Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This large town in Northamptonshire, East Midlands has a population of 54,421.
Police record more crime here than in most towns: 48.9 violent and sexual offences and 19.1 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Only 31% of UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more have more crime per resident. Health is a weak point: men here can expect to live to 78, women to 81.8. It is easy to get around without a car: 17% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Homes sell for a median £240,000, about 4.7 years of what households in the North Northamptonshire council area earn. The overall grade lands at C−, #25 of 31 in Northamptonshire. On that grade it does better than 23% of UK towns. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for schools and B for hazard risk.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency.
The 2 things Wellingborough 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 Wellingborough is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 101 buildings inside Wellingborough’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
14% 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 Wellingborough.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Police recorded 5,196 crimes inside Wellingborough’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 1,576 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 25.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above both Northamptonshire’s towns (9.5) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences made up 45% 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.
Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 11 primary schools: just over three in five pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Ruskin Academy’s results beat 97% of schools in England like it. Some 8,781 pupils attend Wellingborough’s 14 primaries and three secondaries. Below are three of its 21 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redwell Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 629 | B |
| Wrenn SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,537 | B− |
| Ruskin AcademyTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 255 | A+ |
The nearest A&E to Wellingborough is Kettering General Hospital, 7.1 miles away. 4 GP practices serve the town; 71% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Wellingborough | Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.1% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like 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.
Wellingborough counts 0.9 jobs per working resident. Just over a third of commuters who live in Wellingborough also work there. Also worth knowing: the average household earns £47K a year before tax. Working mainly from home: 20% of workers, lower than both Northamptonshire’s towns (26%) and England’s towns (31%).
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Households that own their home make up 56%. Private rents average £992 a month across the North Northamptonshire council area. From September 2023 to August 2026, 1,769 homes sold inside Wellingborough’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £240,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £335,000 | 451 |
| Semi-detached | £245,000 | 660 |
| Terraced | £195,000 | 514 |
| Flat or maisonette | £142,250 | 144 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Wellingborough’s listed buildings include the Church of All Hallows, Grade I. At the top of the list, 3 are Grade I and 4 Grade II*. It has one scheduled monument.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
16% of residents are 65 or over, below both Northamptonshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Children under 15 count for 19% of the people here. The middle age in Wellingborough is 38.6.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Wellingborough | Northamptonshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 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 Wellingborough. Best known first.
MuseumIrchester Railway Museum700 m outside town, to the southeast
MuseumSywell Aviation Museum3.1 km outside town, to the westHeritage railwayHeritage railwayRushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway4.3 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumRushden Historical Transport Society4.2 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumRushden Hall and Museum4.5 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
101 listed buildings in Wellingborough, 3 of them Grade I.
Tithe Barn: Photo: Kokai · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Hind Hotel: Photo: Bn11andy · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Swanspool House (Borough of Wellingborough Council Offices): Photo: Dave Bevis · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Friends Meeting House: Photo: Dave Bevis · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
36 notable people were born in Wellingborough.
Thom Yorke: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0 · Rory McLeod: Benutzer:Bill da Flute, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Christopher Greenwood: Flickr user University of Salford Press Office, CC BY 2.0 · Billy Brawn: Brentford FC, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellingborough | 54,421 | — | C− | B | D | C− |
| Great Doddington | 1,147 | 2.1 | — | C | A | B+ |
| Irchester | 4,543 | 2.9 | C+ | B− | B | C+ |
| Finedon | 4,554 | 3.1 | D | C+ | C | C+ |
| Earls Barton | 6,067 | 3.3 | A− | C | B+ | B |
| Wollaston | 3,564 | 3.6 | C+ | C | B | B− |
| Irthlingborough | 9,308 | 3.9 | C− | B− | C+ | C− |
| Burton Latimer | 10,440 | 4.2 | C+ | B− | B− | C+ |
Great Doddington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
It has more crime per resident than most places its size: 69% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more report less.
Its Grade I buildings include Church of All Hallows. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Band D council tax in Wellingborough is £2,369 for 2026–27, less than in 64% 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.
Large town in Northamptonshire, England
Wellingborough is a built-up area of 54,421 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.