Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in South Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber, home to 5,065 people.
Low prices, and some weak spots to weigh against them. Overall, Grimethorpe earns a C−, which places it #48 of 63 in South Yorkshire. On that grade it does better than just over a fifth of UK towns. Its weakest subject is health (D−): men here can expect to live to 74.6, women to 78.7. Where it does best is cost of living: a typical home costs £140,000 and rent runs £696 a month. It is easy to get around without a car (B+): 19% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Safety lags: 47.8 violent and sexual offences and 31.7 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Only 3% of UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people have more crime per resident.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · life expectancy, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026.
The 3 things Grimethorpe 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 Grimethorpe is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 2 buildings inside Grimethorpe’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
8% 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 Grimethorpe.
People 65 and over make up 14% of the town, below South Yorkshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Children under 15 count for 21% of the people here. The middle age in Grimethorpe is 36.1. Young adults of 15 to 24 are just over a tenth of the population.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Grimethorpe | South Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 35% | 22% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.4% | 6.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 16% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · South Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Some 507 pupils attend Grimethorpe’s two primaries. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. 63% of pupils at the town’s 2 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milefield Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 294 | B+ |
The nearest A&E to Grimethorpe is Barnsley Hospital, 5.2 miles away. Asked at the census, 74% of residents of Grimethorpe said they were in good or very good health. At the census, a quarter of people here had a disability, above South Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Men in Grimethorpe can expect to live to 74.6, women to 78.7 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Grimethorpe | South Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 74% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 9.5% | 6.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 25% | 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.
Of all the crimes, 44% were violence and sexual offences. 549 crimes and 80 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Grimethorpe’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Grimethorpe has more crime per resident than 97% of them. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 21.7 reports per 1,000, higher than 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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grimethorpe counts 2 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade II*. Before 1919: that is when 8% of homes were built. It has 4 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, below South Yorkshire’s towns (11) and England’s towns (39) alike.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Owners make up just over half of households, below South Yorkshire’s towns (61%) and England’s towns (61%) alike. From September 2023 to August 2026, 162 homes sold inside Grimethorpe’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £140,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £306,000 | 26 |
| Semi-detached | £135,000 | 81 |
| Terraced | £131,000 | 55 |
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.
There are 1.8 jobs in Grimethorpe for each resident in work. Working mainly from home: 13% of workers, below both South Yorkshire’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (31%). 79% of commuters took the car to work at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Grimethorpe. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · English HeritageMonk Bretton Priory3.8 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumMaurice Dobson Museum3.8 km outside town, to the southWater parkWater parkHemsworth Water Park4.1 km outside town, to the northPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grimethorpe | 5,065 | — | C− | A− | D− | D− |
| Brierley | 2,714 | 1.3 | C− | B− | C+ | D− |
| Cudworth and Shafton | 12,472 | 1.5 | C | B+ | D | D− |
| Great Houghton | 2,489 | 2 | — | B+ | D | D− |
| South Hiendley | 1,750 | 2.3 | — | B | C+ | D |
| South Kirkby | 8,880 | 2.4 | D− | B | D− | D− |
| Hemsworth | 9,177 | 2.5 | D | B | D− | D |
| Darfield | 7,209 | 2.8 | D | A− | D | D |
Great Houghton and South Hiendley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
At the 2021 Census, 11% of Grimethorpe’s 5,065 residents were 15 to 24 and 14% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £140,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £131,000, semi-detached houses £135,000 and detached houses £306,000.
Town in South Yorkshire, England
Grimethorpe is a built-up area of 5,065 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.