Bwlch’s story
1 listed building
Cadw lists them inside Bwlch’s built-up area.
53% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BwlchPowys
A village of 345 in Powys, Wales. 5% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Malcra · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
345
Census 2021 · Powys council
Median home
£370K
14 sales in 3 years
Median age
55.5
32% are 65+ · Powys 27%
Degree level
49%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
5%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Bwlch a good place to live?
Bwlch has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Bwlch stand out
The 3 things Bwlch does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
5% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (Wales’s towns 16%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Degree level, 16+
Education
49% have a degree
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (Wales’s towns 31%)
Powys 30%.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bwlch.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Bwlch than in Powys’ towns or Wales’s towns: 10% are under 15
On this, Bwlch is below both Powys’ towns (15%) and Wales’s towns (17%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 6.4% of residents. Bwlch has a median age of 55.5.
55.5median age
BwlchPowysWales
Ages · share of residents
32%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level49%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Bwlch | Powys | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 10% | 15% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 6.4% | 9.5% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 21% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 32% | 27% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 20% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.5% | 6.2% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 49% | 30% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Powys and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Commuters in Bwlch travel far: only 6% go under 5 km, fewer than in Powys’ towns or Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 42% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
In the comparison, Bwlch comes below both Powys’ towns (44%) and Wales’s towns (41%). 92% of commuters drove to work at the census.
5%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
On foot4%
Bus1%
6%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
42%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£51K
mean household income, before tax
1.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Homes in Bwlch cost more than in Powys’ towns or across Wales’s towns, with a median sale of £370K
For Bwlch, that is above both Powys’ towns (£238K) and Wales’s towns (£195K). 84% of households own their home.
£370Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Bwlch£370K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £369,750 | 10 |
84%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
12%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£621
average private rent a month, Powys council area
£2,352
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violent crime runs low in Bwlch: 4.4 per 1,000 residents a year, under Powys’ towns and Wales’s towns
Bwlch sits below both Powys’ towns (38.9) and Wales’s towns (33.8) on this measure. Homes see 6.5 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 7 crimes inside Bwlch’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 0 reports of anti-social behaviour.
4.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3
Damage & arson2
Other theft1
Drugs1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Burglary0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social0
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.
4.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
7
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Is Bwlch a healthy place? 87% of its people say their health is good, above Powys’ towns and Wales’s towns
That puts Bwlch above both Powys’ towns (78%) and Wales’s towns (78%). Bwlch has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 5.2 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy.
87%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Bwlch | Powys | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 78% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | 6.5% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 22% | 22% |
Welsh towns’ Health Grades use ONS’s small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns’ also use OHID’s small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OGL
History
Old homes shape Bwlch: 53% were built before 1919, more than in Powys’ towns or Wales’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 0% of Bwlch’s land, below Powys’ towns (13%) and close to Wales’s towns (0%). For its size, Bwlch has 29 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Bwlch has 1 listed building on Cadw’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*.
1listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
53%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
29
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Blaenllynfi Castle and 4 more in and around Bwlch
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bwlch. Best known first.
Castle · CadwBlaenllynfi Castle400 m outside town, to the north
CastleTretower Castle2.8 km outside town, to the east
Castle · CadwTretower Court2.9 km outside town, to the eastHistoric houseHistoric houseBuckland Hall1.6 km outside town, to the southwestHistoric siteHistoric siteThe Welsh Crannog Centre4.8 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Blaenllynfi Castle: Jeremy Bolwell, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tretower Castle: Pete Chapman, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tretower Court: Philip Pankhurst, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bwlch
14pages on Bwlch
The big questions
Bwlch’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LlangynidrCrickhowellBrynmawrTalgarthBreconEbbw ValeGilwernBwlch
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bwlch | 345 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Llangynidr | 1,038 | 1.6 | — | C− | A− | A− |
| Crickhowell | 2,108 | 5 | — | C | B | B+ |
| Brynmawr | 5,250 | 7 | D− | B− | D− | D− |
| Talgarth | 1,252 | 7.1 | — | B | C+ | B− |
| Brecon | 8,257 | 7.5 | C | B− | D | C+ |
| Ebbw Vale | 19,635 | 7.7 | D− | C+ | D− | D |
| Gilwern | 2,184 | 7.9 | — | C− | B | B− |
Llangynidr, Crickhowell, Talgarth and Gilwern have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Bwlch
How many listed buildings are there in Bwlch?
1 on Cadw’s list.
Is Bwlch expensive to live in?
Private rents in the Powys council area averaged £621 a month in August 2026.
About Bwlch
Village in Powys, Wales
Bwlch is a built-up area of 345 people, in the Powys 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
- 345 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Powys
- County
- Powys
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000301
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) · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, 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.