Grove’s story
19 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Grove’s built-up area.
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
GroveOxfordshire
A town in Oxfordshire, South East, home to 7,942 people.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: David Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
7,942
Census 2021 · Vale of White Horse council
Median home
£342K
453 sales in 3 years
Median age
40.8
20% are 65+ · Oxfordshire 18%
Degree level
33%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · England 27%
TownGrade
B+
#26 of 38 in Oxfordshire
Is Grove a good place to live?
Where it does best is jobs & income (A−) — households earn a mean £68,514 a year, and 2.4% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Hazards are a real consideration (C−): 2.6% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. School results trail most towns (C): primary results beat 36% of towns in England; secondary results beat 38% of towns in England. Buying the median home, at £342,000, takes 4.9 years of household income in the Vale of White Horse council area. The overall grade lands at B+, better than two thirds of UK towns. Its place in the ranking is #26 of 38 in Oxfordshire. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for safety and B− for walkability.
Figures: income, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021.
What makes Grove stand out
The 2 things Grove does most differently from other towns.
How Grove grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Grove is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Hazard riskAmong the most exposed to natural hazardsC−Open →Jobs & incomeAbove the middle of the towns comparedA−Open →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnB+Open →HealthLife expectancy 80.8 for men, 86.1 for womenB+Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 36% of towns in England; secondary results beat 38% of towns in EnglandCOpen →SafetyNear typical for the towns comparedC+Open →WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryBased on listed places, the town’s age and notable peopleC−Open →Outdoors92% live within 400 m of a park; 27% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeAOpen →Civic life2.4 local charities per 1,000 residents; 95% live within 1 km of a libraryAOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Grove.
History
Listed buildings in Grove: 19
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Before 1919: that is when 2% of homes were built. Relative to its size, Grove keeps 24 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below both Oxfordshire’s towns (107) and England’s towns (39).
19listed buildingsC−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II19
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
2%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
24
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
SchoolsC
Exam results at Grove’s schools trail 65% of towns in England
Below are two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 2 primary schools: 59% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 43.4, and 44% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
CSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millbrook Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 482 | B |
| St Johns CofE AcademyLargest secondary schoolAll-through | All-through | 327 | – |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 3 schools →
HousingCost of living grade B+
Few households rent privately in Grove: 11%, fewer than in Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
Social housing holds 13% of households, below both Oxfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Owners make up 74% of households. Private rents average £1,352 a month across the Vale of White Horse council area.
£342Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Grove£342K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £424,000 | 150 |
| Semi-detached | £343,900 | 120 |
| Terraced | £280,000 | 129 |
| Flat or maisonette | £224,000 | 54 |
74%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,352
average private rent a month, Vale of White Horse council area
£2,622
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
85% of residents say their health is good or very good
Men in Grove can expect to live to 80.8, women to 86.1 (2019–23). At the census, 3.5% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, near Oxfordshire’s towns (3.5%) and lower than England’s towns (5.2%). The nearest A&E to Grove is Great Western Hospital, 13.8 miles away. 2 GP practices serve the town; 81% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
85%good or very good healthB+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Grove | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
80.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Safety
Violent crime runs high in Grove: 29.6 per 1,000 residents a year, above Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
Police recorded 470 crimes inside Grove’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 71 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences made up 54% of the total. Homes saw 7.1 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, near Oxfordshire’s towns (6.8) and lower than England’s towns (9.4).
29.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 41% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual252
Public order46
Shoplifting26
Damage & arson26
Other theft26
Drugs26
Burglary22
Other crime17
Anti-social71
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.
29.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
470
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Fewer commuters in Grove walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Oxfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 14%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 33% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
84% of commuters drove, higher than both Oxfordshire’s towns (69%) and England’s towns (70%). For 34% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Of the commuters living in Grove, 10% work in the town itself. The town counts 0.6 jobs per working resident.
14%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving84%
On foot7%
Bus3%
Bicycle3%
34%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
33%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£69K
mean household income, before tax
2.4%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B−
Walkability: more walkable than 50% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Who lives here
Few people in Grove are 15 to 24: 8.8%, fewer than in Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
33% of adults hold a degree, below Oxfordshire’s towns (42%) and close to England’s towns (34%). Retirement age and beyond: 20% of residents are 65 or older. Residents of Grove have a median age of 40.8.
40.8median age
GroveOxfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
20%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level33%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Grove | Oxfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.8% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.6% | 4.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Oxfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Grove
14pages on Grove
The big questions
SafetyC+29.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingB+Median home £342K · rent £1,352 a monthHousing86 sold in 12 months · busiest street Farrier CrescentSchoolsC3 state schoolsHealthB+Life expectancy 80.8 (men), 86.1 (women)Work & commuteA−53% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC−2.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Grove’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WantageEast ChallowEast HanneyEast HendredStanford in the ValeSteventonKingston BagpuizeGrove
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grove | 7,942 | — | B+ | B+ | C+ | B+ |
| Wantage | 13,100 | 1 | B+ | B+ | C | B+ |
| East Challow | 1,031 | 1.5 | — | B+ | B | A |
| East Hanney | 1,233 | 2.4 | — | C+ | B− | A+ |
| East Hendred | 1,367 | 3.7 | — | B− | A | A− |
| Stanford in the Vale | 2,302 | 4.2 | — | B+ | B | B |
| Steventon | 2,211 | 4.5 | — | B− | A− | B+ |
| Kingston Bagpuize | 3,905 | 5.2 | A+ | B | A− | A+ |
East Challow, East Hanney, East Hendred, Stanford in the Vale and Steventon have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Grove
Does Grove flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Are schools in Grove good?
GCSE results trail 62% of towns in England, and primary results trail 64% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Grove has 3 state schools; places are handled by Oxfordshire council.
Is Grove safe?
About the middle for its size: 59% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, it grades C+.
About Grove
Town in Oxfordshire, England
Grove is a built-up area of 7,942 people, in the Vale of White Horse 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
- 7,942 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Vale of White Horse
- County
- Oxfordshire
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004778
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.