Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
36,435 people live in this large town in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands.
A tough set of grades. Health outcomes fall short of most towns (D): life expectancy 75.9 for men, 81.3 for women. Overall, Sutton in Ashfield earns a D, which places it #45 of 49 in Nottinghamshire. Nationally, it does better than 7% of UK towns. Hazard risk is its strong suit (A). It is easy to get around without a car (B+): on the way to work, 17% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. The median home sold for £187,000, 4.2 times what households in the Ashfield council area earn in a year. Safety is weaker too: 45 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 19.4 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 17%.
Figures: flood risk, Environment Agency · commuting, Census 2021 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026.
The 3 things Sutton in Ashfield 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 Sutton in Ashfield is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 17 buildings inside Sutton in Ashfield’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
21% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sutton in Ashfield.
Line up the people of Sutton in Ashfield by age and the one in the middle is 42.5. The share aged 15 to 24 is 11%. People 65 and over make up 20% of the town, higher than both Nottinghamshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%).
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Sutton in Ashfield | Nottinghamshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 20% | 17% |
| Degree level | 19% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Nottinghamshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Of its 11 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. Forest Glade Primary School’s results beat nearly every one of schools in England like it. At the town’s 9 primary schools, 58% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leamington Primary and Nursery AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 461 | B− |
| Quarrydale AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,265 | D |
| Forest Glade Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 234 | A+ |
76% of Sutton in Ashfield’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below both Nottinghamshire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%). At the census, 8% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. 3 GP practices serve the town; just over three quarters of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Sutton in Ashfield | Nottinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 76% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · 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.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Police figures for Sutton in Ashfield’s built-up area: 3,951 crimes and 702 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. For its size, Sutton in Ashfield records more crime per resident than 83% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. There were 21.4 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Nottinghamshire’s towns (10.7) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 42% of recorded crime.
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 Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 15% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
28% of commuters who live in Sutton in Ashfield also work there. For every resident in work, Sutton in Ashfield has 1.2 jobs. Households had £42K a year before tax, below Nottinghamshire’s towns (£51K) and England’s towns (£55K) alike. At the census, 15% of workers worked mainly from home.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. Homes from before 1919 make up 21% of the total. Scaled to its population, that is 5 listed buildings for every 10,000 people in Sutton in Ashfield.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
From September 2023 to August 2026, 1,373 homes sold inside Sutton in Ashfield’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £187,000. Private rents average £795 a month across the Ashfield council area. Also worth knowing: 19% of households rent privately.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £265,000 | 465 |
| Semi-detached | £175,000 | 562 |
| Terraced | £130,000 | 330 |
| Flat or maisonette | £88,500 | 16 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Sutton in Ashfield. Best known first.
MuseumMansfield Museum2.7 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseCarnfield Hall3.1 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumMaking It! Discovery Centre2.5 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
17 listed buildings in Sutton in Ashfield.
Unwin's Mill: Photo: Enchufla Con Clave · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hunter's Bar: Photo: Enchufla Con Clave · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Manor Farm Cottage: Photo: Enchufla Con Clave · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kruck Cottage: Photo: Enchufla Con Clave · CC BY-SA 4.0
55 notable people were born in Sutton in Ashfield.
Alex Baptiste: Jrppezza, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jake Buxton: Chris Barnes from Derbyshire, England, CC BY 2.0 · Andy Marriott: Markbarnes, CC BY 2.5 · Billy Barnes: Photo by E Hawkins of Brighton, Public domain · Johnny Briggs: Bob Thomas (birth and death unknown), Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton in Ashfield | 36,435 | — | D | B− | D | D |
| Stanton Hill and Skegby | 4,568 | 1.1 | D− | C+ | D | D |
| Huthwaite | 5,069 | 1.6 | D | B− | D | D |
| Kirkby-in-Ashfield | 21,262 | 1.9 | D | B− | C− | D |
| Mansfield | 63,448 | 2.8 | D− | C+ | D− | D |
| Annesley Woodhouse | 6,162 | 3.3 | C | B− | C | C− |
| Tibshelf | 4,352 | 3.4 | C | B+ | C | C− |
| South Normanton and Pinxton | 16,028 | 3.6 | C | B+ | C | D |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £187,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £88,500, terraced houses £130,000, semi-detached houses £175,000 and detached houses £265,000.
Large town in Nottinghamshire, England
Sutton in Ashfield is a built-up area of 36,435 people, in the Ashfield 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.