What it saves you on housing, it gives back elsewhere. Barnsley ranks #39 of 63 in South Yorkshire, with a C overall. It comes out better than 27% of UK towns. Its weakest subject is safety: 61 violent and sexual offences and 30.5 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Against UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has more crime per resident than 95%. Buying a home costs less than in most towns: homes sell for a median £160,000, about 3.8 times local household income. Health outcomes fall short of most towns: life expectancy 74.9 for men, 80.2 for women.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy, ONS.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Barnsley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Barnsley.
Safety
Barnsley has more crime per resident than 98% of UK towns
61violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearD−Safety Grade
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 9,594 recorded crimes inside Barnsley’s built-up area, and 1,761 reports of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 23.4 reports per 1,000, above both South Yorkshire’s towns (13.4) and England’s towns (7.8). Of all the crimes, 42% were violence and sexual offences.
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 5% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual4,009
Damage & arson1,028
Shoplifting1,009
Public order942
Other theft622
Burglary450
Vehicle crime446
Other crime387
Anti-social1,761
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.
61
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
30.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
23.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
SchoolsB
On exam results, Barnsley’s schools beat 60% of towns in England
BSchool Grade
Attainment 8 at the town’s 4 secondary schools averages 46.5, and 47% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. Three of its 24 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. At the town’s 17 primary schools, 63% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 24 schools →
Health
People in Barnsley live shorter lives than in 95% of UK towns
77%good or very good healthD−Health Grade
At the census, 22% of people here had a disability, above both South Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (17%). Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 7.7% of the town. Also worth knowing: 13 GP practices serve the town; nearly four in five patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Self-reported good health: 77% of Barnsley’s residents.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Who lives here
Fewer people in Barnsley hold a degree than in South Yorkshire’s towns or England’s towns: 22%
39.9median age
The age that splits Barnsley in two is 39.9. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for a tenth of the town. 18% of residents are 65 or over, near both South Yorkshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%).
BarnsleySouth YorkshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
18%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications27%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level22%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
WomenEnglandMen
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
ONS Census 2021 · South Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Benefit claims run higher in Barnsley, 4.3% of 16 to 64s, than in South Yorkshire’s towns or across England’s towns
21%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 17% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
21% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census. Of the commuters living in Barnsley, 35% work in the town itself. For every resident in work, Barnsley has 1 jobs. Households had £40K a year before tax, below South Yorkshire’s towns (£46K) and England’s towns (£55K) alike.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade A−
Home ownership in Barnsley, 55%, runs below South Yorkshire’s towns and England’s towns
£160Kmedian sale
Social housing holds 23% of households, above South Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The median sale, £160,000, comes from 2,428 standard sales inside Barnsley’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026. Private rents average £696 a month across the Barnsley council area.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Barnsley£160K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£275,000
422
Semi-detached
£170,000
972
Terraced
£125,000
862
Flat or maisonette
£90,000
172
55%
of households own their home · England 61%
21%
rent privately · England 21%
£696
average private rent a month, Barnsley council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
History
Old homes shape Barnsley: 24% were built before 1919, more than in South Yorkshire’s towns or England’s towns
77listed buildingsBHistory Grade
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Barnsley has 77 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 2 Grade I, 4 Grade II*. Its listed buildings include Administration Building at Monk Bretton Priory, Grade I. It has one registered historic park or garden.
Johnny Wardle: Authorised by the New South Wales Cricket Association (edited by E.W. Murphy), Public domain
About Barnsley
Large town in South Yorkshire, England
Barnsley is a built-up area of 71,394 people, in the Barnsley 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.
Carlton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Barnsley
Is Barnsley expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £160,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £90,000, terraced houses £125,000, semi-detached houses £170,000 and detached houses £275,000.
Does Barnsley flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
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.
