Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Over-65s are 38% of the population. Population 1,766: a village in Shropshire, West Midlands.
Much Wenlock’s strongest subject is walkability: on the way to work, 21% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Schools are its weak spot: primary results beat 18% of towns in England; secondary results beat 4% of towns in England. Homes sell for a median £292,000, about 5.8 years of what households in the Shropshire council area earn. Hazard risk is weaker too: 5.6% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS · flood risk, Environment Agency. With fewer than 2,500 residents, Much Wenlock has subject grades but no overall one.
The 3 things Much Wenlock does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Much Wenlock is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Much Wenlock’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
30% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Much Wenlock.
Graduates make up 35% of adults. 13% are under 15, lower than both Shropshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 6.7% of residents. Much Wenlock has a median age of 56.6 years.
54% women, 46% men
About 84 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Much Wenlock | Shropshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 38% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.4% | 5.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 35% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Shropshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
30% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Shropshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (16%). Much Wenlock’s listed buildings include the Church of Holy Trinity, Grade I. It has 87 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 3 Grade I, 5 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
76% of commuters drove, below Shropshire’s towns (80%) but above England’s towns (70%). For every resident in work, Much Wenlock has 0.8 jobs. Of the commuters living here, 16% work in the town itself.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Violence and sexual offences were 30% of the crimes. Police recorded 148 crimes inside Much Wenlock’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 12 reports of anti-social behaviour. For its size, Much Wenlock records more crime per resident than just over four fifths of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people.
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.
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.
The nearest A&E to Much Wenlock is The Princess Royal Hospital, 8.3 miles away. 5.6% of residents report bad or very bad health.
| Census 2021 | Much Wenlock | Shropshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.6% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Private renters make up 15% of households, lower than both Shropshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). The median sale, £292,000, comes from 71 standard sales inside Much Wenlock’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026. The owner-occupied share of households is 63%.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £392,500 | 28 |
| Semi-detached | £268,500 | 17 |
| Terraced | £275,000 | 21 |
| Flat or maisonette | £166,500 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Much Wenlock. Best known first.
MuseumMuch Wenlock Museumin town
Abbey or priory · English HeritageWenlock Priory100 m outside town, to the northeast
Abbey or priory · English HeritageBuildwas Abbey3.8 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic house · National TrustBenthall Hall3.8 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumBroseley Pipeworks4.9 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
8 notable people were born in Much Wenlock.
Mary Beard: UC3M (youtube), CC BY 3.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Much Wenlock | 1,766 | — | — | B− | C+ | B |
| Broseley | 5,596 | 3.5 | C+ | B | B− | B− |
| Bridgnorth | 12,172 | 7 | B− | B | C+ | B− |
| Telford | 156,890 | 7.2 | C | A− | D | D |
| Shifnal | 8,973 | 9.5 | B+ | B | C+ | B− |
| Bayston Hill | 5,221 | 10 | A | B | A+ | B |
| Church Stretton | 3,576 | 11 | B+ | C | B+ | A− |
| Shrewsbury | 76,013 | 11 | C+ | B | C− | C |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 20.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Priory House. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
Places are handled by Shropshire council.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Village in Shropshire, England
Much Wenlock is a built-up area of 1,766 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
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.