Ouston’s story
Old homes in Ouston: 41% built before 1919
41% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
OustonNorthumberland
Some 382 people live in this village, in Northumberland, North East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Oliver Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
382
Census 2021 · Northumberland council
Median age
27.1
0% are 65+ · Northumberland 25%
Degree level
10%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
44%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Ouston a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Ouston has no grades; its figures are still real. Four in five households rent privately. 10% of adults have a degree-level qualification. 41% of homes were built before 1919.
What makes Ouston stand out
The 3 things Ouston does most differently from other towns.
Households renting privately
Housing
of households, against 21% across England’s towns
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Northumberland 29%.
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ouston.
Who lives here
Students and young workers shape Ouston: 26% are 15 to 24, above Northumberland’s towns and England’s towns
The under-15s are 11% of the population here. Residents of Ouston have a median age of 27.1.
27.1median age
OustonNorthumberlandEngland
Ages · share of residents
26%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications3%
Apprenticeship12%
A levels or similar48%
Degree level10%
Women and men · all residents
22% women, 78% men
About 29 women for every 100 men. Across England, 51% of residents are women. A large institution, such as a prison, barracks, boarding school, university or care home, can tilt a town’s split: the census counts the people living there as residents.
| Ouston | Northumberland | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 26% | 9.4% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 61% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 2.1% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 0% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 2.7% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 12% | 7.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 48% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 10% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Northumberland and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Ouston gets to work on foot, by bike and by public transport more than Northumberland’s towns or England’s towns: 44% of commuters
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 42% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Ouston counts 1 jobs per working resident. The car took 55% of commuters, below Northumberland’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. 48% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work.
44%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving55%
On foot38%
Bicycle6%
Underground, tram1%
48%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
42%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£67K
mean household income, before tax
1%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Fewer households own their home in Ouston than in Northumberland’s towns or across England’s towns: 9%
11% of households rent from a council or housing body. Private rents average £695 a month across the Northumberland council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Ouston£0K
Typical UK town£277K
9%
of households own their home · England 61%
80%
rent privately · England 21%
£695
average private rent a month, Northumberland council area
£2,511
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violence is recorded less often in Ouston than in Northumberland’s towns or across England’s towns: 10.2 per 1,000 residents a year
Police recorded 7 crimes inside Ouston’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. 43% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
10.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3
Public order2
Other theft1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Anti-social0
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.
10.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
7
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Disability is less common in Ouston, 7.4% of residents, than in Northumberland’s towns and England’s towns
Seeing a GP means leaving Ouston: the nearest practice is 3.5 miles away. At the census, 91% of people in Ouston called their health good or very good, higher than both Northumberland’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (82%). Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 1.1% of the town. The nearest A&E to Ouston is Royal Victoria Infirmary, 10.3 miles away.
91%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 91%Fair 8%Bad or very bad 1%
| Census 2021 | Ouston | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 91% | 78% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.1% | 6.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 7.4% | 22% | 17% |
84.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
89
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
No listed buildings in Ouston
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Ouston’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
41%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ouston
11pages on Ouston
The big questions
Ouston’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
OvinghamWylamHeddon-on-the-WallPrudhoeThrockleyPontelandCrawcrook and GreensideOuston
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ouston | 382 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ovingham | 1,155 | 3.2 | — | A− | B− | B |
| Wylam | 1,661 | 3.3 | — | C+ | A+ | B+ |
| Heddon-on-the-Wall | 1,300 | 3.5 | — | C+ | A | A+ |
| Prudhoe | 10,285 | 4 | B− | A | C | C− |
| Throckley | 6,207 | 4.8 | C | C− | C− | C− |
| Ponteland | 10,149 | 4.9 | A | C− | B+ | A |
| Crawcrook and Greenside | 7,544 | 5.1 | B+ | B− | B | C |
Ovingham, Wylam and Heddon-on-the-Wall have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Ouston
Who lives in Ouston?
At the 2021 Census, 26% of Ouston’s 382 residents were 15 to 24 and 0% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
How much is council tax in Ouston?
Band D council tax in Ouston is £2,511 for 2026–27, more than in 67% 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.
About Ouston
Village in Northumberland, England
Ouston is a built-up area of 382 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
- 382 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Northumberland
- County
- Northumberland
- Region
- North East
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000071
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.