Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The village, home to 980 people, lies in Staffordshire, West Midlands.
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Alton has none; the figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry one in ten commuters. 53 buildings are listed here, 1 at Grade I. People aged 65 and over make up 31% of residents.
The 3 things Alton does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Alton’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
38% 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 Alton.
9.4% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below both Staffordshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). The age that splits Alton in two is 54.2. Graduates make up two in five adults.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Alton | Staffordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.4% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.3% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 40% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Staffordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter's CofE Academy AltonLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 50 | – |
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 had £48K a year before tax, lower than both Staffordshire’s towns (£54K) and England’s towns (£55K). 87% of commuters drove to work at the census. Work in town: 8% of resident commuters. The census counted 34% of workers working mainly from home.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
7% live in social housing, below Staffordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The private rented sector houses nearly one in ten households. Half of the 68 standard sales inside Alton’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £375,500.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £469,995 | 39 |
| Semi-detached | £206,175 | 18 |
| Terraced | £182,000 | 11 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
40 crimes and 4 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Alton’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences were 50% of the crimes. Also worth knowing: homes saw 7.8 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Staffordshire’s towns (8.9) and England’s towns (9.4).
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.
One GP practice serves the town; 93% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 84% of Alton’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above Staffordshire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. The nearest A&E to Alton is Royal Stoke University Hospital, 13.3 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Alton | Staffordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 19% | 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.
Alton’s listed buildings include The Castle, Grade I. 38% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Staffordshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (16%). At the top of the list, 1 are Grade I and 5 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Alton. Best known first.
CastleAlton Castlein town
Big drawTheme parkAlton Towers Resort900 m outside town, to the north · 2.5M visitors a year (2024)
AttractionThe Smiler800 m outside town, to the north
AttractionOblivion700 m outside town, to the north
AttractionGalactica700 m outside town, to the northeast
Abbey or priory · English HeritageCroxden Abbey1.9 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Village in Staffordshire, England
Alton is a built-up area of 980 people, in the Staffordshire Moorlands 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alton | 980 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rocester | 1,679 | 2.8 | — | A | C | B− |
| Cheadle | 11,403 | 3.9 | B− | A | C− | C |
| Upper Tean | 3,244 | 4.1 | A | A | B+ | B− |
| Uttoxeter | 14,024 | 5 | B− | B+ | C | C |
| Doveridge | 1,760 | 5.6 | — | B | A+ | A |
| Mayfield | 1,099 | 5.6 | — | A− | B | B− |
| Blythe Bridge and Forsbrook | 6,798 | 7.1 | B | A− | C | B− |
Rocester, Doveridge and Mayfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 22.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is The Castle. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £375,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £182,000, semi-detached houses £206,175 and detached houses £469,995. Private rents in the Staffordshire Moorlands council area averaged £728 a month in August 2026.
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.