Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In Shropshire, West Midlands, this village has 504 residents.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Norton in Hales is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. Its listed buildings number 4, with 0 at Grade I. 12% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. The median home sold for £470,000.
The 3 things Norton in Hales does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Norton in Hales’ built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
26% 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 Norton in Hales.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 43% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
0.9% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, lower than both Shropshire’s towns (2.4%) and England’s towns (2.3%). At the census, 86% of commuters went by car. Home was the main workplace for 43% of workers at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
At the 2 primary schools within 3 km, 44% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its one school is below. The town’s primary school has 75 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norton-in-Hales CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 75 | C− |
11% rent privately, below Shropshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Social renters account for 8% of households. Private rents average £823 a month across the Shropshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £530,000 | 23 |
| Semi-detached | £317,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 57% of recorded crime. Homes saw 7.9 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below both Shropshire’s towns (8.7) and England’s towns (9.4).
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.
There is no GP practice in Norton in Hales: the nearest is 3 miles off. Disability touches 15% of Norton in Hales’ population, and 4% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, lower than both Shropshire’s towns (5.7%) and England’s towns (5.2%). The nearest A&E to Norton in Hales is Royal Stoke University Hospital, 10.5 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Norton in Hales | Shropshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up just over a quarter of the total, above both Shropshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (16%). Norton in Hales has one scheduled monument. Relative to its size, Norton in Hales keeps 79 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
People 65 and over make up 25% of the town, above both Shropshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are 7.4% of the population. The median resident of Norton in Hales is 50.4 years old. Among adults, 38% have a degree.
52% women, 48% men
About 92 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.
| Norton in Hales | Shropshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.4% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.2% | 5.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Shropshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norton in Hales | 504 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Loggerheads | 2,523 | 2.9 | B | C | A− | B+ |
| Market Drayton | 12,062 | 3.5 | C+ | A− | C | C+ |
| Audlem | 1,833 | 4.1 | — | C | B+ | A− |
| Baldwin's Gate | 1,121 | 5.7 | — | C− | A | B+ |
| Madeley | 3,293 | 6.1 | B | A− | C+ | C+ |
| Shavington | 4,972 | 8.1 | B | B+ | B | B |
| Keele | 2,607 | 8.4 | B+ | C | B+ | C− |
Audlem and Baldwin's Gate have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 3.3 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
By type: semi-detached houses £317,500 and detached houses £530,000.
Band D council tax in Norton in Hales is £2,485 for 2026–27, more than in 60% 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.
Village in Shropshire, England
Norton in Hales is a built-up area of 504 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.