Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
1,249 people call this village in Somerset, South West home.
Health is a strength (A+): life expectancy is 85.9 for men and 89.1 for women. It is a safe place by the numbers: police record 8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 5.1 home and vehicle crimes. Where it falls short is cost of living — a typical home costs £590,000 and rent runs £1,885 a month. Hazard risk is weaker too — 7% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency. With fewer than 2,500 residents, Chew Magna has subject grades but no overall one.
The 3 things Chew Magna 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 Chew Magna is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Chew Magna’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
38% 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 Chew Magna.
At the census, 86% of people in Chew Magna called their health good or very good, above both Somerset’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%). There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 0.9 miles off. Also worth knowing: 3.5% of residents report bad or very bad health. The nearest A&E to Chew Magna is UHBW Bristol Campus, 6.5 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Chew Magna | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Key Stage 2 results at the 3 primary schools within 3 km: just over three in five pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its only school is listed below. GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: 47% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 48.1.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chew Magna Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 100 | C− |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list names 43 listed buildings in Chew Magna: 1 Grade I, 4 Grade II*. The town’s listed buildings include the Church of St Andrew, Grade I. Conservation areas cover 69% of the town’s land, higher than both Somerset’s towns (8%) and England’s towns (7%). Before 1919: that is when 38% of homes were built.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
For its size, Chew Magna records less crime per resident than 92% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people. A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 46 offences in Chew Magna and 9 cases of nuisance behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 20% of the crimes. There were 3.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Somerset’s towns (7.3) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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.
Social housing holds 4% of households. 15% rent privately, below Somerset’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Half of the 51 standard sales inside Chew Magna’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £590,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £837,475 | 22 |
| Semi-detached | £453,750 | 10 |
| Terraced | £400,000 | 15 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 50% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
One in ten commuters left the car at home at the census, walking, cycling or taking public transport. Working mainly from home: half of workers, above Somerset’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. Driving is how 87% of commuters got to work at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Chew Magna has a median age of 51.7. The 15-to-24 age group: 7.5%, below both Somerset’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Those 65 and older account for 31% of residents.
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.
| Chew Magna | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.2% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 50% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chew Magna | 1,249 | — | — | D | A+ | A+ |
| Bishop Sutton | 1,424 | 2.3 | — | D | A | A+ |
| Whitchurch | 1,992 | 3.7 | — | D | C | B− |
| Clutton | 1,630 | 4 | — | C− | C+ | B |
| Temple Cloud | 1,518 | 4.4 | — | C− | B+ | B− |
| Long Ashton | 5,184 | 5 | A− | D | B− | A+ |
| Blagdon | 1,056 | 5.3 | — | D | A− | A |
| High Littleton | 1,655 | 5.3 | — | C− | B− | B |
Bishop Sutton, Whitchurch, Clutton, Temple Cloud, Blagdon and High Littleton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £590,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £400,000, semi-detached houses £453,750 and detached houses £837,475.
That is 14.1 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Andrew. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Village in Somerset, England
Chew Magna is a built-up area of 1,249 people, in the Bath and North East 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.