Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 26,149 people, this large town lies in Staffordshire, West Midlands.
Rugeley’s lowest grade is for health (C−): life expectancy 78.8 for men, 82.6 for women. Its overall grade is C, better than 28% of UK towns. In the ranking it comes #40 of 46 in Staffordshire. Crime runs high: 37 violent and sexual offences and 12.3 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Against UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has more crime per resident than 59%. Cost of living is its strong suit — homes sell for a median £215,000, about 4.5 times local household income. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for schools and B− for walkability.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · life expectancy, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Rugeley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 2 things Rugeley does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 35 buildings inside Rugeley’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade II*.
6% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →35 listed buildings in Rugeley.
Brindley Bank Pumping Station: Photo: Chris Allen · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Viaduct over Trent and Mersey Canal at Sk 0485 1780: Photo: Elliott Brown from Birmingham, United Kingdom · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Shrewsbury Arms Hotel. Coach House Block of Shrewsbury Arms Hotel: Photo: canalandriversidepubs co uk · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 32 and 34, Market Street: Photo: Tricia Neal · CC BY-SA 2.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rugeley.
People aged 15 to 24 are 10% of the population. Rugeley has a median age of 42.1. A fifth of residents are 65 or over, near Staffordshire’s towns (21%) and higher than England’s towns (18%).
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Rugeley | Staffordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 22% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 22% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Staffordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 43.9, and 38% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. Chancel Primary School’s results beat 94% of schools in England like it. Some 3,483 pupils attend Rugeley’s ten primaries and two secondaries. Below are three of its 12 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etching Hill CofE Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 460 | A− |
| The Hart SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,157 | C |
| Chancel Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 210 | A |
4 GP practices serve the town; 87% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, nearly four fifths of people in Rugeley called their health good or very good, below both Staffordshire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%). Men in Rugeley can expect to live to 78.8, women to 82.6 (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Rugeley is County Hospital, 7.7 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Rugeley | Staffordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.7% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
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.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Police figures for Rugeley’s built-up area: 1,993 crimes and 241 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 53% of recorded crime. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 8.7 reports per 1,000, above Staffordshire’s towns (7.3) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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.
6% of homes were built before 1919. Grade II* covers 3 of them. Relative to its size, Rugeley keeps 13 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Social housing holds 13% of households. Owners make up 69% of households, close to Staffordshire’s towns (67%) and above England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £883 a month across the Cannock Chase council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £305,000 | 231 |
| Semi-detached | £210,000 | 373 |
| Terraced | £180,000 | 262 |
| Flat or maisonette | £117,250 | 74 |
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 19% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Income per household averages £46K a year, before tax. At the census, 14% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, close to Staffordshire’s towns (15%) and below England’s towns (27%). 3.1% of people aged 16 to 64 were on unemployment benefits in 2026. Of the commuters living in Rugeley, 26% work in the town itself.
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 Rugeley. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustShugborough Hall4.8 km outside town, to the northwest
Abbey or prioryHawkesyard Priory300 m outside town, to the southeast
Garden · National TrustThe Walled Garden4.2 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseum · National TrustShugborough Servants' Quarters4.9 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumWolseley Centre1.1 km outside town, to the northwestPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustShugborough Estate4.2 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Large town in Staffordshire, England
Rugeley is a built-up area of 26,149 people, in the Cannock Chase 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rugeley | 26,149 | — | C | B | C− | C− |
| Hill Ridware | 1,012 | 2.4 | — | B | B+ | C+ |
| Handsacre and Armitage | 4,837 | 3.1 | B− | A− | B− | C |
| Little Haywood | 1,968 | 3.2 | — | B+ | A+ | A− |
| Rawnsley | 2,470 | 3.6 | — | B+ | B− | C− |
| Great Haywood | 2,029 | 4 | — | A− | C | B+ |
| Abbots Bromley | 1,331 | 4.9 | — | C+ | A | B+ |
| King's Bromley | 1,031 | 5 | — | C | A | B |
Hill Ridware, Little Haywood, Rawnsley, Great Haywood, Abbots Bromley and King's Bromley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C−.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £215,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £117,250, terraced houses £180,000, semi-detached houses £210,000 and detached houses £305,000.
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.