Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2,438 people live in this village in Oxfordshire, South East. Over-65s are 26% of the population.
People here tend to be in good health: men here can expect to live to 82.2, women to 83.6. Walkability is another plus — on the way to work, 22% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Hazard risk is higher than most: 3.5% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. A median £421,000 buys a home here, 6 times what households in the South Oxfordshire council area earn in a year. The rest of its grades are middling: C+ for safety, B for schools and B for jobs & income.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · claimants, DWP. Watlington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Watlington is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Watlington does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Watlington’s built-up area.
29% 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 Watlington.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
29% of its homes were built before 1919, above Oxfordshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Historic England’s list names 92 listed buildings in Watlington: 3 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 44.3, and 46% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. Its two schools are listed below. At the one primary school within 3 km, 65% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watlington Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 227 | B |
| Icknield Community CollegeLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 804 | B− |
Seeing a GP means leaving Watlington: the nearest practice is 4.5 miles away. The nearest A&E to Watlington is John Radcliffe Hospital, 12.3 miles away. At the census, 3.8% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2021 | Watlington | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.8% | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Degrees are held by 44% of adults, higher than both Oxfordshire’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (34%). The share aged 15 to 24 is 9.5%. Line up the people of Watlington by age and the one in the middle is 49.7. Under-15s account for 16% of the population.
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Watlington | Oxfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.5% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.4% | 4.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Oxfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 41% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Working mainly from home: 41% of workers, above Oxfordshire’s towns (37%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. 76% of commuters drove to work at the census. Before tax, the average household brings in £68K a year.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
53% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Over the year to August 2026, 94 offences were reported in Watlington, along with 9 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Watlington has more crime per resident than 76% of them.
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.
Private renters make up 14% of households, below both Oxfordshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (21%). 12% of households live in social housing. Half of the 109 standard sales inside Watlington’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £421,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £625,000 | 37 |
| Semi-detached | £410,000 | 35 |
| Terraced | £326,250 | 28 |
| Flat or maisonette | £210,000 | 9 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Village in Oxfordshire, England
Watlington is a built-up area of 2,438 people, in the South Oxfordshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watlington | 2,438 | — | — | B− | C+ | A |
| Chalgrove | 2,807 | 3.5 | B+ | B | B+ | A |
| Stokenchurch | 4,351 | 4.6 | B− | B | B+ | B− |
| Benson | 5,236 | 4.6 | A | C+ | A− | A+ |
| Chinnor | 7,268 | 5.5 | A− | B− | A− | A |
| Crowmarsh Gifford | 1,329 | 5.5 | — | C+ | B− | A |
| Wallingford | 8,455 | 6.2 | A− | B− | B− | B+ |
| Brightwell-cum-Sotwell | 1,244 | 6.9 | — | C | A− | A− |
Crowmarsh Gifford and Brightwell-cum-Sotwell have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 15.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
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.