Rudyard’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Rudyard’s built-up area.
53% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
RudyardStaffordshire
Population 399: a village in Staffordshire, West Midlands.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Philverney at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Population
399
Census 2021 · Staffordshire Moorlands council
Median home
£400K
15 sales in 3 years
Median age
50.8
21% are 65+ · Staffordshire 21%
Degree level
43%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
3%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Rudyard a good place to live?
Rudyard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 3% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 53% of its homes date from before 1919. Nearly half of households own their home outright.
What makes Rudyard stand out
The 3 things Rudyard does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
3% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Own outright
Housing
49% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rudyard.
Work & commute
Rudyard is a driving town: 94% of commuters go by car, above Staffordshire’s towns and England’s towns
3%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 39% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Jobs per working resident: 0.4. 26% of commuters travelled under 5 km, below both Staffordshire’s towns (43%) and England’s towns (45%). Home was the main workplace for nearly two in five workers at the census.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving94%
On foot2%
Bicycle1%
26%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
39%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£55K
mean household income, before tax
0.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Rudyard is a town of owners: 88% of households own their home, above Staffordshire’s towns and England’s towns
£400Kmedian sale
The private rented sector houses 11% of households. 1% live in social housing, lower than both Staffordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Also worth knowing: half of the 15 standard sales inside Rudyard’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £400,000.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Rudyard£400K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £377,500 | 10 |
| Semi-detached | £425,000 | 5 |
88%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£728
average private rent a month, Staffordshire Moorlands council area
£2,303
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violence is recorded less often in Rudyard than in Staffordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 14.2 per 1,000 residents a year
14.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Homes see 5.9 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Police figures for Rudyard’s built-up area: 14 crimes and 7 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences accounted for half of recorded crime.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual7
Public order4
Damage & arson2
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Anti-social7
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.
14.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
14
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Just 2.3% of people in Rudyard say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Staffordshire’s towns and England’s towns
87%good or very good health
Disability touches 14% of Rudyard’s population. 87% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, higher than both Staffordshire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%). The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.4 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Rudyard | Staffordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 19% | 17% |
81
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
More of the land in Rudyard is conservation area than in Staffordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 68%
1listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
None of the 1 listed building reaches Grade II* or Grade I; all are Grade II. Relative to its size, Rudyard keeps 25 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, about level with Staffordshire’s towns (25) and below England’s towns (39).
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
53%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
25
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
More people in Rudyard hold a degree than in Staffordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 43%
50.8median age
Children under 15 make up 16% of residents. People aged 15 to 24 make up 7.3% of the town, lower than both Staffordshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). The median resident of Rudyard is 50.8 years old.
RudyardStaffordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
21%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications11%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level43%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Rudyard | Staffordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 40% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.6% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 43% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Staffordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rudyard
13pages on Rudyard
The big questions
Safety14.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £400K · rent £728 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 months · busiest street Lake RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 81 (men), 85.6 (women)Work & commute57% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards1.7% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Nicholson Institute and Leek College of Further Education and 2 more in and around Rudyard
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Rudyard. Best known first.
Art galleryNicholson Institute and Leek College of Further Education3.1 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumBrindley Mill2.2 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionNicholson War Memorial3.3 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Nicholson Institute and Leek College of Further Education: AtticTapestry, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Rudyard
Village in Staffordshire, England
Rudyard is a built-up area of 399 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
- Population
- 399 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Staffordshire Moorlands
- County
- Staffordshire
- Region
- West Midlands
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001767
Rudyard’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LeekBiddulph MoorEndonBrown EdgeBiddulphCheddletonHarriseahead, Mow Cop and NewchapelRudyard
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudyard | 399 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Leek | 19,388 | 2.4 | C+ | A | C− | C− |
| Biddulph Moor | 1,286 | 2.7 | — | A− | B+ | B+ |
| Endon | 2,655 | 3.5 | B+ | B | B− | B+ |
| Brown Edge | 2,374 | 3.9 | — | A− | A− | B+ |
| Biddulph | 17,490 | 4 | C+ | A | C | C |
| Cheddleton | 4,027 | 4.1 | A− | A | A | B− |
| Harriseahead, Mow Cop and Newchapel | 3,637 | 5.7 | B+ | B+ | B+ | B− |
Biddulph Moor and Brown Edge have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Rudyard
How many listed buildings are there in Rudyard?
1 on Historic England’s list.
Is Rudyard expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £400,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £425,000 and detached houses £377,500. Private rents in the Staffordshire Moorlands council area averaged £728 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Rudyard?
Band D council tax in Rudyard is £2,303 for 2026–27, less than in 75% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
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.