bishopthorpe 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 Bishopthorpe is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 15 buildings inside Bishopthorpe’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1912.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bishopthorpe. Best known first.
ChurchYork Minster4.2 km outside town, to the north
Castle · English HeritageClifford's Tower3.6 km outside town, to the north
MuseumYorkshire Museum4.1 km outside town, to the north · 164K visitors a year (2019)
MuseumYork Castle Museum3.5 km outside town, to the north · 284K visitors a year (2013)
FortYork city walls3.5 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bishopthorpe.
Violence and sexual offences were 52% of the crimes. A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 67 offences in Bishopthorpe and 34 cases of nuisance behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 9.3 reports per 1,000, between North Yorkshire’s towns (10.4) 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.
Bishopthorpe’s two primaries have 257 pupils between them. Below is one of its 2 schools, and why it was picked. Key Stage 2 results at the 8 primary schools within 3 km: nearly two thirds of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop of York's CofE Junior School, BishopthorpeLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 160 | B |
3.8% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, lower than both North Yorkshire’s towns (5.5%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Asked at the census, 86% of residents of Bishopthorpe said they were in good or very good health. There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 1.8 miles off. A disability affects 15% of people in the town.
| Census 2021 | Bishopthorpe | North Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.8% | 5.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Private renters make up 11% of households, below both North Yorkshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). 5% of households rent from a council or housing body. From September 2023 to August 2026, 144 homes sold inside Bishopthorpe’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £392,500.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £493,750 | 50 |
| Semi-detached | £357,000 | 81 |
| Terraced | £289,000 | 10 |
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 43% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Work in town: 6% of resident commuters. For every resident in work, Bishopthorpe has 0.5 jobs. 43% of workers worked mainly from home, higher than both North Yorkshire’s towns (27%) and England’s towns (31%). A household here earns £59K a year before tax, on average.
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.
Of Bishopthorpe’s 15 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, Grade I counts 1 and Grade II* 1. Nearly a tenth of its homes were built before 1919, below both North Yorkshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (16%). The town’s listed buildings include Bishopthorpe Palace and Chapel, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Children under 15 make up 18% of residents. Just over a quarter of residents are 65 or over, above North Yorkshire’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 9.4% of the town. The middle age in Bishopthorpe is 48.5.
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.
| Bishopthorpe | North Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.4% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 46% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · North Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
15 listed buildings in Bishopthorpe, 1 of them Grade I.
Bishopthorpe Palace and Chapel: Photo: RRRR NNNN · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Ebor Inn: Photo: Alex McGregor · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Church of St Andrew: Photo: Bill Henderson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Bishopthorpe Garth: Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishopthorpe | 3,333 | — | A | D | A+ | A |
| Copmanthorpe | 3,671 | 1.7 | A | C− | A+ | A |
| Heslington | 1,787 | 2.6 | — | B | A+ | A− |
| York | 141,696 | 2.7 | B− | C | C− | C |
| Osbaldwick | 2,313 | 3.7 | — | C− | B | B− |
| Upper Poppleton | 3,520 | 4.8 | A | D | A+ | A− |
| Huntington | 12,420 | 5 | B− | C | B− | C+ |
| Skelton (York) | 1,380 | 5.6 | — | C− | A | B |
Heslington, Osbaldwick and Skelton (York) have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 87% of towns in England. Primary results beat 74%. Bishopthorpe has 2 state schools; places are handled by York council.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £392,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £289,000, semi-detached houses £357,000 and detached houses £493,750.
Town in North Yorkshire, England
Bishopthorpe is a built-up area of 3,333 people, in the York 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.