Rowly’s story
2 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Rowly’s built-up area.
16% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
RowlySurrey
A village of 660 in Surrey, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Stacey Harris · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
660
Census 2021 · Waverley council
Median home
£932K
26 sales in 3 years
Median age
52.4
30% are 65+ · Surrey 19%
Degree level
49%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Rowly a good place to live?
Rowly has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Rowly stand out
The 3 things Rowly does most differently from other towns.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
3.4 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
11% 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
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rowly.
Who lives here
Rowly skews older, with 30% of residents 65 or over, more than Surrey’s towns or England’s towns
Under-15s account for 16% of the population. 9% of residents are 15 to 24, lower than both Surrey’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). The middle age in Rowly is 52.4. Degrees are held by nearly half of adults.
52.4median age
RowlySurreyEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications8%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level49%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Rowly | Surrey | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 8.2% | 13% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.2% | 4.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 49% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Surrey and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Rowly walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Surrey’s towns or England’s towns: 11%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 58% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Short trips to work, under 5 km: 29%, lower than both Surrey’s towns (40%) and England’s towns (45%). The car carried 87% of commuters at the census. At the census, 58% of workers worked mainly from home.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
Train5%
On foot4%
Bus2%
Underground, tram1%
29%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
58%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£67K
mean household income, before tax
1.7%
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
Buying in Rowly costs more than in Surrey’s towns or across England’s towns: the median sale is £932K
Owners make up 93% of households, higher than both Surrey’s towns (70%) and England’s towns (61%). 2% of households live in social housing. Renting privately is how 5% of households live.
£932Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Rowly£932K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £952,500 | 24 |
93%
of households own their home · England 61%
5%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,459
average private rent a month, Waverley council area
£2,614
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
Burglary and damage are rarer in Rowly than in Surrey’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.5 per 1,000 residents a year
Violence came to 11.1 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Surrey’s towns (19.4) and England’s towns (22). The 12 months to August 2026 brought 11 recorded crimes inside Rowly’s built-up area, and 4 reports of anti-social behaviour.
11.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual6
Public order2
Other theft2
Damage & arson1
Shoplifting0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social4
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.
11.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
11
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Bad health is less common in Rowly than in Surrey’s towns or across England’s towns: 1.8% of residents
87% of people in Rowly rate their own health good or very good. At the census, 13% of people here had a disability, close to Surrey’s towns (14%) and below England’s towns (17%). Seeing a GP means leaving Rowly: the nearest practice is 1.4 miles away.
87%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Rowly | Surrey | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.8% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
84.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87.8
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
All 2 of Rowly’s listed buildings are Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 16% of the total. Scaled to its population, Rowly has 30 listed buildings per 10,000 people, near both Surrey’s towns (31) and England’s towns (39).
2listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II2
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
16%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
30
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rowly
13pages on Rowly
The big questions
Safety11.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £932K · rent £1,459 a monthHousing10 sold in 12 months · busiest street Guildford RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 84.5 (men), 87.8 (women)Work & commute69% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards2.7% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Rowly’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
CranleighShamley GreenEwhurstBramley and WonershChilworthShalfordGomshallRowly
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowly | 660 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cranleigh | 10,430 | 1.3 | A− | C+ | B | A |
| Shamley Green | 1,200 | 2.1 | — | C | B+ | A |
| Ewhurst | 1,517 | 2.9 | — | C | A | A |
| Bramley and Wonersh | 4,193 | 3.3 | A+ | C | A | A |
| Chilworth | 1,917 | 4.2 | — | C− | B+ | A |
| Shalford | 2,508 | 4.7 | A+ | C− | A | A− |
| Gomshall | 1,378 | 4.9 | — | D | B | A |
Shamley Green, Ewhurst, Chilworth and Gomshall have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Rowly
Is Rowly expensive to live in?
Private rents in the Waverley council area averaged £1,459 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Rowly?
Band D council tax in Rowly is £2,614 for 2026–27, more than in 87% 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.
About Rowly
Village in Surrey, England
Rowly is a built-up area of 660 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
- Population
- 660 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Waverley
- County
- Surrey
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005808
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.