Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,347 in Somerset, South West.
Backwell grades A overall against UK towns: better than 92% of UK towns, and #1 of 49 in Somerset. Its strongest subject is health (A+): life expectancy 83.6 for men, 89.5 for women. Its weakest is cost of living (D): median sale £550,000, 9.8 years of area income; rent £1,209 a month.
The 3 things Backwell 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 Backwell is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 28 buildings inside Backwell’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
11% 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 Backwell.
Women here live to 89.5 on average and men to 83.6 (2019–23). 86% of Backwell’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above both Somerset’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%). Backwell has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.5 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Backwell | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Backwell School’s results beat 80% of schools in England like it. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backwell Church of England Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 230 | B |
| Backwell SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,595 | A− |
Backwell sits above both Somerset’s towns (67%) and England’s towns (61%) on this measure. 9% of households rent privately. Only one of the 49 towns in Somerset costs more to buy into than Backwell, whose median sale is £550,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £632,500 | 88 |
| Semi-detached | £472,500 | 60 |
| Terraced | £305,000 | 21 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
That puts Backwell below both Somerset’s towns (27.3) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 147 crimes inside Backwell’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 22 reports of anti-social behaviour. Burglary and damage come to 7.1 per 1,000 residents a year.
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 Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 49% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
On this, Backwell is below both Somerset’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%). 16% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
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.
Backwell has 28 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 11% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
In the comparison, Backwell comes above both Somerset’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (34%). Under-15s account for 20% of the population. Backwell has a median age of 46.7.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 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.
| Backwell | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.2% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 9.3% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.8% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 49% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Backwell. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustTyntesfield House2.2 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumOakham Treasures4.7 km outside town, to the northZooZooNoah's Ark Zoo Farm3.6 km outside town, to the northFortFort · National TrustCadbury Camp3.9 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionNorth Somerset Showground1.2 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
28 listed buildings in Backwell, 1 of them Grade I.
Combe Cottage: Photo: Edward · CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Grange: Photo: Edward Betts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Caroline Place: Photo: Derek Harper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Backwell House: Photo: Maypm · CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backwell | 4,347 | — | A | D | A− | A+ |
| Nailsea | 15,919 | 1.4 | A | C− | B | A− |
| Long Ashton | 5,184 | 3.5 | A− | D | B− | A+ |
| Yatton | 7,704 | 3.9 | B | C− | C+ | A− |
| Wrington | 1,997 | 3.9 | — | C− | B | A+ |
| Congresbury | 2,795 | 4.3 | B− | D | C | B+ |
| Portishead | 26,351 | 5 | A− | D | C+ | A |
| Clevedon | 21,084 | 5.1 | B+ | C | B− | B |
Wrington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Andrew. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £550,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £305,000, semi-detached houses £472,500 and detached houses £632,500.
Police recorded 147 crimes inside Backwell’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 46% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
GCSE results beat 77% of towns in England, and primary results beat 77% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Backwell has 3 state schools; places are handled by North Somerset council.
Town in Somerset, England
Backwell is a built-up area of 4,347 people, in the North Somerset 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.