Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This village in North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber has a population of 1,501.
Pupils here do better than most: primary results beat 88% of towns in England. Crime is low (A): 12.9 violent and sexual offences and 3.6 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Its lowest grade is for hazard risk: 57.9% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. It also trails on cost of living (D): the median home sold for £350,000, 6.7 years of area income. Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work (D): on the way to work, 9% walk, cycle or take a bus or train.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021. Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Cawood has its subject grades alone.
ONS publishes one rent for all of North Yorkshire, so this town's Cost Grade uses house prices and council tax only.
The 3 things Cawood 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 Cawood is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Cawood has its subject grades alone.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Cawood’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
26% 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 Cawood.
At the 2 primary schools within 3 km, 70% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cawood Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 130 | B+ |
Police recorded 35 crimes inside Cawood’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 5 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 4.9 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both North Yorkshire’s towns (10.4) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences made up 54% of the total.
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Cawood’s 29 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, Grade I counts 3 and Grade II* 2. Its listed buildings include Banqueting Hall Adjoining East Side of Gatehouse, Grade I. Just over a quarter of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both North Yorkshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
At the census, 3.7% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. 86% of Cawood’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above North Yorkshire’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 4 miles off. Women here live to 86.8 on average and men to 80.5 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Cawood | North Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 5.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 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.
Renting privately is how 13% of households live. 8% live in social housing, below both North Yorkshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Behind the median of £350,000: 68 standard sales inside Cawood’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £445,000 | 37 |
| Semi-detached | £277,500 | 12 |
| Terraced | £215,000 | 19 |
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 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
1% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. The car took nearly nine in ten commuters, higher than both North Yorkshire’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). Working from home was the norm for 37% of workers at the census. Work in town: 3% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The 65-and-over age group makes up nearly a quarter of residents. Young adults of 15 to 24 are one in ten residents, below North Yorkshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Ages in Cawood split evenly at 48.3: half are older, half younger.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Cawood | North Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.4% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · North Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cawood | 1,501 | — | — | D | A | A |
| Riccall | 2,388 | 2.9 | — | C | A+ | A− |
| Church Fenton | 1,643 | 3.5 | — | C+ | A | A |
| Thorpe Willoughby | 3,482 | 4.1 | A− | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Barlby | 3,499 | 4.3 | B | B+ | B− | A− |
| Selby | 19,480 | 4.3 | C− | A− | D | C− |
| Hambleton | 1,722 | 4.4 | — | B− | A | B |
| Brayton | 4,092 | 4.6 | B+ | C+ | A | B |
Riccall, Church Fenton and Hambleton 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.
That is 7.9 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Banqueting Hall Adjoining East Side of Gatehouse. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
Primary results beat 88% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by North Yorkshire council.
Village in North Yorkshire, England
Cawood is a built-up area of 1,501 people, in the Selby 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.