Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 3,096 people live in this town, in Somerset, South West. 13% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
South Petherton grades C overall, better than 28% of UK towns. Its place in the ranking is #28 of 49 in Somerset. Where it falls short is cost of living — a typical home costs £340,000 and rent runs £1,016 a month. It also trails on jobs & income — households earn a mean £54,285 a year, and 3% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Pupils here do better than most: primary results beat 63% of towns in England. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B for health and B− for walkability.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · income 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 South 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 South Petherton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 64 buildings inside South Petherton’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
24% 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 South Petherton.
At 53.5, the median resident of South Petherton sits in the middle of the age range. People aged 15 to 24 make up 7.3% of the town, below both Somerset’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). 33% of residents 16 and over have a degree-level qualification (Somerset 32%, England 34%).
54% women, 46% men
About 84 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.
| South Petherton | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 35% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.1% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Key Stage 2 results at the 4 primary schools within 3 km: 64% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). South Petherton’s two primaries have 258 pupils between them.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Petherton Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 156 | A− |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of South Petherton’s 64 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, Grade I counts 1 and Grade II* 4. Its listed buildings include the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Grade I. Conservation areas cover a quarter of the town’s land, higher than both Somerset’s towns (8%) and England’s towns (7%). Nearly a quarter of homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Half of the 130 standard sales inside South Petherton’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £340,000. Two thirds of households own their home, about level with Somerset’s towns (67%) and above England’s towns (61%). Social housing holds 18% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £497,500 | 54 |
| Semi-detached | £240,000 | 35 |
| Terraced | £265,000 | 35 |
| Flat or maisonette | £166,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
There were 13.8 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both Somerset’s towns (7.2) and England’s towns (7.8). The 12 months to August 2026 brought 193 recorded crimes inside South Petherton’s built-up area, and 63 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 52% of recorded crime. For its size, South Petherton records more crime per resident than 70% 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 · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
The nearest A&E to South Petherton is Yeovil District Hospital, 7.6 miles away. 78% of people in South Petherton rate their own health good or very good. At the census, 6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above both Somerset’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 4.7 miles away.
| Census 2021 | South Petherton | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · 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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
85% of commuters drove, higher than both Somerset’s towns (76%) and England’s towns (70%). South Petherton counts 0.6 jobs per working resident. Work in town: 15% 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 South Petherton. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustBarrington Court2.9 km outside town, to the west
Historic house · National TrustTreasurer's House2.5 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic house · National TrustStoke sub Hamdon Priory3.3 km outside town, to the eastGardenGardenEast Lambrook Manor Gardens1.3 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
64 listed buildings in South Petherton, 1 of them Grade I.
No 3 (Hayes End Manor) No 5 and No 7: Photo: Stevekeiretsu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Under Sheriff's Office: Photo: Derek Harper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Brewers' Arms: Photo: Stevekeiretsu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Palmer Street Farmhouse: Photo: Derek Harper · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Petherton | 3,096 | — | C | D | C | B |
| Martock | 4,079 | 2.5 | C | B− | C | C+ |
| Stoke sub Hamdon | 1,360 | 2.5 | — | C+ | C | B |
| Merriott | 2,068 | 2.8 | — | B− | A | B |
| Crewkerne | 7,067 | 4.6 | C | B− | C | C+ |
| Ilminster | 5,961 | 5 | C | B− | B− | B− |
| Misterton | 1,037 | 5.5 | — | B | B− | B− |
| Curry Rivel | 2,009 | 5.9 | — | C− | B− | B |
Stoke sub Hamdon, Merriott, Misterton and Curry Rivel have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 8.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Peter and St Paul.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Somerset, England
South Petherton is a built-up area of 3,096 people, in the South 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.