Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in Tyne and Wear, North East, home to 14,237 people.
Safety is its weak spot — 43.4 violent and sexual offences and 25.1 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Among UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 13%. The median home sold for £150,000, 3.4 times what households in the Gateshead council area earn in a year. It is easy to get around without a car (A): nearly a quarter of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Overall, that makes a C−, good for #30 of 34 in Tyne and Wear. Nationally, it does better than 24% of UK towns. Health outcomes fall short of most towns (D): life expectancy 77.4 for men, 81.6 for women. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for schools and C+ for hazard risk.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes and life expectancy, ONS · flood risk, Environment Agency.
Northumbria Police published 34 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Blaydon is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Blaydon does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 13 buildings inside Blaydon’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
17% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →13 listed buildings in Blaydon.
Church of St Paul: Photo: Steve McShane · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Church of St Joseph and Presbytery Adjoining: Photo: Bill Henderson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Blaydon.
Reported offences in Blaydon came to 1,577 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 362. For its size, Blaydon records more crime per resident than 87% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. There were 29.3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both Tyne and Wear’s towns (18) and England’s towns (7.8). 27% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
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.
Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 4 primary schools: just over three in five pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below are three of its 5 schools, each with why it was picked. Blaydon’s four primaries and one secondary have 2,418 pupils between them.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkhead Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 320 | C |
| St Thomas More Catholic School, BlaydonLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,401 | B+ |
| Blaydon West Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 166 | A− |
Women here live to 81.6 on average and men to 77.4 (2019–23). Disability touches 21% of Blaydon’s population. At the census, 7% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, near Tyne and Wear’s towns (7.1%) and higher than England’s towns (5.2%). 3 GP practices serve the town; four in five patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Blaydon | Tyne and Wear | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 78% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7% | 7.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 21% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
In 2026, 3.8% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits. 37% of commuters travelled under 5 km, lower than both Tyne and Wear’s towns (48%) and England’s towns (45%). At the census, 23% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Ages in Blaydon split evenly at 44.1: half are older, half younger. The 15-to-24 age group: 9.9%, below Tyne and Wear’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Those 65 and older account for 22% of residents.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Blaydon | Tyne and Wear | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.9% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.3% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Tyne and Wear and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. For its size, Blaydon has 9 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above Tyne and Wear’s towns (7) but below England’s towns (39). 17% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
A quarter of households rent from a council or housing body. Half of the 597 standard sales inside Blaydon’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £150,000. Private rents average £804 a month across the Gateshead council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £266,000 | 81 |
| Semi-detached | £170,462 | 218 |
| Terraced | £135,000 | 263 |
| Flat or maisonette | £80,000 | 35 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Blaydon. Best known first.
MuseumTurbinia2.7 km outside town, to the east
CathedralNewcastle Cathedral3.5 km outside town, to the east
CastleNewcastle upon Tyne Castle3.5 km outside town, to the east
CathedralSt Mary's Cathedral3 km outside town, to the east
Big drawMuseumGreat North Museum: Hancock4 km outside town, to the east · 638K visitors a year
MuseumCentre for Life2.8 km outside town, to the east · 225K visitors a yearPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
19 notable people were born in Blaydon.
Bill Kibby: Nestor, F J, Public domain
Town in Tyne and Wear, England
Blaydon is a built-up area of 14,237 people, in the Gateshead 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaydon | 14,237 | — | C− | B− | D | D |
| Ryton | 8,804 | 1.6 | B− | C | C+ | C+ |
| Whickham | 15,680 | 1.8 | B | C | B | B− |
| Newburn | 1,475 | 2 | — | C | D− | D |
| Crawcrook and Greenside | 7,544 | 2.6 | B+ | B− | B | C |
| Rowlands Gill | 5,254 | 2.7 | C | C+ | B− | C+ |
| Sunniside | 3,422 | 2.7 | B | B− | C+ | C+ |
| Throckley | 6,207 | 3 | C | C− | C− | C− |
Newburn has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Band D council tax in Blaydon is £2,716 for 2026–27, more than in 96% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £150,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £80,000, terraced houses £135,000, semi-detached houses £170,462 and detached houses £266,000.
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.
