#1City of London
London · 7,820 peopleBetter than almost every UK town·#1 of 33 in London
City of London, #1 on this list · Photo: Bartolo Creations · CC BY-SA 2.0England and Wales · Civic life
Towns with the most civic life in England and Wales
City of London, London, ranks first on civic life among 2,156 towns and cities of 2,500+ in England and Wales; 659 of the 2,156 grade A− or better against UK towns.
The Civic life Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): local registered charities per 1,000 residents and the share living within 1 km of a public library. The county rank sits beside each letter. How grades work
#1A+
#2Ash (Dover)
Kent · 2,529 peopleBetter than almost every UK town·#1 of 87 in Kent
#3Wotton-under-Edge
Gloucestershire · 4,966 peopleBetter than almost every UK town·#1 of 48 in Gloucestershire
The top 100
Civic life grade, best first; towns with the same score share a rank (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each county rank links to that county’s list.
100 towns on this page. Counties with 15 or more towns have their own list.
#TownGrade · county rankCompared with UK towns
3Wotton-under-EdgeGloucestershire · 4,966 peopleA+#1 of 48 in Gloucestershirebetter than almost every UK town
7HaddenhamBuckinghamshire · 5,603 peopleA+#1 of 39 in Buckinghamshirebetter than almost every UK town
T11Long BuckbyNorthamptonshire · 3,821 peopleA+#1 of 31 in Northamptonshirebetter than 98% of UK towns
T15Great AytonNorth Yorkshire · 4,348 peopleA+#1 of 54 in North Yorkshirebetter than 98% of UK towns
T30MinchinhamptonGloucestershire · 3,412 peopleA+#2 of 48 in Gloucestershirebetter than 97% of UK towns
T34Upper PoppletonNorth Yorkshire · 3,520 peopleA+#2 of 54 in North Yorkshirebetter than 97% of UK towns
T42Kirton in LindseyLincolnshire · 3,066 peopleA+#1 of 61 in Lincolnshirebetter than 97% of UK towns
T61Chalfont St GilesBuckinghamshire · 4,707 peopleA+#4 of 39 in Buckinghamshirebetter than 96% of UK towns
T64WollastonNorthamptonshire · 3,564 peopleA+#3 of 31 in Northamptonshirebetter than 96% of UK towns
T86KirkbymoorsideNorth Yorkshire · 2,763 peopleA#7 of 54 in North Yorkshirebetter than 95% of UK towns
T92SwanlandEast Riding of Yorkshire · 3,965 peopleA#1 of 25 in East Riding of Yorkshirebetter than 95% of UK towns
T95Bourton-on-the-WaterGloucestershire · 4,177 peopleA#4 of 48 in Gloucestershirebetter than 95% of UK towns
Not ranked
Not on this list
22 military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked: most residents serve in the forces or are students. 359 towns have no civic life grade: missing figures this grade needs.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
Which town in England and Wales has the most civic life?
City of London, London ranks first on civic life among 2,156 towns, with an A+: better than almost every UK town. Ash (Dover), Kent and Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire follow.
How are these towns ranked?
The Civic life Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): local registered charities per 1,000 residents and the share living within 1 km of a public library. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. Every town of 2,500+ is ranked here; each county with 15 or more such towns has its own list, linked below.
County by county
Towns with the most civic life, county by county
BedfordshireBerkshireBuckinghamshireCambridgeshireCheshireClwydCornwallCounty DurhamCumbriaDerbyshireDevonDorsetDyfedEast Riding of YorkshireEast SussexEssexGloucestershireGreater ManchesterGwentHampshireHertfordshireKentLancashireLeicestershireLincolnshireLondonMerseysideMid GlamorganNorfolkNorth YorkshireNorthamptonshireNorthumberlandNottinghamshireOxfordshireShropshireSomersetSouth YorkshireStaffordshireSuffolkSurreyTyne and WearWarwickshireWest GlamorganWest MidlandsWest SussexWest YorkshireWiltshireWorcestershire
Sources: 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.