Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
13% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. The town, home to 4,713 people, lies in Staffordshire, West Midlands.
The picture is mixed. Barton-under-Needwood ranks #2 of 46 in Staffordshire, with an A overall. On that grade it does better than 94% of UK towns. School results are strong: primary results beat 85% of towns in England; secondary results beat 88% of towns in England. Add jobs & income to its strengths: households earn a mean £65,502 a year, and 1.2% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Hazard risk is higher than most (C−): 2% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. Homes sell for a median £350,000, about 6.9 years of what households in the East Staffordshire council area earn.
Figures: income, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Barton-under-Needwood 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 Barton-under-Needwood is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 36 buildings inside Barton-under-Needwood’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade II*.
14% 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 Barton-under-Needwood.
Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 53.6, with 59% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. 69% of pupils at the 2 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Barton-under-Needwood’s two primaries and one secondary have 1,942 pupils between them.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Russell Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 252 | A− |
| John Taylor High SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,523 | A− |
Women here live to 84.8 on average and men to 82.9 (2019–23). 17% of residents in Barton-under-Needwood live with a disability. Also worth knowing: the nearest A&E to Barton-under-Needwood is Queens Hospital, 4.8 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Barton-under-Needwood | Staffordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Over the year to August 2026, 146 offences were reported in Barton-under-Needwood, along with 32 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Burglary and damage came to 6.7 per 1,000 residents a year, below Staffordshire’s towns (9) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 59% of recorded crime.
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.
Per 10,000 residents, Barton-under-Needwood counts 76 listed buildings. Of the town’s land, 15% lies in conservation areas, above Staffordshire’s towns (4%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. Grade II* covers 3 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Social housing holds 5% of households, below both Staffordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). 9% of households are private tenants. Behind the median of £350,000: 224 standard sales inside Barton-under-Needwood’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £507,500 | 98 |
| Semi-detached | £267,500 | 76 |
| Terraced | £307,975 | 28 |
| Flat or maisonette | £140,000 | 22 |
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 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
85% of commuters drove to work at the census. Working mainly from home: 38% of workers, above both Staffordshire’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (31%). For every resident in work, Barton-under-Needwood has 1.8 jobs.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
8.7% of residents are 15 to 24, below Staffordshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. People 65 and over make up 26% of the town. At 49.4, the median resident of Barton-under-Needwood sits in the middle of the age range.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Barton-under-Needwood | Staffordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Staffordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Barton-under-Needwood. Best known first.
Historic houseCatton Hall2.3 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionBranston Water Park3.2 km outside town, to the northeastTheme parkTheme parkNational Forest Adventure Farm4.6 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
36 listed buildings in Barton-under-Needwood.
Barton Hall: Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph · Shoulder of Mutton Public House: Photo: JThomas · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 14, Main Street: Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Bell Inn: Photo: JThomas · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barton-under-Needwood | 4,713 | — | A | C+ | A− | A− |
| Alrewas | 2,831 | 2.3 | B+ | C+ | B+ | B+ |
| Yoxall | 1,174 | 2.9 | — | B | B | B+ |
| Fradley | 3,609 | 3.8 | B | B− | C+ | B+ |
| King's Bromley | 1,031 | 4.1 | — | C | A | B |
| Burton upon Trent | 76,264 | 4.6 | C+ | A | D | D |
| Linton | 2,145 | 5.6 | — | A+ | B− | C |
| Streethay | 2,166 | 5.8 | — | C+ | C− | B+ |
Yoxall, King's Bromley, Linton and Streethay have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 3.1 times the typical UK town for its size.
GCSE results beat 88% of towns in England, and primary results beat 85% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Barton-under-Needwood has 3 state schools; places are handled by Staffordshire council.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Staffordshire, England
Barton-under-Needwood is a built-up area of 4,713 people, in the East Staffordshire 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.