Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village in South Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber, home to 904 people.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Cawthorne is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. One in ten commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It has 38 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. Over-65s are 35% of the population.
The 3 things Cawthorne does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Cawthorne’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
34% 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 Cawthorne.
The 15-to-24 age group: 6.6%, below both South Yorkshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). Residents of Cawthorne have a median age of 56. Among adults, 41% have a degree.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Cawthorne | South Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.6% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 12% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 35% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 22% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 6.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · South Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: nearly two thirds of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 50.7. Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School’s results beat nine in ten schools in England like it. Below is its only school. Key Stage 2 results at the 5 primary schools within 3 km: 72% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 160 | A |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 34% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households take home £56K a year before tax, on average. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 28%, below South Yorkshire’s towns (43%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. 34% of workers worked mainly from home at the census. Work in town: 6% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
70% of households own their home, higher than both South Yorkshire’s towns (61%) and England’s towns (61%). The social rented sector houses nearly one in ten households. Private rents average £696 a month across the Barnsley council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £560,000 | 30 |
| Terraced | £265,000 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Of all the crimes, 55% were violence and sexual offences. Cawthorne logged 20 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 5 complaints of anti-social conduct. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 4.8 reports per 1,000, below both South Yorkshire’s towns (13.4) and England’s towns (7.8).
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.
At the census, 16% of people here had a disability, lower than both South Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (17%). Seeing a GP means leaving Cawthorne: the nearest practice is 2.1 miles away. The nearest A&E to Cawthorne is Barnsley Hospital, 3.1 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Cawthorne | South Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.4% | 6.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 21% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. Conservation areas cover 26% of Cawthorne’s land, above South Yorkshire’s towns (0%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. The national list protects one ancient monument locally.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Cawthorne. Best known first.
MuseumCawthorne Victoria Jubilee Museumin town
MuseumYorkshire Sculpture Park4.8 km outside town, to the north · 300K visitors a year
MuseumCannon Hall700 m outside town, to the westHeritage railwayHeritage railwayWhistlestop Valley3.9 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumDe Morgan Museum700 m outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumSkelmanthorpe Textile Heritage Centre4.8 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cawthorne | 904 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Silkstone | 1,682 | 1.5 | — | C− | A− | A− |
| Barugh Green and Redbrook | 7,545 | 2.2 | B+ | B− | B | C+ |
| Silkstone Common | 1,278 | 2.3 | — | C | A+ | A |
| Hoylandswaine | 1,038 | 2.5 | — | D | A | A |
| Clayton West and Scissett | 4,382 | 2.6 | B | B | C | B− |
| Darton | 15,016 | 2.6 | C+ | B | C+ | C− |
| Dodworth | 5,981 | 2.8 | B− | B+ | C | C− |
Silkstone, Silkstone Common and Hoylandswaine have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 17.2 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
By type: terraced houses £265,000 and detached houses £560,000.
Village in South Yorkshire, England
Cawthorne is a built-up area of 904 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.