Forden’s story
No listed buildings inside Forden’s built-up area
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
FordenPowys
A village of 787 in Powys, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Gordon Cragg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
787
Census 2021 · Powys council
Median home
£243K
37 sales in 3 years
Median age
47.1
24% are 65+ · Powys 27%
Degree level
37%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
2%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Forden a good place to live?
Forden has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Forden stand out
The 2 things Forden does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Forden.
Work & commute
Only 2% of commuters in Forden go to work without a car, fewer than in Powys’ towns and Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 23% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Jobs per working resident: 0.3. 96% of commuters drove, higher than both Powys’ towns (77%) and Wales’s towns (81%). For 17% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
2%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving96%
On foot1%
Bicycle1%
17%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
£45K
mean household income, before tax
1.3%
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
More households own their home in Forden than in Powys’ towns or across Wales’s towns: 73%
Private tenants account for 23% of households. 3% live in social housing, below Powys’ towns (20%) and Wales’s towns (18%) alike. Also worth knowing: the £243,000 median rests on 37 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
£243Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Forden£243K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £275,000 | 25 |
| Semi-detached | £178,500 | 6 |
| Terraced | £162,250 | 6 |
73%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
23%
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 Forden: 6.7 per 1,000 residents a year, under Powys’ towns and Wales’s towns
Of all the crimes, 69% were violence and sexual offences. Homes saw 4.3 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below both Powys’ towns (11.5) and Wales’s towns (10.7). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 16 crimes inside Forden’s built-up area.
6.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual11
Damage & arson2
Vehicle crime2
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Other theft0
Burglary0
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.
6.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
16
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 less common in Forden, 15% of residents, than in Powys’ towns and Wales’s towns
Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 2.9% of the town. 84% of Forden’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, higher than both Powys’ towns (78%) and Wales’s towns (78%). There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 3.3 miles off.
84%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Forden | Powys | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 78% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.9% | 6.5% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 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 · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy.
History
No listed buildings in Forden
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
The national list protects 2 ancient monuments in Forden. Homes from before 1919 make up 27% of the total, below Powys’ towns (33%) and close to Wales’s towns (27%). Cadw’s list has no building inside the town’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
2
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
27%
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
Who lives here
Degrees are more common in Forden than in Powys’ towns or across Wales’s towns: 37% of adults
People 65 and over make up 24% of the town, below Powys’ towns (27%) but above Wales’s towns (21%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 9.4% of residents. The age that splits Forden in two is 47.1. Children under 15 make up 17% of residents.
47.1median age
FordenPowysWales
Ages · share of residents
24%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar20%
Degree level37%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Forden | Powys | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 9.4% | 9.5% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 21% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 24% | 27% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 20% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 6.2% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 30% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Powys and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Powis Castle and 4 more in and around Forden
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Forden. Best known first.
Castle · National TrustPowis Castle4.3 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumPowysland Museum4.8 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseum · National TrustClive Museum4.3 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionGlansevern Hall Gardens4.7 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionThe Naissance Experience4.8 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Powis Castle: Alexander Forst-Rakoczy, CC BY-SA 2.0 at, Wikimedia Commons
- Powysland Museum: John Firth, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Forden
13pages on Forden
The big questions
Safety6.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £243K · rent £621 a monthHousing13 sold in 12 months · busiest street Waterloo FieldsSchoolsHealthWork & commute42% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.4% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Forden’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WelshpoolGuilsfieldMinsterleyPontesburyBishop's CastleFour CrossesNewtownForden
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forden | 787 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Welshpool | 5,460 | 3.3 | C− | A− | D− | D |
| Guilsfield | 1,160 | 5.8 | — | B | A | B+ |
| Minsterley | 1,719 | 8.5 | — | A− | C+ | C+ |
| Pontesbury | 1,968 | 10 | — | C+ | B− | B− |
| Bishop's Castle | 1,847 | 10 | — | B− | C+ | B− |
| Four Crosses | 1,469 | 10 | — | B− | A+ | B+ |
| Newtown | 10,882 | 11 | C− | A− | D− | D |
Guilsfield, Minsterley, Pontesbury, Bishop's Castle and Four Crosses have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Forden
How much is council tax in Forden?
Band D council tax in Forden 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.
Is Forden expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £243,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £162,250, semi-detached houses £178,500 and detached houses £275,000. Private rents in the Powys council area averaged £621 a month in August 2026.
About Forden
Village in Powys, Wales
Forden is a built-up area of 787 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
- 787 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Powys
- County
- Powys
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000209
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.