Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 766 in Somerset, South West.
Rode has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Rode does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 82 buildings inside Rode’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
37% 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 Rode.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 45% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For Rode, that is below both Somerset’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%). At the census, 13% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rode Methodist VC First SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 75 | – |
Rode sits above both Somerset’s towns (67%) and England’s towns (61%) on this measure. 5% of households live in social housing.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £538,250 | 12 |
| Semi-detached | £346,000 | 14 |
| Terraced | £422,000 | 11 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
That puts Rode below both Somerset’s towns (27.2) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 23 crimes inside Rode’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 4 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 48% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
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
On this, Rode is below both Somerset’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Rode has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.2 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 | Rode | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
In the comparison, Rode comes above both Somerset’s towns (91) and England’s towns (39). Rode’s listed buildings include Church of St Lawrence, Grade I. Rode has 82 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 6 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Children under 15 make up 14%, below both Somerset’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). People aged 15 to 24 make up 8% of the town. Half the people of Rode are older than 52.2.
55% women, 45% men
About 82 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.
| Rode | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 36% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 6.9% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.5% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 48% | 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 Rode. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageFarleigh Hungerford Castle3.2 km outside town, to the north
Museum · National TrustWestwood Manor4.7 km outside town, to the north
Historic houseIford Manor4.5 km outside town, to the northZooZooHope Nature Centre3.3 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionJetEx Simulation3.9 km outside town, to the southCastleCastleBeckington Castle2 km outside town, to the southPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rode | 766 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Beckington | 1,001 | 1.1 | — | D | B | A |
| Norton St Philip | 1,004 | 2.2 | — | D | A | A |
| Southwick | 1,856 | 2.4 | — | A | B− | A− |
| Westwood | 1,001 | 3.4 | — | C+ | A+ | A+ |
| North Bradley | 1,555 | 3.4 | — | A− | A | A− |
| Dilton Marsh | 1,958 | 3.7 | — | A− | B+ | B+ |
| Frome | 27,904 | 4 | D | C− | C− | B− |
Beckington, Norton St Philip, Southwick, Westwood, North Bradley and Dilton Marsh have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 43.9 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Lawrence. 37% of Rode’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £400,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £422,000, semi-detached houses £346,000 and detached houses £538,250. Private rents in the Somerset council area averaged £1,016 a month in August 2026.
Village in Somerset, England
Rode is a built-up area of 766 people, in the Mendip 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.