Knowbury’s story
Old homes in Knowbury: 43% built before 1919
43% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
KnowburyShropshire
316 people live in this village in Shropshire, West Midlands.
6 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: DI Wyman · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
316
Census 2021 · Shropshire council
Median home
£424K
15 sales in 3 years
Median age
55
31% are 65+ · Shropshire 21%
Degree level
38%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
2%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Knowbury a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Knowbury has none; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 2% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Pre-1919 homes make up 43% of the housing. 31% of residents are 65 or over.
What makes Knowbury stand out
The 3 things Knowbury does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
2% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
31% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Knowbury.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Knowbury than in Shropshire’s towns or England’s towns: 13% are under 15
7.9% of residents are 15 to 24, below both Shropshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Knowbury has a median age of 55 years. Among adults, 38% have a degree.
55median age
KnowburyShropshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level38%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Knowbury | Shropshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 5.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Shropshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Under 5 km to work: 6% in Knowbury, fewer than in Shropshire’s towns and across England’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.
Household income came to £46K a year before tax, below Shropshire’s towns (£50K) and England’s towns (£55K) alike. Driving is how 93% of commuters got to work at the census. What’s more, 42% of workers did their job mainly from home at the census.
2%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving93%
Train2%
6%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
42%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£46K
mean household income, before tax
2.5%
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
Most households in Knowbury own their home: 86%, more than in Shropshire’s towns and across England’s towns
7% of households live in social housing. Private renters make up 4% of households, below both Shropshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). 15 standard sales inside Knowbury’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £423,590.
£424Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Knowbury£424K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £465,000 | 12 |
86%
of households own their home · England 61%
4%
rent privately · England 21%
£823
average private rent a month, Shropshire council area
£2,444
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
Homes in Knowbury see less burglary and damage than in Shropshire’s towns or England’s towns: 2.1 per 1,000 a year
Violence comes to 5.3 per 1,000 residents a year. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 1 crimes inside Knowbury’s built-up area.
5.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Other theft1
Violence & sexual0
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Burglary0
Drugs0
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.
5.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.1
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)
1
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
Bad health is more common in Knowbury than in Shropshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 8.1% of residents
At the census, 78% of people in Knowbury called their health good or very good, lower than both Shropshire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%). Disability touches just over a fifth of the town’s population. Also worth knowing: the nearest A&E to Knowbury is The County Hospital, 21.7 miles away.
78%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 8%
| Census 2021 | Knowbury | Shropshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.1% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 19% | 17% |
80.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
No listed buildings in Knowbury
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Knowbury’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
43%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Knowbury
12pages on Knowbury
The big questions
Safety5.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £424K · rent £823 a monthHousing3 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 80.4 (men), 86.2 (women)Work & commute53% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Knowbury’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LudlowTenbury WellsCleobury MortimerCraven ArmsLeominsterHighleyKnowbury
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knowbury | 316 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ludlow | 10,037 | 3.7 | C | B+ | C | C+ |
| Tenbury Wells | 3,936 | 4.3 | B | B+ | C | B+ |
| Cleobury Mortimer | 2,963 | 6 | B− | B+ | B | B+ |
| Craven Arms | 2,563 | 10 | C+ | A− | C− | B− |
| Leominster | 11,206 | 11 | C− | B+ | D | C− |
| Highley | 3,305 | 11 | C+ | A | C+ | B− |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Knowbury
Is Knowbury expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £423,590, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. Private rents in the Shropshire council area averaged £823 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Knowbury?
Band D council tax in Knowbury is £2,444 for 2026–27, more than in 50% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Knowbury
Village in Shropshire, England
Knowbury is a built-up area of 316 people, in the Shropshire 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
- 316 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Shropshire
- County
- Shropshire
- Region
- West Midlands
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003094
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.