Grovesend’s story
Grovesend: 32% of homes built before 1919
32% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
GrovesendWest Glamorgan
This village in West Glamorgan, Wales has a population of 1,148.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Martin Bodman · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,148
Census 2021 · Swansea council
Median home
£174K
34 sales in 3 years
Median age
43.9
22% are 65+ · West Glamorgan 21%
Degree level
28%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Grovesend a good place to live?
Recorded crime is low: 17.8 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 4.9 home and vehicle crimes. Cost of living is another plus (B+): homes sell for a median £173,900, about 3.8 times local household income. Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work (D): on the way to work, 7% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Residents’ health trails most towns (C−): 6.1% in bad or very bad health, 21.2% disabled.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · health, Census 2021 (the grade adjusts for age). Grovesend is graded on each subject, but towns under 2,500 get no overall grade.
This town's Health Grade uses ONS's small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns' grades also use OHID's small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
What makes Grovesend stand out
The 3 things Grovesend does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (Wales’s towns 16%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
37% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
How Grovesend grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Wales), ordered by how far Grovesend is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Grovesend is graded on each subject, but towns under 2,500 get no overall grade.
WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carDOpen →Jobs & incomeIncomes and work are among the weakest comparedDOpen →HealthNear the bottom of the towns comparedC−Open →SafetyGraded on crime per residentA−Open →Hazard risk1.6% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC−Open →Cost of livingRent £852 a monthB+Open →
SchoolsNot published in Wales–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsC−Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 3.5 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC+Open →Civic life0 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Grovesend.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Fewer commuters in Grovesend work nearby than in West Glamorgan’s towns or Wales’s towns: 26% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 26% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
2.7% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, below West Glamorgan’s towns (2.9%) and Wales’s towns (3%) alike. By car: that was how nine in ten commuters travelled at the census. Of the commuters living in Grovesend, 2% work in the town itself. A household here earns £42K a year before tax, on average.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot3%
Bus3%
Bicycle1%
26%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
26%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£42K
mean household income, before tax
2.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D
Walkability: more walkable than 7% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Schools
1 state school in Grovesend
It is listed below. The town’s primary school has 110 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pengelli Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 110 | – |
Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.The Schools page →
Health
People in Grovesend live shorter lives than in 87% of UK towns
Seeing a GP means leaving Grovesend: the nearest practice is 1.2 miles away. Just over a fifth of residents have a disability, below West Glamorgan’s towns (23%) and close to Wales’s towns (22%). Asked at the census, 80% of residents of Grovesend said they were in good or very good health.
80%good or very good healthC−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Grovesend | West Glamorgan | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 78% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.1% | 7.9% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 23% | 22% |
75.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
81.8
life expectancy at birth, women
Welsh towns’ Health Grades use ONS’s small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns’ also use OHID’s small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · ONS, 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.
History
No listed buildings in Grovesend
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 32% of the total, above West Glamorgan’s towns (27%) and Wales’s towns (27%) alike. Cadw’s list has no building inside Grovesend’s built-up area.
0listed buildingsC−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
32%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Fewer crimes per resident in Grovesend than in 76% of UK towns
Police figures for Grovesend’s built-up area: 36 crimes and 6 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Of all the crimes, 53% were violence and sexual offences. Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Grovesend has less crime per resident than 58% of them.
17.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearA−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 58% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual19
Damage & arson5
Public order4
Other crime3
Vehicle crime2
Other theft1
Drugs1
Weapons1
Anti-social6
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.
17.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
36
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.
HousingCost of living grade B+
Most households in Grovesend own their home: 84%, more than in West Glamorgan’s towns or across Wales’s towns
10% rent privately, below West Glamorgan’s towns (17%) and Wales’s towns (17%) alike. Social renters account for 6% of households. 34 standard sales inside Grovesend’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £173,900.
£174Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Grovesend£174K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £385,000 | 8 |
| Semi-detached | £164,500 | 22 |
84%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
10%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£852
average private rent a month, Swansea council area
£2,238
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Who lives here
Grovesend has fewer young adults than West Glamorgan’s towns or Wales’s towns: 10% are 15 to 24
28% of adults hold a degree, lower than both West Glamorgan’s towns (30%) and Wales’s towns (31%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 22% of residents. Residents of Grovesend have a median age of 43.9.
43.9median age
GrovesendWest GlamorganWales
Ages · share of residents
22%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar21%
Degree level28%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Grovesend | West Glamorgan | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 24% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 22% | 21% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 21% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 30% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Glamorgan and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Grovesend
14pages on Grovesend
The big questions
SafetyA−17.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingB+Median home £174K · rent £852 a monthHousing11 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state school (no results published in Wales)HealthC−Work & commuteD41% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC−1.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Grovesend’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
GorseinonPenllergaerPontarddulaisHendy and FforestLlangennechLoughorBrynGrovesend
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grovesend | 1,148 | — | — | B+ | A− | C− |
| Gorseinon | 14,114 | 1.4 | C | B+ | B− | C− |
| Penllergaer | 3,578 | 1.8 | C+ | C | B+ | C+ |
| Pontarddulais | 6,513 | 1.8 | C | B+ | C+ | C− |
| Hendy and Fforest | 2,996 | 1.9 | C+ | B+ | B | C |
| Llangennech | 4,278 | 2.1 | B− | B+ | B+ | C+ |
| Loughor | 4,632 | 2.1 | B− | B+ | B− | C |
| Bryn | 1,727 | 2.8 | — | B | B+ | C− |
Bryn has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Grovesend
Is Grovesend expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £173,900, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £164,500 and detached houses £385,000.
Is Grovesend safe?
About the middle for its size: 42% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, it grades A−.
Does Grovesend flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on Natural Resources Wales’s flood risk service.
About Grovesend
Village in West Glamorgan, Wales
Grovesend is a built-up area of 1,148 people, in the Swansea 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
- 1,148 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Swansea
- County
- West Glamorgan
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000445
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) · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, 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.