Swindon’s story
3 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Swindon’s built-up area.
10% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
SwindonStaffordshire
Population 1,134: a village in Staffordshire, West Midlands. Mortgage-free owners make up 49% of households.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: P L Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,134
Census 2021 · South Staffordshire council
Median home
£368K
48 sales in 3 years
Median age
53.3
30% are 65+ · Staffordshire 21%
Degree level
25%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Swindon a good place to live?
School results are strong: primary results beat 75% of towns in England; secondary results beat 74% of towns in England. Jobs and pay hold up well: mean household income £54,108; 2% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work (D−): on the way to work, 6% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Safety is weaker too (C): 32.9 violent and sexual offences and 8.2 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Only 16% of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people have more crime per resident. A median £367,500 buys a home here, 7 times what households in the South Staffordshire council area earn in a year. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for health and C+ for hazard risk.
Figures: income and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency. Swindon is graded on each subject, but towns under 2,500 get no overall grade.
How Swindon grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Swindon is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Swindon is graded on each subject, but towns under 2,500 get no overall grade.
WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesD−Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 75% of towns in England; secondary results beat 74% of towns in EnglandA−Open →SafetyMore crime than in most townsCOpen →Jobs & incomeAhead of most towns comparedB+Open →HealthLife expectancy 80.7 for men, 83.8 for womenBOpen →Cost of livingNear typical for the towns comparedC+Open →Hazard risk0.4% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History3 listed buildingsC−Open →Outdoors67% live within 400 m of a park; 2.5 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsCOpen →Civic life0 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Swindon stand out
The 3 things Swindon does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
30% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
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 Swindon.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Swindon than in Staffordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 11% are under 15
53.3median age
Those 65 and older account for 30% of residents. The 15-to-24 age group: 9.5%, lower than both Staffordshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Typical age in Swindon: 53.3, the median. Graduates make up 25% of adults.
SwindonStaffordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications23%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level25%
Women and men · all residents
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.
| Swindon | Staffordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 23% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.2% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Staffordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsA−
School results in Swindon are better than in 79% of towns in England
A−School Grade
Nearly two thirds of pupils at the 11 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below. Attainment 8 at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km averages 48.8, and 55% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St John's CofE (C) Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 77 | C− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Fewer commuters in Swindon work nearby than in Staffordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 24% travel under 5 km
6%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
94% of commuters drove, above both Staffordshire’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (70%). Swindon counts 0.7 jobs per working resident. Home was the main workplace for 28% of workers at the census.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving94%
On foot2%
Bus2%
Train1%
Bicycle1%
24%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
28%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D−
Walkability: more walkable than 2% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
Swindon’s listed buildings: 3, all Grade II
3listed buildingsC−History Grade
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
10% of homes date from before 1919. Swindon has 26 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, higher than Staffordshire’s towns (25) yet lower than England’s towns (39).
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II3
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
10%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
26
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
For a town of its size, Swindon records a lot of crime: more per resident than 84% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
32.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearCSafety Grade
Reported offences in Swindon came to 62 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 10. Of all the crimes, 73% were violence and sexual offences.
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 16% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual45
Other theft4
Vehicle crime4
Other crime4
Burglary3
Public order1
Robbery1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social10
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.
32.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
62
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
79% of residents say their health is good or very good
79%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
Swindon has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.3 miles away. The nearest A&E to Swindon is Russells Hall Hospital, 3.7 miles away. Also worth knowing: 18% of residents have a disability, between Staffordshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (17%).
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 79%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Swindon | Staffordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.1% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 19% | 17% |
80.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.8
life expectancy at birth, women
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.
HousingCost of living grade C+
Most households in Swindon own their home: 74%, more than in both Staffordshire’s towns and England’s towns
£368Kmedian sale
From September 2023 to August 2026, 48 homes sold inside Swindon’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £367,500. Council and housing-body homes hold 15% of households. Private rents average £958 a month across the South Staffordshire council area.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Swindon£368K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £475,000 | 25 |
| Semi-detached | £292,500 | 16 |
74%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£958
average private rent a month, South Staffordshire council area
£2,272
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Swindon
14pages on Swindon
The big questions
SafetyC32.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingC+Median home £368K · rent £958 a monthHousing12 sold in 12 months · busiest street Wombourne RoadSchoolsA−1 state schoolHealthBLife expectancy 80.7 (men), 83.8 (women)Work & commuteB+45% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC+0.4% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Red House Glass Cone and 5 more in and around Swindon
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Swindon. Best known first.
MuseumRed House Glass Cone4.6 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumBroadfield House Glass Museum2.7 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumThe Lace Guild Museum4.9 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumHimley House Museum2.4 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttractionBruntnell-Astley Glass Gallery4.6 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumStourbridge Glass Museum4.6 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 (3)
- Red House Glass Cone: Nozza, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Broadfield House Glass Museum: Gordon Griffiths, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Lace Guild Museum: Socialambulator, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Swindon
Village in Staffordshire, England
Swindon is a built-up area of 1,134 people, in the South 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
- Population
- 1,134 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Staffordshire
- County
- Staffordshire
- Region
- West Midlands
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002848
Swindon’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WombourneKingswinfordSedgleyBrierley HillKinverDudleyCoseleySwindon
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swindon | 1,134 | — | — | C+ | C | B |
| Wombourne | 12,810 | 1.3 | B+ | B | B− | B− |
| Kingswinford | 51,900 | 2.5 | C+ | B+ | C+ | C |
| Sedgley | 31,976 | 3.5 | C | B+ | C− | C |
| Brierley Hill | 32,311 | 4.3 | C | A | D | C− |
| Kinver | 4,651 | 4.6 | B | C+ | B− | B |
| Dudley | 64,277 | 4.7 | C− | A | D− | D |
| Coseley | 25,206 | 5 | C− | A− | C− | D |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Swindon
Are schools in Swindon good?
GCSE results beat 74% of towns in England, and primary results beat 75% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Staffordshire council.
Is Swindon expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £367,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £292,500 and detached houses £475,000.
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.