Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 3,067: a town in Oxfordshire, South East.
Where it does best is jobs & income: the mean household earns £78,502 a year. Buying the median home, at £480,000, takes 6.9 years of household income in the Vale of White Horse council area. Health is a strength (A−): life expectancy 81.9 for men, 85.2 for women. All told, that adds up to an A overall and a rank of #9 of 38 in Oxfordshire. On that grade it does better than 90% of UK towns.
Figures: income and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Harwell is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Harwell does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 66 buildings inside Harwell’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →66 listed buildings in Harwell, 1 of them Grade I.
Geering's Almshouses and Attached Walls and Gate: Photo: Steve Daniels · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Cherry Barn and Attached Outbuildings, Approximately 5 Metres East of Bayllols Manor: Photo: Sionk · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Old Brewery and Showrooms: Photo: Steve Daniels · CC BY-SA 2.0 · White Hart Inn: Photo: Steve Daniels · CC BY-SA 2.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Harwell.
Harwell has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.5 miles away. At the census, 87% of people in Harwell called their health good or very good, above both Oxfordshire’s towns (86%) and England’s towns (82%). Disability touches 14% of the town’s population. Men in Harwell can expect to live to 81.9, women to 85.2 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Harwell | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.7% | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
64% of pupils at the 14 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its only school is listed below. Attainment 8 at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km averages 53.3, and nearly three in five pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harwell Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 210 | B |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Harwell’s 66 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, Grade I counts 1 and Grade II* 5. The town’s listed buildings include the Church of St Matthew, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 11% of the total, below both Oxfordshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 46% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
81% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 38%, lower than both Oxfordshire’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%). Among 16 to 64s, 1.6% claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. Work in town: 4% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Owners make up 70% of households, above both Oxfordshire’s towns (63%) and England’s towns (61%). Half of the 113 standard sales inside Harwell’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £480,000. Social renters account for 18% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £590,000 | 62 |
| Semi-detached | £385,000 | 37 |
| Terraced | £305,250 | 14 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violent crime ran at 24 per 1,000 residents a year, above Oxfordshire’s towns (18.6) and England’s towns (22) alike. 124 crimes and 18 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Harwell’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Also worth knowing: of all the crimes, 64% 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.
Harwell has a median age of 37.7 years. Degrees are held by 48% of adults, above both Oxfordshire’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (34%). Retirement age and beyond: 17% of residents are 65 or older.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Harwell | Oxfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 23% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 30% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.1% | 4.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 48% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Oxfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Harwell. Best known first.
Historic houseThe Abbey, Sutton Courtenay4.3 km outside town, to the north
MuseumDidcot Railway Centre2.9 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseMilton Manor2.6 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumChamps Chapel Museum of East Hendred2.5 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumGWR Museum2.9 km outside town, to the northeastGardenGardenMilton Hill House1.4 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Town in Oxfordshire, England
Harwell is a built-up area of 3,067 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harwell | 3,067 | — | A | C+ | B− | A− |
| Didcot | 34,600 | 2 | A | B+ | C+ | B |
| Chilton | 1,378 | 2 | — | A− | B+ | A |
| East Hendred | 1,367 | 2 | — | B− | A | A− |
| Steventon | 2,211 | 2.3 | — | B− | A− | B+ |
| Sutton Courtenay | 3,055 | 2.7 | B+ | B− | B+ | B+ |
| Drayton | 3,110 | 3.4 | B | C+ | B+ | B+ |
| Blewbury | 1,708 | 3.4 | — | C+ | A | A− |
Chilton, East Hendred, Steventon and Blewbury have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 8.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Matthew.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £480,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £305,250, semi-detached houses £385,000 and detached houses £590,000.
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 88% of towns in England. Primary results are closer to the middle, beating 63%. One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Oxfordshire council.
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.