Penshaw’s story
No listed buildings inside Penshaw’s built-up area
23% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PenshawTyne and Wear
A village of 627 in Tyne and Wear, North East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: FTMSuperfly · Public domain
Population
627
Census 2021 · Sunderland council
Median home
£304K
20 sales in 3 years
Median age
54.3
25% are 65+ · Tyne and Wear 19%
Degree level
42%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
5%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Penshaw a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Penshaw has no grades; its figures are still real. 5% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. 53% of households own their home outright. People aged 65 and over make up 25% of residents.
What makes Penshaw stand out
The 3 things Penshaw does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
5% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Own outright
Housing
53% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
25% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Penshaw.
Who lives here
Penshaw has fewer young adults than Tyne and Wear’s towns or England’s towns: 6.4% are 15 to 24
Line up the people of Penshaw by age and the one in the middle is 54.3. People 65 and over make up a quarter of the town, above Tyne and Wear’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Among adults, 42% have a degree.
54.3median age
PenshawTyne and WearEngland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level42%
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.
| Penshaw | Tyne and Wear | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.4% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 35% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Tyne and Wear and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
More commuters in Penshaw drive than in Tyne and Wear’s towns or England’s towns: 91%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households take home £52K a year before tax, on average. 31% of commuters travelled under 5 km, below both Tyne and Wear’s towns (48%) and England’s towns (45%). Also worth knowing: in 2026, 1.4% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
5%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
Bus2%
On foot1%
Bicycle1%
Underground, tram1%
31%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
35%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£52K
mean household income, before tax
1.4%
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
Private renting is less common in Penshaw than in Tyne and Wear’s towns or across England’s towns: 5%
The median sale price was £304K, above Tyne and Wear’s towns (£170K) and close to England’s towns (£308K). Nine in ten households are owner-occupiers. Private rents average £707 a month across the Sunderland council area.
£304Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Penshaw£304K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £335,000 | 15 |
| Terraced | £187,000 | 5 |
90%
of households own their home · England 61%
5%
rent privately · England 21%
£707
average private rent a month, Sunderland council area
£2,196
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 hit Penshaw harder than Tyne and Wear’s towns or England’s towns: 23.6 per 1,000 residents a year
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 35.5 reports per 1,000, above Tyne and Wear’s towns (18) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. The violent crime rate is 20.8 per 1,000 residents a year. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 42 crimes and 15 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Penshaw’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences made up 29% of the total.
20.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual12
Burglary9
Damage & arson6
Vehicle crime6
Other theft4
Public order2
Robbery2
Theft from person1
Anti-social15
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.
20.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
23.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
35.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
42
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
Fewer people in Penshaw live with a disability than in Tyne and Wear’s towns or across England’s towns: 12%
3.7% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below Tyne and Wear’s towns (7.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. Self-reported good health: 88% of Penshaw’s residents. Seeing a GP means leaving Penshaw: the nearest practice is 0.8 miles away.
88%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 9%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Penshaw | Tyne and Wear | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 78% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 7.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 21% | 17% |
78.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
History
Penshaw keeps more of its old housing than Tyne and Wear’s towns or England’s towns: 23% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Penshaw’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
23%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Lumley Castle and 4 more in and around Penshaw
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Penshaw. Best known first.
CastleLumley Castle3.5 km outside town, to the southwest
CastleLambton Castle1.7 km outside town, to the southwest
Museum · National TrustWashington Old Hall2.5 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumWashington F Pit Museum3.5 km outside town, to the northZooZooDown at the Farm4.6 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)
- Lumley Castle: Bill Henderson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lambton Castle: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Washington Old Hall: PJMarriott, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Penshaw
13pages on Penshaw
The big questions
Safety20.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £304K · rent £707 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 months · busiest street AshdaleSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 78.3 (men), 84.1 (women)Work & commute43% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards34.5% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Penshaw’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Shiney Row and PenshawBournmoorWashingtonFence HousesBirtleyHoughton-le-SpringGreat LumleyPenshaw
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penshaw | 627 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shiney Row and Penshaw | 16,900 | 1.2 | B− | B+ | C+ | C− |
| Bournmoor | 1,991 | 1.6 | — | C | D | C− |
| Washington | 51,318 | 1.7 | B− | A− | C− | D |
| Fence Houses | 6,945 | 2.4 | B− | A− | C | D |
| Birtley | 13,840 | 2.7 | C | C+ | C− | D |
| Houghton-le-Spring | 12,552 | 2.9 | B− | A− | D | D |
| Great Lumley | 3,627 | 3 | B+ | B+ | B | C− |
Bournmoor has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Penshaw
How much is council tax in Penshaw?
Band D council tax in Penshaw is £2,196 for 2026–27, less than in 82% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Is Penshaw expensive to live in?
By type: terraced houses £187,000 and detached houses £335,000.
About Penshaw
Village in Tyne and Wear, England
Penshaw is a built-up area of 627 people, in the Sunderland 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
- 627 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Sunderland
- County
- Tyne and Wear
- Region
- North East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000147
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.