Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A large town of 39,731 in Northumberland, North East.
Blyth grades C overall against UK towns: better than 28% of UK towns, and #15 of 20 in Northumberland. Its strongest subject is cost of living (A): median sale £155,000, 3.3 years of area income; rent £695 a month. Its weakest is health (D): life expectancy 75.3 for men, 80.6 for women.
Northumbria Police published 34 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
The 3 things Blyth 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 Blyth is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 32 buildings inside Blyth’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
14% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 2 old photos and postcards going back to 1895.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Blyth.
Women here live to 80.6 on average and men to 75.3 (2019–23). At the census, 7.6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above both Northumberland’s towns (6.5%) and England’s towns (5.2%). 2 GP practices serve the town; 75% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Blyth | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 76% | 78% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.6% | 6.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 22% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horton Grange Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 550 | A− |
| Bede AcademyLargest secondary schoolAll-through | All-through | 2,030 | B− |
| Croftway AcademyTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 416 | A− |
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
That puts Blyth above both Northumberland’s towns (10.1) and England’s towns (9.4). Violence comes to 49.3 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 3,997 crimes inside Blyth’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 1,061 reports of anti-social behaviour.
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
On this, Blyth is above both Northumberland’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £255,000 | 400 |
| Semi-detached | £155,000 | 566 |
| Terraced | £120,000 | 472 |
| Flat or maisonette | £68,500 | 137 |
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 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
In the comparison, Blyth comes above both Northumberland’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%). The average household earns £42K a year before tax.
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.
Blyth has 32 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 1 Grade II*. 14% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
For Blyth, that is below both Northumberland’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%). Children are 18% of the town. Blyth has a median age of 41.6.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Blyth | Northumberland | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 9.4% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.8% | 7.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 22% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Northumberland and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Blyth. Best known first.
MuseumNorthumberland Museum and Archives4.7 km outside town, to the northHistoric houseHistoric house · National TrustSeaton Delaval Hall2.7 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumNewbiggin Maritime Centre4.4 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionNewbiggin Rocket House Museum4.4 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
32 listed buildings in Blyth.
Church of St Cuthbert: Photo: R J McNaughton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Boathouse Tavern: Photo: Geoff Holland · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Wallaw Cinema: Photo: DS Pugh · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Pair of Chapels in Cowpen Cemetery: Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0
41 notable people were born in Blyth.
Dan Burn: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blyth | 39,731 | — | C | A | D | D |
| New Hartley | 1,764 | 2.4 | — | B | B− | C |
| Bedlington | 16,186 | 2.6 | C | A | D | D |
| Cramlington | 28,846 | 3.2 | B− | A− | C | C |
| Seaton Sluice | 2,957 | 3.3 | B− | B− | B | C |
| Seaton Delaval | 8,012 | 3.3 | B− | A− | C | C− |
| Stakeford | 8,197 | 3.9 | C− | A | C | D |
| Seghill | 2,799 | 3.9 | C | A− | C− | D |
New Hartley 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: 90% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less. Police recorded 3,997 crimes inside Blyth’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 36% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £155,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £68,500, terraced houses £120,000, semi-detached houses £155,000 and detached houses £255,000.
Band D council tax in Blyth is £2,629 for 2026–27, more than in 91% 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 Northumberland, England
Blyth is a built-up area of 39,731 people, in the Northumberland 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.