Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
15% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. A town in Somerset, South West, home to 3,180 people.
North Petherton ranks #33 of 49 in Somerset, with a C− overall. Set against the rest, it does better than 22% of UK towns. Its lowest grade is for safety (C−): 44.8 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 9.4 home and vehicle crimes. Against UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, it has more crime per resident than 86%. Hazard risk is weaker too — 5.5% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. At a median £275,496, a home costs 5.6 times the yearly income of households in the Sedgemoor council area. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for health, B− for jobs & income and B− for walkability.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021.
ONS publishes one rent for all of Somerset, so this town's Cost Grade uses house prices and council tax only.
The 3 things North Petherton 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 North Petherton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 22 buildings inside North Petherton’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
15% 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 North Petherton.
The 15-to-24 age group makes up nearly one in ten residents. The median resident of North Petherton is 50.5 years old. 27% of adults hold a degree, below both Somerset’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (34%).
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| North Petherton | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.1% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Its only school is listed below. 59% of pupils at the 4 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: 45% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 43.6.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Petherton Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 409 | B+ |
North Petherton logged 316 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 67 complaints of anti-social conduct. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 14.8 reports per 1,000, above Somerset’s towns (7.2) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. 55% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
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.
73% of households own their home, above both Somerset’s towns (67%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,016 a month across the Somerset council area. Half of the 212 standard sales inside North Petherton’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £275,496.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £346,000 | 78 |
| Semi-detached | £270,000 | 67 |
| Terraced | £224,500 | 58 |
| Flat or maisonette | £101,500 | 9 |
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.
North Petherton’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. Before 1919: that is when 15% of homes were built. It has one scheduled monument.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest A&E to North Petherton is Musgrove Park Hospital, 7.2 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; three quarters of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Disability touches 19% of the town’s population.
| Census 2021 | North Petherton | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 21% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
21% of workers worked mainly from home, lower than both Somerset’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (31%). For 32% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Work in town: 8% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near North Petherton. Best known first.
MuseumThe Admiral Blake Museum3.3 km outside town, to the north
MuseumSomerset Brick and Tile Museum3.6 km outside town, to the north
MuseumWestonzoyland Pumping Station Museum4.2 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumBrick & Tile Museum4.1 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Petherton | 3,180 | — | C− | C | C− | C+ |
| Bridgwater | 47,846 | 2.4 | D− | C+ | D− | C− |
| Wembdon | 1,772 | 3 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Westonzoyland | 1,463 | 3.8 | — | B− | B+ | B |
| Monkton Heathfield | 4,584 | 4.4 | C+ | B− | C− | B+ |
| Creech St Michael | 2,327 | 4.7 | — | C | B− | B+ |
| Cannington | 2,315 | 4.7 | — | C | B+ | B |
| North Curry | 1,057 | 5.1 | — | D | A+ | A− |
Wembdon, Westonzoyland, Creech St Michael, Cannington and North Curry have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Somerset, England
North Petherton is a built-up area of 3,180 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.