High Bentham’s story
17 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside High Bentham’s built-up area.
28% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
High BenthamNorth Yorkshire
The village has 1,701 residents and lies in North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber. Mortgage-free owners make up 43% of households.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Stephen Craven · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,701
Census 2021 · Craven council
Median home
£200K
91 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.5
25% are 65+ · North Yorkshire 22%
Degree level
29%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
21%
of commuters · England 27%
Is High Bentham a good place to live?
High Bentham’s strongest is safety (A): 14.3 violent and sexual offences and 3.5 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. The weak point is jobs & income: households earn a mean £45,430 a year, and 2.9% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Pupils here do less well than most: primary results beat 32% of towns in England. It takes 4 years of household income in the Craven council area to buy the median home, at £200,000.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · income, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years. An overall grade needs 2,500 residents, so High Bentham is graded subject by subject only.
ONS publishes one rent for all of North Yorkshire, so this town's Cost Grade uses house prices and council tax only.
What makes High Bentham stand out
The 3 things High Bentham does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 4.1 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
25% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Own outright
Housing
43% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
How High Bentham grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far High Bentham is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeGraded on incomes, poverty and employmentDOpen →SafetyVery little crime by comparisonAOpen →WalkabilityIn the top fifth of the towns comparedA−Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 32% of towns in EnglandCOpen →HealthLife expectancy 82 for men, 85.4 for womenB+Open →Cost of livingRent £849 a monthBOpen →Hazard risk0.5% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryBased on listed places, the town’s age and notable peopleB+Open →Outdoors0% live within 400 m of a park; 45% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeC−Open →Civic life5.9 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryB+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in High Bentham.
Safety
High Bentham has less crime per resident than 88% of UK towns
Police figures for High Bentham’s built-up area: 34 crimes and 11 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. For its size, High Bentham records less crime per resident than 77% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people. Violence and sexual offences made up 47% of the total.
14.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearASafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 77% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual16
Vehicle crime5
Shoplifting4
Other theft3
Damage & arson2
Public order2
Drugs1
Other crime1
Anti-social11
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.
14.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
34
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.
SchoolsC
School results in High Bentham are weaker than in 72% of towns in England
58% of pupils at the one primary school within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below is its only school. 147 pupils attend High Bentham’s one primary school.
CSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bentham Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 147 | C+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Who lives here
High Bentham has fewer young adults than North Yorkshire’s towns or England’s towns: 8.3% are 15 to 24
Those 65 and older account for a quarter of residents. The median resident of High Bentham is 48.5 years old. Degrees are held by 29% of adults.
48.5median age
High BenthamNorth YorkshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications17%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar20%
Degree level29%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| High Bentham | North Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.3% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.2% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 29% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · North Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Only 38% of High Bentham’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in North Yorkshire’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 21% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
21% of workers did their job mainly from home at the census. The car took 77% of commuters, higher than both North Yorkshire’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). High Bentham counts 0.7 jobs per working resident. About a quarter of its commuters stay in High Bentham for work.
21%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving77%
On foot20%
Bus1%
Train1%
38%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
21%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£45K
mean household income, before tax
2.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A−
Walkability: more walkable than 81% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
Much of High Bentham is a conservation area: 100% of its land, more than in North Yorkshire’s towns and across England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes built before 1919 account for 28% of the housing. Relative to its size, High Bentham keeps 100 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, higher than both North Yorkshire’s towns (58) and England’s towns (39). This North Yorkshire town has 17 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, all Grade II.
17listed buildingsB+History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II17
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
28%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
100
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
More people in High Bentham live with a disability than in North Yorkshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 21%
Men in High Bentham can expect to live to 82, women to 85.4 (2019–23). At the census, nearly four fifths of people in High Bentham called their health good or very good, below North Yorkshire’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. The nearest A&E to High Bentham is Royal Lancaster Infirmary, 13.5 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 92% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
79%good or very good healthB+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 79%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | High Bentham | North Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.8% | 5.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 19% | 17% |
82
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
HousingCost of living grade B
High Bentham earns a B for cost of living grade
Households that own their home make up 66%. 18% rent privately, lower than both North Yorkshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). The median sale, £200,000, comes from 91 standard sales inside High Bentham’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
£200Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
High Bentham£200K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £343,000 | 21 |
| Semi-detached | £235,000 | 29 |
| Terraced | £178,500 | 32 |
| Flat or maisonette | £125,000 | 9 |
66%
of households own their home · England 61%
18%
rent privately · England 21%
£849
average private rent a month, North Yorkshire council area
£2,607
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about High Bentham
13pages on High Bentham
The big questions
SafetyA14.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingBMedian home £200K · rent £849 a monthHousing28 sold in 12 months · busiest street Main StreetSchoolsC1 state schoolHealthB+Life expectancy 82 (men), 85.4 (women)Work & commuteD59% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC+0.5% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
High Bentham’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
IngletonKirkby LonsdaleCatonGiggleswickBurton-in-KendalSettleHaltonHigh Bentham
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Bentham | 1,701 | — | — | B | A | B+ |
| Ingleton | 1,751 | 2.8 | — | B− | A− | B+ |
| Kirkby Lonsdale | 1,965 | 6.9 | — | D− | B+ | A |
| Caton | 2,552 | 8.7 | B+ | D | A− | A |
| Giggleswick | 1,075 | 9.5 | — | D | A | A− |
| Burton-in-Kendal | 1,341 | 9.7 | — | D− | A+ | A+ |
| Settle | 2,710 | 10 | B− | C | B+ | B+ |
| Halton | 2,652 | 10 | B− | D | A− | A |
Ingleton, Kirkby Lonsdale, Giggleswick and Burton-in-Kendal have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about High Bentham
How many listed buildings are there in High Bentham?
That is 4.1 times the typical UK town for its size.
Are schools in High Bentham good?
Primary results trail 68% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by North Yorkshire council.
About High Bentham
Village in North Yorkshire, England
High Bentham is a built-up area of 1,701 people, in the Craven 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
- 1,701 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Craven
- County
- North Yorkshire
- Region
- Yorkshire and The Humber
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000523
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.