Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
22,936 residents make their home in this large town in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands.
More weak spots than strong ones. Its weakest subject is health (D) — life expectancy 76.5 for men, 80.4 for women. It lags on safety as well: police record 43.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 18.5 home and vehicle crimes. Against UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has more crime per resident than 80%. Fewer journeys need a car (A+): nearly a third of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. At a median £197,500, a home costs 4.3 times the yearly income of households in the Nottingham council area. Schools are another plus — primary results beat 47% of towns in England; secondary results beat 86% of towns in England. The overall grade comes out at D, #41 of 49 in Nottinghamshire. Nationally, it does better than 14% of UK towns.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Clifton 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 Clifton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 19 buildings inside Clifton’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
0% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1866.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Clifton. Best known first.
CastleNottingham Castle3.8 km outside town, to the north
CathedralNottingham Cathedral4.3 km outside town, to the north
MuseumWollaton Hall3.9 km outside town, to the north
Art galleryNottingham Contemporary4.2 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumJudges Retiring Room4.2 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumNottingham Industrial Museum4 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Clifton.
17% of residents are 15 to 24, above Nottinghamshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Half of Clifton is older than 36.1, half younger. Those 65 and older account for 17% of residents.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Clifton | Nottinghamshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 24% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.5% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 22% | 20% | 17% |
| Degree level | 19% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Nottinghamshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 6 primary schools: just over three in five pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below are three of its 8 schools, each with why it was picked. Some 2,975 pupils attend Clifton’s six primaries and one secondary.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Milford AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 430 | B− |
| Farnborough Spencer AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,005 | C− |
| Blessed Robert Widmerpool Catholic Primary and Nursery SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 253 | A− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 19% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households had £42K a year before tax, below both Nottinghamshire’s towns (£51K) and England’s towns (£55K). 14% of commuters who live in Clifton also work there. Jobs per working resident: 0.3.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
At the census, 7.5% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, higher than both Nottinghamshire’s towns (5.9%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Just over a fifth of residents in Clifton live with a disability. Also worth knowing: 4 GP practices serve the town; 73% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Asked at the census, 77% of residents of Clifton said they were in good or very good health.
| Census 2021 | Clifton | Nottinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.5% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
2,323 crimes and 432 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Clifton’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. There were 21.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both Nottinghamshire’s towns (10.7) and England’s towns (7.8). Of all the crimes, 41% were violence and sexual offences.
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.
Home ownership stands at 52% of households. Private tenants account for 18% of households. Behind the median of £197,500: 651 standard sales inside Clifton’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £328,750 | 50 |
| Semi-detached | £200,000 | 233 |
| Terraced | £192,250 | 316 |
| Flat or maisonette | £190,750 | 52 |
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.
Clifton’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Grade I. Grade II* covers 1 of them, Grade I 2. One registered park or garden lies here.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
19 listed buildings in Clifton, 2 of them Grade I.
Church of St Mary the Virgin: Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Clifton Hall: Photo: Tony Jacobs · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 56, Village Road, Clifton: Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Clifton School: Photo: Luke Shaw · CC BY-SA 2.0
8 notable people were born in Clifton.
Viv Anderson: Koen Suyk / Anefo, CC0 · Brendan Clarke-Smith: David Woolfall, CC BY 3.0 · Karl Collins: Canley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · George Wootton: Barraud (1845 - 1896) & Jerrard (1848–1918), London (active 1873-1880), Public domain · Graham Dury: Felix, CC BY-SA 3.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton | 22,936 | — | D | D | D | D |
| Ruddington | 7,491 | 1.4 | A+ | A | B− | B |
| Wilford | 4,849 | 1.5 | B+ | D− | B− | B |
| Beeston | 52,359 | 2.4 | A− | C+ | C+ | B− |
| West Bridgford | 36,489 | 2.7 | A+ | A− | B+ | A− |
| Edwalton | 4,762 | 2.7 | A | A− | C+ | A− |
| Gotham | 1,566 | 2.8 | — | A+ | B+ | B |
| Tollerton | 1,976 | 3.6 | — | B+ | A+ | A+ |
Gotham and Tollerton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Band D council tax in Clifton is £2,755 for 2026–27, more than in 98% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £197,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £190,750, terraced houses £192,250, semi-detached houses £200,000 and detached houses £328,750. Household incomes are lower than in 89% of UK towns, so cost of living grades D.
Large town in Nottinghamshire, England
Clifton is a built-up area of 22,936 people, in the Nottingham 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.