Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 3,451 people, lies in Somerset, South West. Mortgage-free owners make up 43% of households.
Natural hazards are few (A). With a B− overall, Castle Cary is better than 51% of UK towns and ranks #17 of 49 in Somerset. People here tend to be in good health: life expectancy 80.1 for men, 85.1 for women. Police record more crime here than in most towns: 38.6 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 14.1 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 15%. Homes sell for a median £280,000, about 5.4 years of what households in the South Somerset council area earn.
Figures: flood risk, Environment Agency · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
ONS publishes one rent for all of Somerset, so this town's Cost Grade uses house prices and council tax only.
The 3 things Castle Cary 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 Castle Cary is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 100 buildings inside Castle Cary’s built-up area, 7 of them Grade II*, and 2 scheduled monuments.
21% 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 Castle Cary.
Children under 15 make up 13%, below Somerset’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%) alike; what’s more, people aged 15 to 24 make up 9.3% of the town. Typical age in Castle Cary: 51.9, the median. Graduates make up 31% of adults.
54% women, 46% men
About 86 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.
| Castle Cary | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 32% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Its two schools are listed below. Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 44.9, with 42% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Some 646 pupils attend Castle Cary’s one primary and one secondary.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Cary Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 177 | B+ |
| Ansford AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 469 | C+ |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 7 of them. Just over a fifth of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Somerset’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (16%). The national list protects 2 ancient monuments in Castle Cary.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Violence and sexual offences were nearly three fifths of the crimes. 208 crimes and 27 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Castle Cary’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 9.7 reports per 1,000, higher than both Somerset’s towns (7.2) and England’s towns (7.8).
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 26% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
18% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, below Somerset’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (27%) alike. Unemployment benefit claims reached 2.7% of 16 to 64s in 2026. Of the commuters living in Castle Cary, 25% work in the town itself. The town counts 0.9 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
A disability affects 21% of people in Castle Cary. One GP practice serves the town; 95% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Castle Cary is Yeovil District Hospital, 11.4 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Castle Cary | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.7% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Renting privately is how 18% of households live. Private rents average £1,016 a month across the Somerset council area. 17% live in social housing, about level with England’s towns (18%) and above Somerset’s towns (14%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £469,000 | 47 |
| Semi-detached | £285,000 | 41 |
| Terraced | £240,000 | 64 |
| Flat or maisonette | £147,916 | 15 |
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 Castle Cary. Best known first.
MuseumMarket housein town
MuseumBruton Museum4 km outside town, to the northeastHistoric siteHistoric siteThe Roundhousein townMuseumMuseumRoman Villa Museum2.7 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumVilla Ventorum2.6 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
100 listed buildings in Castle Cary.
A motte with two baileys immediately north of Park Pond: Photo: Graham Horn · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Market House: Photo: Trish Steel · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Waggon and Horses Inn: Photo: Roger Cornfoot · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ansford Lodge: Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.0
6 notable people were born in Castle Cary.
James Woodforde: Samuel Woodforde, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Cary | 3,451 | — | B− | C+ | C− | B+ |
| Bruton | 2,816 | 3 | B | C | C+ | A− |
| Evercreech | 2,165 | 4 | — | B | B− | B− |
| Wincanton | 6,744 | 5.2 | C− | C+ | C− | B− |
| Keinton Mandeville | 1,216 | 5.7 | — | D | A+ | B+ |
| Pilton | 1,104 | 6 | — | D | C+ | A+ |
| Shepton Mallet | 9,645 | 7 | C− | B | C− | C+ |
| Templecombe | 1,657 | 7.8 | — | C+ | C+ | B+ |
Evercreech, Keinton Mandeville, Pilton and Templecombe have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
100 on Historic England’s list, 7 of them Grade II*. That is 11.9 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
Town in Somerset, England
Castle Cary is a built-up area of 3,451 people, in the South 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.