Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in South Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber has a population of 12,044.
The data are hard on it. Bentley ranks #51 of 63 in South Yorkshire, with a C− overall. That leaves it better than 18% of UK towns. Its lowest grade is for hazard risk — two in five homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. Prices are modest for what you get: a typical home costs £125,000 and rent runs £694 a month. Fewer journeys need a car: on the way to work, 22% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Safety is weaker too: police record 61.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 44.8 home and vehicle crimes. Only 1% of UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people have more crime per resident.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026.
The 3 things Bentley 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 Bentley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 7 buildings inside Bentley’s built-up area.
33% 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 Bentley.
20% are under 15, above South Yorkshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Half the people of Bentley are older than 36.5. People 65 and over make up 15% of the town.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bentley | South Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 26% | 22% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.8% | 6.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 18% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · South Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
At the town’s 3 primary schools, half of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Bentley’s three primaries have 733 pupils between them. Attainment 8 at the 6 secondary schools within 3 km averages 46.4, and 50% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkby Avenue Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 347 | C |
Police figures for Bentley’s built-up area: 1,757 crimes and 279 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. There were 22.5 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both South Yorkshire’s towns (13.4) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences were 36% of the crimes.
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.
2 GP practices serve the town; 84% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 7.6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above both South Yorkshire’s towns (6.7%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Asked at the census, 78% of residents of Bentley said they were in good or very good health.
| Census 2021 | Bentley | South Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.6% | 6.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 21% | 17% |
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.
Owners make up 54% of households, below South Yorkshire’s towns (61%) and England’s towns (61%) alike. Behind the median of £125,000: 387 standard sales inside Bentley’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Social renters account for 17% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £220,000 | 38 |
| Semi-detached | £147,000 | 149 |
| Terraced | £110,000 | 193 |
| Flat or maisonette | £75,000 | 7 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 13% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Working from home was the norm for 13% of workers at the census. Work in town: nearly a tenth of resident commuters. For every resident in work, Bentley has 0.5 jobs. Household income came to £38K 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
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Its heritage register entries (7 listed buildings) are all Grade II. Relative to its size, Bentley keeps 6 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below both South Yorkshire’s towns (11) and England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bentley. Best known first.
MuseumCusworth Hall1.1 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumDanum Gallery, Library and Museum1.3 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumSouth Yorkshire Air Museum2.7 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumKings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Museum1.3 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumAshworth Barracks Victoria Cross Museum3.5 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
5 notable people were born in Bentley.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bentley | 12,044 | — | C− | A | D− | D− |
| Scawthorpe and Cusworth | 13,020 | 0.9 | B | A | C− | C |
| Arksey | 1,578 | 1.1 | — | A | A− | C− |
| Toll Bar | 1,213 | 1.5 | — | A | D− | D− |
| Sprotbrough | 7,546 | 2 | A− | B | B | B |
| Doncaster | 87,440 | 2.5 | C | A | D− | D |
| Adwick le Street | 18,326 | 2.6 | C− | A | D− | D |
| Kirk Sandall and Edenthorpe | 13,090 | 3.6 | B | A− | C | C+ |
Arksey and Toll Bar have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £125,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £75,000, terraced houses £110,000, semi-detached houses £147,000 and detached houses £220,000.
Town in South Yorkshire, England
Bentley is a built-up area of 12,044 people, in the Doncaster 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.