Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 29,755 people, this large town lies in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands.
With a C− overall, Newark-on-Trent is better than 23% of UK towns and ranks #36 of 49 in Nottinghamshire. Its lowest grade is for safety — 48 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 27.9 home and vehicle crimes. Only 8% of UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people have more crime per resident. At a median £190,000, a home costs 3.8 times the yearly income of households in the Newark and Sherwood council area. It is easy to get around without a car (A+): on the way to work, 30% walk, cycle or take a bus or train.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Newark-on-Trent is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Newark-on-Trent does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 360 buildings inside Newark-on-Trent’s built-up area, 4 of them Grade I, and 6 scheduled monuments.
20% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →360 listed buildings in Newark-on-Trent, 4 of them Grade I.
Church of St. Mary Magdalene and attached railing: Photo: Julian P Guffogg · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Town Hall: Photo: David Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Weston Mill Pottery: Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The White Hind Public House: Photo: Victuallers · CC BY-SA 4.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Newark-on-Trent.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 21% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
46% of commuters who live in Newark-on-Trent also work there. There are 1.5 jobs in Newark-on-Trent for each resident in work. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 65%, higher than both Nottinghamshire’s towns (45%) and England’s towns (45%). A household here earns £45K a year before tax, on average.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
52% of pupils at the town’s 7 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The Sir Donald Bailey Academy’s results beat 81% of schools in England like it. Of its 9 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. Secondary results at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 45.1, with 46% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnby Road Academy Primary and Nursery schoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 593 | B− |
| Magnus Church of England AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 678 | C− |
| The Sir Donald Bailey AcademyTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 507 | A− |
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 3,827 offences in Newark-on-Trent and 811 cases of nuisance behaviour. Among the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Newark-on-Trent has more crime per resident than 92% of them. There were 32.3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both Nottinghamshire’s towns (10.7) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences were 36% of the crimes.
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 15% of Newark-on-Trent’s land, above both Nottinghamshire’s towns (5%) and England’s towns (7%). The town’s listed buildings include the Church of St. Mary Magdalene and attached railing, Grade I. Relative to its size, Newark-on-Trent keeps 121 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. At the top of the list, 4 are Grade I and 10 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
3 GP practices serve the town; 71% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Newark-on-Trent is Lincoln County Hospital, 16.2 miles away. At the census, 80% of people in Newark-on-Trent called their health good or very good, near Nottinghamshire’s towns (80%) and lower than England’s towns (82%).
| Census 2021 | Newark-on-Trent | Nottinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.7% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
Social housing holds 20% of households, above both Nottinghamshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). 23% of households rent privately. Behind the median of £190,000: 1,269 standard sales inside Newark-on-Trent’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £290,000 | 331 |
| Semi-detached | £191,500 | 426 |
| Terraced | £158,000 | 386 |
| Flat or maisonette | £130,000 | 126 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
One in ten residents are 15 to 24, below Nottinghamshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Newark-on-Trent has a median age of 40. Children under 15 make up 17% of residents.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Newark-on-Trent | Nottinghamshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 20% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Nottinghamshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Newark-on-Trent. Best known first.
CastleNewark Castlein town
MuseumNational Civil War Centrein town
FortQueen's Sconce100 m outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumNewark Town Hall Museum and Art Galleryin townMuseumMuseumNewark Air Museum900 m outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionNewark Showground800 m outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
54 notable people were born in Newark-on-Trent.
Rupert Sheldrake: Zereshk, CC BY 3.0 · William Nicholson: Malcolm Arbuthnot, Public domain · Shona McCallin: fourthandfifteen, CC BY 2.0 · Mary King: MyName (Sffubs), CC BY-SA 3.0 · William Warburton: John Hall, Public domain
Large town in Nottinghamshire, England
Newark-on-Trent is a built-up area of 29,755 people, in the Newark and Sherwood 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark-on-Trent | 29,755 | — | C− | A− | D | C− |
| Balderton | 12,876 | 1.5 | B | B+ | B− | C+ |
| Coddington | 1,165 | 1.6 | — | B+ | C+ | B |
| Farndon | 2,472 | 2 | — | B+ | B+ | B |
| Claypole | 1,352 | 4 | — | A | A | A− |
| Collingham | 2,870 | 5.6 | A | B− | A | B |
| Long Bennington | 2,149 | 5.7 | — | B | A | A− |
| Southwell | 7,405 | 6.3 | A | C | B+ | A− |
Coddington, Farndon, Claypole and Long Bennington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Remains of Newark Castle. It also has 6 scheduled monuments.
Band D council tax in Newark-on-Trent is £2,729 for 2026–27, more than in 97% 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.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
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.