Coelbren’s story
Coelbren: 39% of homes built before 1919
39% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
CoelbrenPowys
The village has 287 residents and lies in Powys, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jonathan Billinger · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
287
Census 2021 · Powys council
Median age
53.6
30% are 65+ · Powys 27%
Degree level
22%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Coelbren a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Coelbren is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 39% of homes were built before 1919. People aged 65 and over make up 30% of residents.
What makes Coelbren stand out
The 2 things Coelbren does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Coelbren.
Who lives here
Children make up only 11% of Coelbren, fewer than in both Powys’ towns and Wales’s towns
9.1% of residents are 15 to 24, about level with Powys’ towns (9.5%) and below Wales’s towns (12%). People 65 and over make up 30% of the town. The middle age in Coelbren is 53.6. Degrees are held by just over a fifth of adults.
53.6median age
CoelbrenPowysWales
Ages · share of residents
30%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications28%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level22%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Coelbren | Powys | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 15% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 9.1% | 9.5% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 21% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 30% | 27% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 28% | 20% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 6.2% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 22% | 30% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Powys and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Only 13% of Coelbren’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in both Powys’ towns and Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 20% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Driving is how nine in ten commuters got to work at the census. One in ten commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, below both Powys’ towns (21%) and Wales’s towns (16%). Among 16 to 64s, 2.2% claimed unemployment benefits in 2026.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot9%
Bicycle1%
13%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
20%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£41K
mean household income, before tax
2.2%
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
Few households rent privately in Coelbren: 7%, fewer than in both Powys’ towns and Wales’s towns
Just over a quarter of households live in social housing. Private rents average £621 a month across the Powys council area. Owners make up 65% of households, above Powys’ towns (61%) and close to Wales’s towns (65%).
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Coelbren£0K
Typical UK town£277K
65%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
7%
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
Coelbren records more burglary and damage per resident than Powys’ towns or Wales’s towns, at 34 per 1,000 a year
Of all the crimes, 65% were violence and sexual offences. Violence came to 89.9 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Powys’ towns (38.9) and Wales’s towns (33.8). Police recorded 49 crimes inside Coelbren’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 2 reports of anti-social behaviour.
89.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual32
Damage & arson8
Public order4
Burglary2
Other crime2
Other theft1
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
Anti-social2
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.
89.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
34
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
49
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.
Health
Disability is more common in Coelbren than in Powys’ towns or across Wales’s towns: 33% of residents
Self-reported good health: 69% of Coelbren’s residents. At the census, 12% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, higher than both Powys’ towns (6.5%) and Wales’s towns (7.1%). Seeing a GP means leaving Coelbren: the nearest practice is 3.6 miles away.
69%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 69%Fair 19%Bad or very bad 12%
| Census 2021 | Coelbren | Powys | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 69% | 78% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 12% | 6.5% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 33% | 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 · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy.
History
No listed buildings in Coelbren
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Cadw’s list has no building inside Coelbren’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
39%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
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 →Dan yr Ogof and 4 more in and around Coelbren
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Coelbren. Best known first.
AttractionDan yr Ogof4 km outside town, to the north
Historic houseCraig-y-Nos Castle3.3 km outside town, to the northZooZooDan-Yr-Ogof Farm4.4 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionHenrhyd Falls100 m outside town, to the northeastZooZooWales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary500 m outside town, to the westPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Dan yr Ogof: Sloman at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Craig-y-Nos Castle: Jaggery, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Coelbren
12pages on Coelbren
The big questions
Coelbren’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Seven SistersGlyn-neathYstradgynlaisCwmgwrachYstalyferaCreunantResolvenCoelbren
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coelbren | 287 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Seven Sisters | 1,343 | 2.6 | — | B+ | D | D |
| Glyn-neath | 3,927 | 3.5 | D | B+ | C+ | C− |
| Ystradgynlais | 4,032 | 3.7 | D− | B+ | D | D |
| Cwmgwrach | 1,071 | 4 | — | B+ | B− | C− |
| Ystalyfera | 7,831 | 5.5 | D | A− | C | D |
| Creunant | 1,664 | 5.5 | — | B | B− | D |
| Resolven | 2,162 | 5.7 | — | B+ | B− | D− |
Seven Sisters, Cwmgwrach, Creunant and Resolven have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Coelbren
How much is council tax in Coelbren?
Band D council tax in Coelbren is £2,352 for 2026–27, less than in 66% of UK towns (the Powys council average, with police and community councils). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Coelbren
Village in Powys, Wales
Coelbren is a built-up area of 287 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
- 287 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Powys
- County
- Powys
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000348
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.