Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The village has 344 residents and lies in North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Topcliffe has no grades; its figures are still real. 10% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It has 18 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. People aged 65 and over make up 27% of residents.
The 3 things Topcliffe does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Topcliffe’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
21% 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 Topcliffe.
People 65 and over make up 27% of the town, above both North Yorkshire’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (18%). Half the people of Topcliffe are older than 49.5. Degrees are held by nearly a third of adults.
48% women, 52% men
About 107 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Topcliffe | North Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.8% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 32% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · North Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Below is its only school. At the 3 primary schools within 3 km, 69% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town’s primary school has 116 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topcliffe CofE AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 116 | B+ |
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.
Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.6% of 16 to 64s in 2026. 86% of commuters drove, above North Yorkshire’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Home was the main workplace for 36% of workers at the census. Work in town: 2% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
16% rent privately, lower than both North Yorkshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). Behind the median of £255,000: 15 standard sales inside Topcliffe’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Private rents average £849 a month across the North Yorkshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £390,000 | 5 |
| Semi-detached | £252,000 | 9 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 17 offences in Topcliffe and 3 cases of nuisance behaviour. Homes saw 4.8 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both North Yorkshire’s towns (7.4) and England’s towns (9.4). Violence and sexual offences accounted for 71% of recorded crime.
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.
At the census, 13% of people here had a disability, lower than both North Yorkshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (17%). Topcliffe has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 0.1 miles away. The nearest A&E to Topcliffe is Harrogate District Hospital, 13.9 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Topcliffe | North Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2% | 5.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Topcliffe’s listed buildings include Baldersby Park House, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 21% of the total, above both North Yorkshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (16%). Grade II* covers 1 of them, Grade I 1.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topcliffe | 344 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dishforth | 1,266 | 2.4 | — | A− | A | A− |
| Sowerby | 4,727 | 3.5 | B− | B+ | C+ | B |
| Thirsk | 5,891 | 4.3 | C+ | B | C | B |
| Langthorpe | 1,294 | 5.5 | — | C | C | A− |
| Boroughbridge | 3,064 | 6 | B | B | C | B+ |
| Ripon | 16,593 | 6.6 | A− | A− | B− | C+ |
| Easingwold | 5,036 | 8.9 | B | C | C+ | B+ |
Dishforth and Langthorpe have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 21.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Baldersby Park House. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Band D council tax in Topcliffe is £2,579 for 2026–27, more than in 82% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Village in North Yorkshire, England
Topcliffe is a built-up area of 344 people, in the Hambleton 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.