Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In South Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber, this town has 2,714 residents.
A town with more to fix than most. Its lowest grade is for health: life expectancy 74.6 for men, 78.7 for women. It also trails on walkability (D) — 8% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Natural hazards are few (A). Buying the median home, at £220,000, takes 5.2 years of household income in the Barnsley council area. The overall grade lands at C−, #55 of 63 in South Yorkshire. That leaves it better than 16% of UK towns.
Figures: flood risk, Environment Agency · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Brierley 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 Brierley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 2 buildings inside Brierley’s built-up area.
11% 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 Brierley.
The nearest A&E to Brierley is Barnsley Hospital, 5.4 miles away. At the census, nearly one in ten residents said their health was bad or very bad, higher than both South Yorkshire’s towns (6.7%) and England’s towns (5.2%). This South Yorkshire town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.1 miles away. 22% of residents in Brierley live with a disability.
| Census 2021 | Brierley | South Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.9% | 6.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
Attainment 8 at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km averages 40.8, and 38% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School’s results beat 94% of schools in England like it. Below is its only school. At the 14 primary schools within 3 km, 63% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 205 | A |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
None of the 2 listed buildings reaches Grade II* or Grade I; all are Grade II. Just over one in ten homes date from before 1919. For its size, Brierley has 7 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 19% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 90% of commuters, above both South Yorkshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). Working from home was the norm for 19% of workers at the census. 4% of commuters who live in Brierley also work there. Income per household averages £39K a year, before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Violence accounts for 22.1 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Reported offences in Brierley came to 131 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 15. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Brierley has more crime per resident than 62% of them.
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
Owners make up 69% of households, higher than both South Yorkshire’s towns (61%) and England’s towns (61%). From September 2023 to August 2026, 110 homes sold inside Brierley’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £220,000. Private rents average £696 a month across the Barnsley council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £307,500 | 42 |
| Semi-detached | £202,500 | 42 |
| Terraced | £168,750 | 26 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The age that splits Brierley in two is 41.2. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 9.6% of the town. 19% are under 15, above South Yorkshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Brierley | South Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 24% | 22% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.5% | 6.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · South Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brierley | 2,714 | — | C− | B− | C+ | D− |
| South Hiendley | 1,750 | 1.1 | — | B | C+ | D |
| Grimethorpe | 5,065 | 1.3 | C− | A− | D− | D− |
| Hemsworth | 9,177 | 1.5 | D | B | D− | D |
| Cudworth and Shafton | 12,472 | 1.7 | C | B+ | D | D− |
| South Kirkby | 8,880 | 2.4 | D− | B | D− | D− |
| Havercroft and Ryhill | 5,204 | 2.4 | C | B+ | D | D |
| Fitzwilliam and Kinsley | 4,993 | 2.4 | D− | B | D− | D− |
South Hiendley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £220,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £168,750, semi-detached houses £202,500 and detached houses £307,500.
Against all UK towns, it grades C+. Police recorded 131 crimes inside Brierley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 50% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in South Yorkshire, England
Brierley is a built-up area of 2,714 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.
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.