Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 12,097 in Somerset, South West.
Wells grades D overall against UK towns: better than 14% of UK towns, and #39 of 49 in Somerset. Its strongest subject is walkability (A): 26% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is hazard risk (D): 7% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. The median home sold for £319,995 in the last three years, 6 times what households in the Mendip 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 Wells does most differently from other towns.
American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 332 buildings inside Wells’s built-up area, 23 of them Grade I, and 3 scheduled monuments.
18% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 3 old photos and postcards going back to 1890.
Wells, Maine, is named after Wells.
USUS editionWells, Maine, settled in 1643, takes its name from this town.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Wells. Best known first.
CathedralWells Cathedralin town
PalaceThe Bishop's Palacein town
MuseumWells Museumin town
AttractionWookey Hole Caves And Mill1.1 km outside town, to the northwest
Historic houseMilton Lodge100 m outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumPaper Making Museum1.1 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Wells.
Among adults, 38% have a degree. Children under 15 make up 14%, lower than both Somerset’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 9.6% of the town. The middle age in Wells is 50.7.
53% women, 47% men
About 89 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.
| Wells | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.5% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Wells’s four primaries and one secondary have 2,149 pupils between them. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 3 primary schools: half of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stoberry Park SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 303 | C− |
| The Blue SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,362 | B− |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Wells has 274 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, above Somerset’s towns (90) and England’s towns (39) alike. Its listed buildings include Boundary Walls to Numbers 1-13, Grade I. At the top of the list, 23 are Grade I and 36 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
41% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Unemployment benefit claims came to 3.4% of 16 to 64s in 2026, higher than both Somerset’s towns (2.1%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Income per household averages £50K a year, before tax. Work in town: just over a third of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
13% live in social housing, below both Somerset’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). Half of the 659 standard sales inside Wells’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £319,995. Private rents average £1,016 a month across the Somerset council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £525,000 | 150 |
| Semi-detached | £320,000 | 177 |
| Terraced | £295,000 | 209 |
| Flat or maisonette | £185,000 | 123 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Police figures for Wells’s built-up area: 901 crimes and 148 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Burglary and damage came to 11.5 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Somerset’s towns (8.5) and England’s towns (9.4). 45% 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.
The nearest A&E to Wells is Weston General Hospital, 16 miles away. 2 GP practices serve the town; 90% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, just over four fifths of people in Wells called their health good or very good, below both Somerset’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%).
| Census 2021 | Wells | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 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.
332 listed buildings in Wells, 23 of them Grade I.
Cathedral Church of St Andrew: Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Bishop's Palace and Bishop's House: Photo: Rodw · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Bishop's Barn: Photo: Derek Andrews · CC BY-SA 3.0 · City Arms Inn: Photo: Eddie Johnston · CC BY-SA 4.0
35 notable people were born in Wells.
Mary Rand: Eric Koch for Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl · James Keene: Anders Henrikson, CC BY 2.0 · Annie Campbell-Orde: National Lottery Good Causes, CC BY 3.0 · George Bull: Michael Vandergucht, Public domain · Michael George Henry Barker: Elliott & Fry, Public domain · Heathcote William Garrod: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells | 12,097 | — | D | C− | C− | B− |
| Pilton | 1,104 | 4.1 | — | D | C+ | A+ |
| Shepton Mallet | 9,645 | 4.6 | C− | B | C− | C+ |
| Glastonbury | 8,304 | 5 | D | B− | D | C |
| Draycott | 1,069 | 5.5 | — | D | B− | A |
| Wedmore | 1,424 | 7.2 | — | D− | A | A+ |
| Street | 12,707 | 7.2 | B− | B | C+ | C+ |
| Chilcompton | 1,857 | 7.3 | — | D | A− | B |
Pilton, Draycott, Wedmore and Chilcompton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 11.3 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Cathedral Church of St Andrew. It also has 3 scheduled monuments.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Band D council tax in Wells is £2,714 for 2026–27, more than in 96% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Town in Somerset, England
Wells is a built-up area of 12,097 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.