Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 5,399 people, this town lies in North Yorkshire, North East.
What it saves you on housing, it gives back elsewhere. Its lowest grade is for safety: police record 43.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 18.8 home and vehicle crimes. Set beside UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, its crime per resident is higher than in 92%. It also trails on jobs & income: households earn a mean £43,132 a year, and 2.7% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Cost of living is where it shines — homes sell for a median £151,000, about 3.5 times local household income. All told, that adds up to a B− overall and a rank of #36 of 54 in North Yorkshire. That leaves it better than 49% of UK towns.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · income, ONS · claimants, DWP.
The 3 things Brotton 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 Brotton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 8 buildings inside Brotton’s built-up area.
22% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Brotton.
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 375 recorded crimes inside Brotton’s built-up area, and 64 reports of anti-social behaviour. Of all the crimes, 50% were violence and sexual offences. There were 14 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both North Yorkshire’s towns (10.3) 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.
Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 2 primary schools: 72% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Badger Hill Academy’s results beat nearly every one of schools in England like it. Secondary results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 45.5, with 54% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Below are three of its 4 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 307 | C+ |
| Freebrough AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 814 | B |
| Badger Hill AcademyTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 138 | A+ |
Home ownership stands at 70% of households. Behind the median of £151,000: 184 standard sales inside Brotton’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Private rents average £644 a month across the Redcar and Cleveland council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £245,000 | 39 |
| Semi-detached | £155,000 | 100 |
| Terraced | £75,000 | 43 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The nearest A&E to Brotton is The James Cook University Hospital, 11.1 miles away. 22% of residents have a disability, above North Yorkshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Add to that, at the census, 7% 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.
| Census 2021 | Brotton | North Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 76% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7% | 5.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 19% | 17% |
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Brotton has 15 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, below both North Yorkshire’s towns (59) and England’s towns (39). 22% of homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 14% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 13% of commuters got to work without a car. Working mainly from home: 14% of workers, below both North Yorkshire’s towns (27%) and England’s towns (31%). There are 0.5 jobs in Brotton for each resident in work. Work in town: 10% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
People 65 and over make up nearly a quarter of the town. Ages in Brotton split evenly at 46.9: half are older, half younger. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 10% of the town.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Brotton | North Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 23% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.8% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 21% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · North Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Brotton. Best known first.
PierSaltburn Pier2 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumLand of Iron1.7 km outside town, to the eastCastleCastleWinkies Castle4.9 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
4 notable people were born in Brotton.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brotton | 5,399 | — | B− | A− | D | C− |
| Carlin How | 1,196 | 1.4 | — | A | D | D− |
| Skelton (Redcar and Cleveland) | 6,895 | 1.6 | B− | B+ | C− | C− |
| Saltburn-by-the-Sea | 5,874 | 2 | B− | B | C− | C− |
| Lingdale | 1,323 | 2.2 | — | A | D− | D |
| Boosbeck | 1,124 | 2.2 | — | A | C | D |
| Loftus | 4,273 | 2.3 | C+ | A | D | D |
| Marske-by-the-Sea | 7,576 | 3.6 | A− | A− | C+ | C+ |
Carlin How, Lingdale and Boosbeck have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £151,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £75,000, semi-detached houses £155,000 and detached houses £245,000.
Primary schools stand out: Key Stage 2 results beat 92% of towns in England. Secondary results are closer to the middle, beating 65%.
Town in North Yorkshire, England
Brotton is a built-up area of 5,399 people, in the Redcar and Cleveland 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.