Chilton Polden’s story
8 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Chilton Polden’s built-up area.
20% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Chilton PoldenSomerset
673 people live in this village in Somerset, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Derek Harper · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
673
Census 2021 · Sedgemoor council
Median home
£318K
27 sales in 3 years
Median age
55.1
34% are 65+ · Somerset 23%
Degree level
36%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
4%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Chilton Polden a good place to live?
Chilton Polden is below the 1,000 residents fair grades need, but every figure on this page is real. 4% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 8, with 0 at Grade I. People aged 65 and over make up just over a third of residents.
What makes Chilton Polden stand out
The 3 things Chilton Polden does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
4% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 4.9 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
34% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Chilton Polden.
Who lives here
Chilton Polden skews older, with 34% of residents 65 or over, more than in both Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
55.1median age
Residents of Chilton Polden have a median age of 55.1. 12% are under 15, below Somerset’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 7.4% of the town.
Chilton PoldenSomersetEngland
Ages · share of residents
34%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level36%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 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.
| Chilton Polden | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.4% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 34% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.7% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Chilton Polden is a driving town: 94% of commuters go by car, above Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
4%walk, cycle or ride
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.
Short trips to work, under 5 km: 15%, below both Somerset’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%). Chilton Polden counts 0.3 jobs per working resident. 2% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving94%
Bicycle2%
On foot1%
Bus1%
15%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£54K
mean household income, before tax
2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Chilton Polden is a town of owners: 79% of households own their home, above Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
£318Kmedian sale
Private renters make up 8% of households, below Somerset’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Just over one in ten households live in social housing. The median sale, £317,500, comes from 27 standard sales inside Chilton Polden’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Chilton Polden£318K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £375,000 | 15 |
| Semi-detached | £292,475 | 10 |
79%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,016
average private rent a month, Somerset council area
£2,396
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Chilton Polden records more violent crime per resident than Somerset’s towns or England’s towns, at 47.1 per 1,000 a year
47.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Of all the crimes, 82% were violence and sexual offences. Over the year to August 2026, 33 offences were reported in Chilton Polden, along with 2 incidents of anti-social behaviour.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual27
Damage & arson2
Other theft1
Burglary1
Vehicle crime1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Anti-social2
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.
47.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
33
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
In Chilton Polden, 82% say their health is good or very good
82%good or very good health
The nearest A&E to Chilton Polden is Weston General Hospital, 12.2 miles away. The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 0.7 miles away. At the census, nearly a fifth of people here had a disability, near Somerset’s towns (18%) and higher than England’s towns (17%).
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Chilton Polden | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.5% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
81.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
History
More buildings in Chilton Polden are listed than in Somerset’s towns or England’s towns: 119 per 10,000 residents
8listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Before 1919: that is when 20% of homes were built.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II8
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
20%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
119
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Chilton Polden
12pages on Chilton Polden
The big questions
Safety47.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £318K · rent £1,016 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 months · busiest street BroadwaySchoolsHealthLife expectancy 81.2 (men), 85.2 (women)Work & commute45% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
About Chilton Polden
Village in Somerset, England
Chilton Polden is a built-up area of 673 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
- 673 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Sedgemoor
- County
- Somerset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005836
Chilton Polden’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WoolavingtonWestonzoylandPuritonBridgwaterWaltonWembdonHighbridgeChilton Polden
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilton Polden | 673 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Woolavington | 2,324 | 2.2 | — | C | C− | B− |
| Westonzoyland | 1,463 | 3.5 | — | B− | B+ | B |
| Puriton | 2,265 | 3.8 | — | C+ | B+ | B |
| Bridgwater | 47,846 | 5.1 | D− | C+ | D− | C− |
| Walton | 1,149 | 5.8 | — | C | A | B+ |
| Wembdon | 1,772 | 5.9 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Highbridge | 5,366 | 6 | D− | C+ | D− | D |
Woolavington, Westonzoyland, Puriton, Walton and Wembdon have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Chilton Polden
How many listed buildings are there in Chilton Polden?
That is 4.9 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Chilton Polden expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £317,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £292,475 and detached houses £375,000. Private rents in the Somerset council area averaged £1,016 a month in August 2026.
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.