Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 8,973 people live in this town, in Shropshire, West Midlands. 12% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
An even record, with no subject far from the norm. Jobs & income is its strong suit (B+): the mean household earns £60,835 a year. It also does well on schools: primary results beat 90% of towns in England; secondary results beat 34% of towns in England. Homes sell for a median £262,250, about 5.2 years of what households in the Shropshire council area earn. All told, that adds up to a B+ overall, better than just over two thirds of UK towns. In the ranking it comes #4 of 19 in Shropshire. Its other grades sit near the middle: C+ for safety, B− for health, C+ for walkability and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: income and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency.
The 3 things Shifnal 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 Shifnal is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 48 buildings inside Shifnal’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Shifnal. Best known first.
MuseumRAF Museum Midlands3.5 km outside town, to the southeastTheme parkTheme parkWonderland4 km outside town, to the westZooZooExotic Zoo Wildlife Park4.2 km outside town, to the westHistoric siteHistoric siteBAC VC10 C.1K3.5 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric siteHistoric siteBristol Britannia 3123.4 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric siteHistoric siteConsolidated PBY-6A Catalina3.2 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Shifnal.
GCSE results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: 40% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 44. Its three schools are listed below. At the town’s 2 primary schools, 71% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 398 | B+ |
| Idsall SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,172 | C |
| Shifnal Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 379 | A− |
68% of households own their home, higher than both Shropshire’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £823 a month across the Shropshire council area. From September 2023 to August 2026, 402 homes sold inside Shifnal’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £262,250.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £380,000 | 149 |
| Semi-detached | £250,000 | 139 |
| Terraced | £217,500 | 82 |
| Flat or maisonette | £129,250 | 32 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences made up 54% of the total. Each year, 27.9 violent crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents. 502 crimes and 39 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Shifnal’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026.
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 Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 33% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
86% of commuters drove, higher than both Shropshire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (70%). Shifnal counts 0.4 jobs per working resident. Work in town: just over a tenth of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
At the top of the list, 1 are Grade I and 2 Grade II*. Shifnal’s listed buildings include the Church of St Andrew, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 11% of the total, lower than both Shropshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
4.2% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below both Shropshire’s towns (5.7%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Self-reported good health: 84% of Shifnal’s residents. The nearest A&E to Shifnal is The Princess Royal Hospital, 6.6 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 52% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Shifnal | Shropshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.2% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · 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 and early deaths.
At 41.9, the median resident of Shifnal sits in the middle of the age range. Degrees are held by 36% of adults. Over-65s are 20% of the population.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Shifnal | Shropshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.2% | 5.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Shropshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
48 listed buildings in Shifnal, 1 of them Grade I.
The Idsall Rooms, Park House Hotel: Photo: Shropman · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Aston Hall: Photo: Philip Halling · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Lloyd's Bank: Photo: Richard Law · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Uplands: Photo: Richard Law · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
8 notable people were born in Shifnal.
Peter Baker: Pvt pauline, CC BY-SA 3.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shifnal | 8,973 | — | B+ | B | C+ | B− |
| Albrighton | 6,983 | 4 | A | B− | A | B+ |
| Telford | 156,890 | 4.2 | C | A− | D | D |
| Broseley | 5,596 | 6.1 | C+ | B | B− | B− |
| Wheaton Aston | 1,995 | 6.9 | — | B | B | B+ |
| Newport | 14,191 | 6.9 | A− | B+ | B− | B− |
| Pattingham | 1,773 | 7.2 | — | B− | B+ | B+ |
| Edgmond | 1,560 | 8 | — | C+ | A | B+ |
Wheaton Aston, Pattingham and Edgmond have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Andrew.
About the middle for its size: 60% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, it grades C+.
Band D council tax in Shifnal is £2,581 for 2026–27, more than in 82% 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.
Town in Shropshire, England
Shifnal is a built-up area of 8,973 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.