Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,450 in Surrey, South East.
Godalming grades A overall against UK towns: better than 94% of UK towns, and #11 of 65 in Surrey. Its strongest subject is health (A): life expectancy 82.2 for men, 86.6 for women. Its weakest is hazard risk (C+): 0.8% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. The median home sold for £515,000 in the last three years, 7.1 times what households in the Waverley council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Godalming 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 Godalming is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 165 buildings inside Godalming’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
20% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1850.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Godalming. Best known first.
MuseumWatts Gallery3.5 km outside town, to the north
CastleGuildford Castle4.5 km outside town, to the northeast
Garden · National TrustNational Trust - Winkworth Arboretum2.1 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseLoseley Park2.6 km outside town, to the north
MuseumGuildford Museum4.5 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Godalming.
Women here live to 86.6 on average and men to 82.2 (2019–23). 88% of Godalming’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above both Surrey’s towns (87%) and England’s towns (82%). Godalming has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Godalming | Surrey | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.9% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 14% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
St Edmund's Catholic Primary School’s results beat 93% of schools in England like it. One of its 5 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Edmund's Catholic Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 216 | A |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 51% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For Godalming, that is above both Surrey’s towns (£71K) and England’s towns (£55K). 51% of workers worked mainly from home at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Godalming sits above both Surrey’s towns (31) and England’s towns (39) on this measure. Godalming’s listed buildings include Church of St Peter and St Paul, Grade I. Godalming has 165 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 4 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Half the homes sold went for more than £515K, close to Surrey’s towns (£535K) and above England’s towns (£308K). Social housing holds 10% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £765,000 | 170 |
| Semi-detached | £585,000 | 147 |
| Terraced | £450,000 | 131 |
| Flat or maisonette | £289,975 | 154 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Police recorded 481 crimes inside Godalming’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 74 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 40% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
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
That puts Godalming above both Surrey’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (34%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8% of the population. Half the people of Godalming are older than 41.5.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Godalming | Surrey | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 13% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.3% | 4.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 54% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Surrey and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
165 listed buildings in Godalming, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of St Peter and St Paul: Photo: Hassocks5489 · CC0 · Westbrook: Photo: Hassocks5489 · CC0 · Busbridge Lakes: Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Rose and Crown Public House: Photo: Peter Trimming · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godalming | 10,450 | — | A | C+ | B | A |
| Farncombe | 13,247 | 1.1 | A | C+ | B+ | B |
| Milford and Witley | 6,489 | 2.2 | A+ | C+ | A− | A− |
| Bramley and Wonersh | 4,193 | 2.9 | A+ | C | A | A |
| Shalford | 2,508 | 3.1 | A+ | C− | A | A− |
| Shamley Green | 1,200 | 3.8 | — | C | B+ | A |
| Elstead | 2,261 | 3.8 | — | C+ | B− | A− |
| Chilworth | 1,917 | 4 | — | C− | B+ | A |
Shamley Green, Elstead and Chilworth have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 6.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Peter and St Paul.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £515,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £289,975, terraced houses £450,000, semi-detached houses £585,000 and detached houses £765,000.
Band D council tax in Godalming is £2,643 for 2026–27, more than in 92% 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.
Town in Surrey, England
Godalming is a built-up area of 10,450 people, in the Waverley 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.