Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a large town of 53,555 residents in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands.
Plenty in its favour, and one clear drawback. Where it does best is schools (A−): primary results beat nearly two thirds of towns in England; secondary results beat 93% of towns in England. Walkability is another plus: 21% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Residents’ health trails most towns: life expectancy 79 for men, 82.7 for women. Hazard risk is weaker too — 4.1% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. It takes 4.8 years of household income in the Gedling council area to buy the median home, at £245,500. All told, that adds up to a B+ overall, better than 66% of UK towns. In the ranking it comes #16 of 49 in Nottinghamshire.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 2 things Carlton 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 Carlton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 36 buildings inside Carlton’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I.
16% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Carlton. Best known first.
CastleNottingham Castle2.9 km outside town, to the southwest
CathedralNottingham Cathedral2.8 km outside town, to the southwest
Art galleryNottingham Contemporary2.4 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumJudges Retiring Room2.3 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic houseHolme Pierrepont Hall600 m outside town, to the southeast
MuseumNew Art Exchange3.2 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Carlton.
Of its 22 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. Secondary results at the town’s 2 secondary schools: an Attainment 8 score of 53.7, with 66% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. 64% of pupils at the town’s 15 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherfield Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 466 | B |
| Carlton le Willows AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,803 | A |
| The Carlton Junior AcademyTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 224 | A |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Carlton counts 0.6 jobs per working resident. 76% of commuters drove, near Nottinghamshire’s towns (75%) and higher than England’s towns (70%). Household income averages £49K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Men in Carlton can expect to live to 79, women to 82.7 (2019–23). 6 GP practices serve the town; 69% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 19% of residents have a disability, close to Nottinghamshire’s towns (19%) and above England’s towns (17%).
| Census 2021 | Carlton | Nottinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.6% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
10% live in social housing, lower than both Nottinghamshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Behind the median of £245,500: 2,534 standard sales inside Carlton’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Private rents average £905 a month across the Gedling council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £325,000 | 1,002 |
| Semi-detached | £240,000 | 886 |
| Terraced | £175,500 | 465 |
| Flat or maisonette | £129,000 | 181 |
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.
Carlton’s listed buildings include the Church of All Hallows, Grade I. For its size, Carlton has 7 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below both Nottinghamshire’s towns (17) and England’s towns (39). 16% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
A fifth of residents are 65 or over, above both Nottinghamshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Half the people of Carlton are older than 43.1. Children under 15 make up 17% of residents.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Carlton | Nottinghamshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 20% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Nottinghamshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 2,949 offences in Carlton and 487 cases of nuisance behaviour. Of all the crimes, 42% were violence and sexual offences. There were 10.3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Nottinghamshire’s towns (10.8) but above England’s towns (7.8).
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.
36 listed buildings in Carlton, 2 of them Grade I.
Church of All Hallows: Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Stable Block at Walnut House: Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Manor House: Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Bulcote Crossing Cottage: Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0
23 notable people were born in Carlton.
James Hooton: vagueonthehow from Tadcaster, York, England, CC BY 2.0 · Janet Woollacott: Keystone / Gamma-Rapho, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton | 53,555 | — | B+ | B | B− | C |
| Arnold | 40,016 | 2.3 | B+ | B | C+ | C+ |
| Radcliffe on Trent | 7,205 | 3 | A+ | A | B− | A− |
| Gamston (Rushcliffe) | 2,171 | 3.1 | — | A | A | A |
| Nottingham | 299,786 | 3.4 | D− | D | D− | D |
| Woodborough | 1,649 | 3.6 | — | D | A+ | B− |
| West Bridgford | 36,489 | 3.7 | A+ | A− | B+ | A− |
| Calverton | 7,318 | 4.4 | C+ | B− | B− | C+ |
Gamston (Rushcliffe) and Woodborough have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 93% of towns in England. Primary results are closer to the middle, beating 66%.
Large town in Nottinghamshire, England
Carlton is a built-up area of 53,555 people, in the Gedling 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.