Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In Somerset, South West, this large town has 26,351 residents.
Much to like here, and you pay for it. With an A− overall, Portishead is better than 78% of UK towns. In the ranking it comes #5 of 49 in Somerset. Schools are where it shines: primary results beat 91% of towns in England; secondary results beat 79% of towns in England. Jobs & income is another plus — the mean household earns £65,564 a year. Buying in is costly: homes sell for a median £382,500, about 6.8 times local household income. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for safety, B for walkability and B for hazard risk.
Figures: income, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency.
The 3 things Portishead 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 Portishead is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 35 buildings inside Portishead’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
7% 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 Portishead.
At the town’s 5 primary schools, 72% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Of its 7 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. Between them, six primaries and one secondary teach 4,152 pupils in Portishead.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 601 | A |
| Gordano SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 2,029 | B+ |
| High Down Junior SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 328 | A− |
16% rent privately, below both Somerset’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). Council and housing-body homes hold 8% of households. The median sale, £382,500, comes from 1,287 standard sales inside Portishead’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £513,750 | 388 |
| Semi-detached | £390,000 | 273 |
| Terraced | £385,000 | 249 |
| Flat or maisonette | £225,000 | 377 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
3.7% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, lower than both Somerset’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). The nearest A&E to Portishead is UHBW Bristol Campus, 7.8 miles away. 2 GP practices serve the town; just over four in five patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Self-reported good health: 85% of the town’s residents.
| Census 2021 | Portishead | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Portishead’s listed buildings include the Parish Church of St Peter, Grade I. Relative to its size, Portishead keeps 13 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Also worth knowing: homes from before 1919 make up 7% of the total, below Somerset’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (16%) alike.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 42% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 16% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below Somerset’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (27%) alike. The census counted 42% of workers working mainly from home. Of the commuters living in Portishead, 28% work in the town itself. 1.5% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 1,543 crimes and 291 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Portishead’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences made up 48% of the total. Among the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Portishead has less crime per resident than 71% of them. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 11.5 reports per 1,000, above both Somerset’s towns (7.2) and England’s towns (7.8).
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.
The 15-to-24 age group: 8.6%, below both Somerset’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Under-15s account for 18% of the population. Line up the people of Portishead by age and the one in the middle is 45.2. People 65 and over make up 23% of the town.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 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.
| Portishead | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.3% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Portishead. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustTyntesfield House5 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic house · National TrustClevedon Court3.7 km outside town, to the southwest
PierClevedon Pier4.7 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumOakham Treasures2.8 km outside town, to the southeastZooZooNoah's Ark Zoo Farm2.4 km outside town, to the southeastFortFort · National TrustCadbury Camp2.4 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
35 listed buildings in Portishead, 1 of them Grade I.
Royal Hotel: Photo: ArticCynda · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chapel at Portishead National Nautical School: Photo: David Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Portishead House: Photo: Mike Faherty · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph · Guidestone at Junction of Clapton Lane and Clevedon Road: Photo: Milestone Society · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portishead | 26,351 | — | A− | D | C+ | A |
| Avonmouth | 2,643 | 3.5 | D | C | D− | D |
| Pill | 4,956 | 3.7 | C+ | C− | C− | A |
| Nailsea | 15,919 | 3.7 | A | C− | B | A− |
| Clevedon | 21,084 | 4.8 | B+ | C | B− | B |
| Backwell | 4,347 | 5 | A | D | A− | A+ |
| Long Ashton | 5,184 | 5.9 | A− | D | B− | A+ |
| Yatton | 7,704 | 6.8 | B | C− | C+ | A− |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results beat 79% of towns in England, and primary results beat 91% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C+.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £382,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £225,000, terraced houses £385,000, semi-detached houses £390,000 and detached houses £513,750.
Large town in Somerset, England
Portishead is a built-up area of 26,351 people, in the North 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.