Hexham grades B+ overall against UK towns: better than 65% of UK towns, and #4 of 20 in Northumberland. Its strongest subject is walkability (A+): 33% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is safety (C): 31.9 violent and sexual offences and 12.3 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 52%. The median home sold for £265,000 in the last three years, 5.7 times what households in the Northumberland council area earn in a year.
Northumbria Police published 34 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Hexham is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hexham.
Who lives here
More people in Hexham hold a degree than in Northumberland’s towns or England’s towns: 42%
For Hexham, that is above both Northumberland’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%). Those 65 and older account for 29% of residents. Hexham has a median age of 51.8.
51.8median age
HexhamNorthumberlandEngland
Ages · share of residents
29%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level42%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
198 listed buildings, 5 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Hexham has 198 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 5 Grade I, 19 Grade II*. Hexham has 181 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, above both Northumberland’s towns (45) and England’s towns (39). Hexham’s listed buildings include St Wilfrid's Gateway the Priory Gatehouse, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Hexham has more crime per resident than 72% of UK towns
Police recorded 693 crimes inside Hexham’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 179 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 46% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking, so it runs higher than U.S. “violent crime”.
31.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearCSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 52% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual320
Shoplifting78
Public order75
Damage & arson66
Other theft43
Burglary32
Other crime30
Vehicle crime19
Anti-social179
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.
31.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
15.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
79% of residents say their health is good or very good
79% of Hexham’s residents described their health as good or very good in 2021, against 78% across Northumberland’s towns. 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.
Fraser Forster: Timmy96, CC0 · Peter Beardsley: Skippo10, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pete Doherty: Selbymay, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Aelred of Rievaulx: Anònim del segle XIII, Mort fa més de setanta anys, Public domain · Robson Green: Dnalor 01, CC BY-SA 3.0 at · Jak Alnwick: Bradford City AFC, CC BY 3.0
Acomb, Haydon Bridge, Stocksfield, Ovingham and Wylam have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Hexham
How many listed buildings are there in Hexham?
That is 7.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include St Wilfrid's Gateway the Priory Gatehouse. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
How much is council tax in Hexham?
Band D council tax in Hexham is £2,642 for 2026–27, more than in 92% 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.
Are schools in Hexham good?
Primary schools stand out: Key Stage 2 results beat 76% of towns in England. Secondary results beat 74%.
About Hexham
Town in Northumberland, England
Hexham is a built-up area of 10,945 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
Population
10,945 (Census 2021)
Council
Northumberland
County
Northumberland
Region
North East
Area
1.7 sq mi (4.4 km²)
ONS code
E63000097
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.
