Woolavington’s story
10 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Woolavington’s built-up area.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
WoolavingtonSomerset
On the way to work, 9% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Population 2,324: a village in Somerset, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Nigel Mykura · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,324
Census 2021 · Sedgemoor council
Median home
£293K
88 sales in 3 years
Median age
50.6
28% are 65+ · Somerset 23%
Degree level
24%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Woolavington a good place to live?
Pupils here do better than most: primary results beat 81% of towns in England. Its weakest subject is jobs & income (D−) — the mean household earns £47,882 a year. Homes sell for a median £292,500, about 5.9 years of what households in the Sedgemoor council area earn. It also trails on safety (C−): 37.7 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 10.9 home and vehicle crimes. Against UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, it has more crime per resident than 90%.
Figures: income, ONS · claimants, DWP · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years. Woolavington is graded on each subject, but towns under 2,500 get no overall grade.
ONS publishes one rent for all of Somerset, so this town's Cost Grade uses house prices and council tax only.
What makes Woolavington stand out
The 3 things Woolavington does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
9% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
28% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Claimant rate, against UK towns
Work
of 16 to 64s in 2026: more than in 93% of UK towns
DWP claimant count, January to August 2026.
How Woolavington grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Woolavington is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Woolavington is graded on each subject, but towns under 2,500 get no overall grade.
Jobs & incomeNear the bottom of the towns comparedD−Open →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 81% of towns in EnglandAOpen →WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesC−Open →SafetyMore crime than in most townsC−Open →Cost of livingBehind most towns comparedCOpen →HealthGraded on how healthy residents areB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryLess recorded history than most townsCOpen →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 1.6 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsCOpen →Civic life1.3 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryDOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Woolavington.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Woolavington: 28% are 65 or over, above Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
The share of residents under 15 is 16%. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8.8% of residents, lower than both Somerset’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). The median resident of Woolavington is 50.6 years old.
50.6median age
WoolavingtonSomersetEngland
Ages · share of residents
28%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications21%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level24%
Women and men · all residents
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.
| Woolavington | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.8% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsA
On exam results, Woolavington’s schools beat 86% of towns in England
Its one school is below. 68% of pupils at the 3 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town’s primary school has 175 pupils.
ASchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woolavington Village Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 175 | C− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Benefit claims run higher in Woolavington, 4.5% of 16 to 64s, than in Somerset’s towns or across England’s towns
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.
88% of commuters drove, above Somerset’s towns (76%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Jobs per working resident: 0.3. Work in town: 5% of resident commuters. Also worth knowing: for 21% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot4%
Bus3%
Bicycle2%
21%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
21%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£48K
mean household income, before tax
4.5%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C−
Walkability: more walkable than 20% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Woolavington has more crime per resident than three in four UK towns
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 61% of recorded crime. Over the year to August 2026, 148 offences were reported in Woolavington, along with 23 incidents of anti-social behaviour.
37.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 10% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual91
Damage & arson13
Shoplifting10
Public order8
Other theft7
Burglary7
Vehicle crime4
Robbery3
Anti-social23
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.
37.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
148
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
HousingCost of living grade C
Few households rent privately in Woolavington: 10%, fewer than in both Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
71% 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. Behind the median of £292,500: 88 standard sales inside Woolavington’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
£293Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Woolavington£293K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £352,500 | 45 |
| Semi-detached | £242,000 | 27 |
| Terraced | £204,250 | 14 |
71%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,016
average private rent a month, Somerset council area
£2,443
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
History
Listed buildings in Woolavington: 10, with 1 at Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Woolavington’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. 8% of its homes were built before 1919, lower than both Somerset’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (16%). Listed buildings per head: 43 for every 10,000 residents of the town.
10listed buildingsCHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II9
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Mary Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
8%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
43
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
Only 78% of people in Woolavington say their health is good or very good, fewer than in both Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
Life expectancy here is 86.2 for women and 81 for men (2019–23). A disability affects just over a fifth of people in Woolavington, and on top of that at the census, 6.4% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above Somerset’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 2.9 miles off.
78%good or very good healthB−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Woolavington | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.4% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
81
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Woolavington
14pages on Woolavington
The big questions
SafetyC−37.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingCMedian home £293K · rent £1,016 a monthHousing25 sold in 12 months · busiest street MeadwaySchoolsA1 state schoolHealthB−Life expectancy 81 (men), 86.2 (women)Work & commuteD−41% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Woolavington’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
PuritonBridgwaterWestonzoylandHighbridgeWembdonBurnham-on-SeaCanningtonWoolavington
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woolavington | 2,324 | — | — | C | C− | B− |
| Puriton | 2,265 | 1.6 | — | C+ | B+ | B |
| Bridgwater | 47,846 | 3.9 | D− | C+ | D− | C− |
| Westonzoyland | 1,463 | 4 | — | B− | B+ | B |
| Highbridge | 5,366 | 4.2 | D− | C+ | D− | D |
| Wembdon | 1,772 | 4.4 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Burnham-on-Sea | 16,317 | 5.4 | D | C | C− | C− |
| Cannington | 2,315 | 5.6 | — | C | B+ | B |
Puriton, Westonzoyland, Wembdon and Cannington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Woolavington
Are schools in Woolavington good?
Primary results beat 81% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Somerset council.
About Woolavington
Village in Somerset, England
Woolavington is a built-up area of 2,324 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
- Population
- 2,324 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Sedgemoor
- County
- Somerset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005791
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.