Cheddar grades C overall against UK towns: better than 27% of UK towns, and #31 of 49 in Somerset. Its strongest subject is health (B+): life expectancy 81.5 for men, 84.9 for women. Its weakest is hazard risk (D): 7% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. The median home sold for £344,500 in the last three years, 7 times what households in the Sedgemoor council area earn in a year.
ONS publishes one rent for all of Somerset, so this town's Cost Grade uses house prices and council tax only.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Cheddar is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cheddar.
HousingCost of living grade D
Few households rent privately in Cheddar: 13%, fewer than in Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
Owners make up 73% of households, above Somerset’s towns (67%) and England’s towns (61%) alike. Just over one in ten households rent from a council or housing body. Private rents average £1,016 a month across the Somerset council area.
£345Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Cheddar£345K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£455,000
150
Semi-detached
£321,000
106
Terraced
£255,000
62
Flat or maisonette
£148,500
34
73%
of households own their home · England 61%
13%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,016
average private rent a month, Somerset council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
SchoolsC
Cheddar’s schools fall behind 69% of towns in England on results
Of its 3 schools, two are shown below, each with the reason. Key Stage 2 results at the one primary school within 3 km: half of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 47.2, with 48% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 3 schools →
Who lives here
An older town: 27% of people in Cheddar are 65 or over, more than in Somerset’s towns or England’s towns
Children under 15 count for 15% of the people here. Nearly one in ten residents are 15 to 24, below both Somerset’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). At 49.1, the median resident of Cheddar sits in the middle of the age range.
49.1median age
CheddarSomersetEngland
Ages · share of residents
27%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level34%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
History
Cheddar has 35 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Cheddar’s listed buildings include the Church of St Andrew, Grade I. At the top of the list, 1 are Grade I and 2 Grade II*. It has 60 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, below Somerset’s towns (94) but above England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
82% of residents say their health is good or very good
One GP practice serves the town; 84% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Cheddar is Weston General Hospital, 8.8 miles away. Women here live to 84.9 on average and men to 81.5 (2019–23).
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Cheddar than in Somerset’s towns or England’s towns: 17%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took four in five commuters, above both Somerset’s towns (76%) and England’s towns (70%). Just over a third of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. About 24% of its commuters stay in Cheddar for work. Before tax, the average household brings in £58K a year.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Homes in Cheddar see more burglary and damage than in Somerset’s towns or England’s towns: 12 per 1,000 a year
Violent crime ran at 28.4 per 1,000 residents a year, close to Somerset’s towns (27) and above England’s towns (22). Reported offences in Cheddar came to 332 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 83. Violence and sexual offences made up half of the total.
28.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearCSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 33% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual167
Other theft32
Damage & arson30
Public order30
Vehicle crime25
Burglary24
Drugs7
Shoplifting6
Anti-social83
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.
28.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
Nearby attractions
Gough's Cave and 6 more in and around Cheddar
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Cheddar. Best known first.
Axbridge, Draycott, Shipham, Wedmore, Churchill and Blagdon have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Cheddar
How many listed buildings are there in Cheddar?
That is 2.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Andrew. It also has 5 scheduled monuments.
Does Cheddar flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Are schools in Cheddar good?
GCSE results beat 60% of towns in England, and primary results trail 92% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Cheddar has 3 state schools; places are handled by Somerset council.
About Cheddar
Town in Somerset, England
Cheddar is a built-up area of 5,841 people, in the Sedgemoor 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
Population
5,841 (Census 2021)
Council
Sedgemoor
County
Somerset
Region
South West
Area
1 sq mi (2.5 km²)
ONS code
E63005507
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.
