Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A large town of 63,149 in Northamptonshire, East Midlands.
Kettering grades C overall against UK towns: better than 33% of UK towns, and #22 of 31 in Northamptonshire. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): 19% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is safety (D): 49.6 violent and sexual offences and 14.2 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has less crime per resident than 39%. The median home sold for £255,000 in the last three years, 5 times what households in the North Northamptonshire council area earn in a year.
The 2 things Kettering 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 Kettering is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 58 buildings inside Kettering’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
20% 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 1857.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Kettering.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Violence and sexual offences were 47% of the crimes. Reported offences in Kettering came to 5,512 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 1,679. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 23.8 reports per 1,000, above Northamptonshire’s towns (9.5) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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 15 primary schools: 62% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below are three of its 25 schools, each with why it was picked. GCSE results at the town’s 5 secondary schools: nearly half of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 47.9.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barton Seagrave Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 622 | C+ |
| Kettering Buccleuch AcademyLargest secondary schoolAll-through | All-through | 1,808 | A− |
| Bishop Stopford SchoolTop results in townSecondary | Secondary | 1,454 | A |
5 GP practices serve the town; 82% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 18% of people here had a disability, higher than Northamptonshire’s towns (16%) and near England’s towns (17%). Also worth knowing: the nearest A&E to Kettering is Kettering General Hospital, 1.1 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Kettering | Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.8% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 20% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
There are 1 jobs in Kettering for each resident in work. About 44% of its commuters stay in Kettering for work. Households had £49K a year before tax, below Northamptonshire’s towns (£58K) and England’s towns (£55K) alike. The census counted a fifth of workers working mainly from home.
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.
Per 10,000 residents, Kettering counts 9 listed buildings. The town’s listed buildings include the Church of Saint Botolph, Grade I. At the top of the list, 3 are Grade I and 6 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Private rents average £992 a month across the North Northamptonshire council area. The median sale, £255,000, comes from 2,701 standard sales inside Kettering’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026. Social housing holds 15% of households, close to Northamptonshire’s towns (15%) and below England’s towns (18%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £365,000 | 840 |
| Semi-detached | £250,000 | 995 |
| Terraced | £195,000 | 623 |
| Flat or maisonette | £125,000 | 243 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
At 39.6, the median resident of Kettering sits in the middle of the age range. 19% are under 15, near Northamptonshire’s towns (18%) and higher than England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are 11% of the population.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Kettering | Northamptonshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.5% | 6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Northamptonshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Kettering. Best known first.
Theme parkWicksteed Parkin town
Historic houseBoughton House2.2 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumManor House Museumin townAttractionAttractionWicksteed Park Main Entrancein townCastleCastle · English HeritageTriangular Lodge2.9 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumRothwell Arts and Heritage centre3.7 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
58 listed buildings in Kettering, 3 of them Grade I.
Church of St Peter and St Paul: Photo: John Salmon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Barton Seagrave Hall: Photo: Maypm · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wicksteed Park: Photo: Dot Potter · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Royal Hotel and ranges to rear: Photo: Richard Croft · CC BY-SA 2.0
118 notable people were born in Kettering.
Sienna Guillory: Helen Taylor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sean Dyche: Toffee TV : Everton Fan Channel, CC BY 3.0 · Sarah Gilbert: Escv2021, Public domain · Kyren Wilson: Benutzer:Bill da Flute, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Luke Chambers: Ncadc2004, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alfred East: Philip de László, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kettering | 63,149 | — | C | B− | D | C− |
| Burton Latimer | 10,440 | 2.9 | C+ | B− | B− | C+ |
| Geddington | 1,525 | 2.9 | — | C− | A | A− |
| Broughton | 1,982 | 3.2 | — | B− | B− | B |
| Rothwell | 8,623 | 3.8 | C− | B− | C− | C+ |
| Mawsley Village | 2,487 | 4.5 | — | C | A | B+ |
| Finedon | 4,554 | 5 | D | C+ | C | C+ |
| Desborough | 11,899 | 5.4 | C+ | B− | C+ | C+ |
Geddington, Broughton and Mawsley Village have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
About the middle for its size: 61% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them far smaller, it grades D.
Its Grade I buildings include Church of Saint Botolph. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Large town in Northamptonshire, England
Kettering is a built-up area of 63,149 people, in the North Northamptonshire 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.