Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,366 in Somerset, South West.
Highbridge grades D− overall against UK towns: behind almost every UK town. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): 21% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is safety (D−): 82.7 violent and sexual offences and 18 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 1%. The median home sold for £250,000 in the last three years, 5 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.
The 3 things Highbridge 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 Highbridge is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 10 buildings inside Highbridge’s built-up area, and 1 scheduled monument.
19% 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 Highbridge.
Highbridge sits below both Somerset’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (34%) on this measure. Under-15s account for 18% of the population. Half the people of Highbridge are older than 42.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Highbridge | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.1% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 19% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Churchfield Church SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 411 | D− |
Violent crime ran at 82.7 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Somerset’s towns (27) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 697 crimes inside Highbridge’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 127 reports of anti-social behaviour. For its size, Highbridge records more crime per resident than 99% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
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
That puts Highbridge above both Somerset’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). Highbridge has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.4 miles away. 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.
| Census 2021 | Highbridge | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 75% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.1% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 25% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 16% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
On this, Highbridge is above both Somerset’s towns (2.1%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Household income averages £41K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
In the comparison, Highbridge comes above both Somerset’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). 52% of households own their home.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £311,000 | 68 |
| Semi-detached | £264,997 | 146 |
| Terraced | £224,500 | 113 |
| Flat or maisonette | £118,750 | 48 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Highbridge has 10 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 19% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highbridge | 5,366 | — | D− | C+ | D− | D |
| Burnham-on-Sea | 16,317 | 1.2 | D | C | C− | C− |
| Puriton | 2,265 | 3.7 | — | C+ | B+ | B |
| Berrow and Brean | 2,252 | 4.1 | — | D | C− | C+ |
| Woolavington | 2,324 | 4.2 | — | C | C− | B− |
| Cannington | 2,315 | 6.2 | — | C | B+ | B |
| Wembdon | 1,772 | 6.4 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Bridgwater | 47,846 | 6.8 | D− | C+ | D− | C− |
Puriton, Berrow and Brean, Woolavington, Cannington and Wembdon have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Police recorded 697 crimes inside Highbridge’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 55% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
At the 2021 Census, 11% of Highbridge’s 5,366 residents were 15 to 24 and 21% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Somerset council.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Somerset, England
Highbridge is a built-up area of 5,366 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
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.