Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
639 people live in this village in Staffordshire, West Midlands.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Betley is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. Nearly one in ten commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 33, with 1 at Grade I. Over-65s are 33% of the population.
The 3 things Betley does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Betley’s built-up area.
36% 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 Betley.
Graduates make up 45% of adults. 12% are under 15, below both Staffordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Aged 15 to 24: 8.6% of residents. Typical age in Betley: 54.3, the median.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Betley | Staffordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 33% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.8% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 45% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Staffordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
At the one primary school within 3 km, 56% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). There is one school here; it is shown below. Its one primary school teaches 100 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betley CofE VC Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 100 | C |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 42% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Working mainly from home: 42% of workers, higher than both Staffordshire’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (31%). By car: that was how 90% of commuters travelled at the census. About 6% of its commuters stay in Betley for work. In 2026, 0.8% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds 9% of households, below Staffordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Households that own their home make up 75%. Private rents average £833 a month across the Newcastle-under-Lyme council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £532,475 | 9 |
| Semi-detached | £248,000 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Burglary and damage came to 4.7 per 1,000 residents a year, below Staffordshire’s towns (8.9) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. Over the year to August 2026, 16 offences were reported in Betley, along with 2 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 44% of the crimes.
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.
Betley has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.7 miles away. The nearest A&E to Betley is Royal Stoke University Hospital, 6.9 miles away. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 6% of the town.
| Census 2021 | Betley | Staffordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as 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.
36% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Staffordshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (16%). Betley’s listed buildings include the Church of St Margaret, Grade I. Grade II* covers 3 of them, Grade I 1.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Village in Staffordshire, England
Betley is a built-up area of 639 people, in the Newcastle-under-Lyme 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betley | 639 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Madeley | 3,293 | 2.7 | B | A− | C+ | C+ |
| Audley | 1,984 | 2.9 | — | A− | C | C− |
| Halmer End and Alsagers Bank | 1,158 | 2.9 | — | A− | B | C |
| Bignall End | 3,184 | 3.5 | C+ | B | B+ | C |
| Shavington | 4,972 | 3.8 | B | B+ | B | B |
| Haslington | 5,042 | 4.6 | A− | B | A− | B− |
| Keele | 2,607 | 4.6 | B+ | C | B+ | C− |
Audley and Halmer End and Alsagers Bank have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 21.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Margaret.
By type: semi-detached houses £248,000 and detached houses £532,475.
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.