Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 31,557: a large town in West Glamorgan, Wales.
The data are hard on it. Where it falls short is health (D−) — 9.8% of residents report bad or very bad health, and 26.4% are disabled. Port Talbot ranks #17 of 19 in West Glamorgan, with a D overall. Set against the rest, it does better than nearly a tenth of UK towns. Its best grade is for cost of living — homes sell for a median £153,000, about 3.6 times local household income. It also trails on safety: 48.8 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 14.2 home and vehicle crimes. Only 18% of UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people have more crime per resident. Jobs & income is weaker too — mean household income £38,921; 4.1% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · health, Census 2021 (the grade adjusts for age) · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · income, ONS · claimants, DWP.
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.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Wales), ordered by how far Port Talbot is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Port Talbot does most differently from other towns.
Cadw lists 32 buildings inside Port Talbot’s built-up area, 4 of them Grade II*.
26% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 3 old photos and postcards going back to 1905.
32 listed buildings in Port Talbot.
Beulah Calvinistic Methodist Chapel: Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Church of St Theodore: Photo: John Lord · CC BY-SA 2.0 · War Memorial: Photo: Sean Pursey · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Aberavon Bridge (partly in Aberavon community): Photo: FruitMonkey · CC BY-SA 4.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Port Talbot.
At the census, 74% of people in Port Talbot called their health good or very good, lower than both West Glamorgan’s towns (78%) and Wales’s towns (78%). A disability affects 26% of people in the town. Also worth knowing: 4 GP practices serve the town. The nearest A&E to Port Talbot is Morriston Hospital, 8.7 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Port Talbot | West Glamorgan | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 74% | 78% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 9.8% | 7.9% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 26% | 23% | 22% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · ONS, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy.
Port Talbot’s ten primaries and three secondaries have 6,136 pupils between them. Below are three of them, each with why it was picked. Three of them are below, each with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tywyn Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 439 | – |
| Ysgol Cwm BrombilLargest secondary schoolAll-through | All-through | 1,439 | – |
| YGG Rhos-AfanLargest Welsh-medium schoolPrimary | Primary | 388 | – |
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Port Talbot logged 3,075 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 545 complaints of anti-social conduct. Among the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Port Talbot has more crime per resident than just over four fifths of them. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 17.2 reports per 1,000, above both West Glamorgan’s towns (7.8) and Wales’s towns (10.4). Of all the crimes, 47% were 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.
Social housing holds nearly a quarter of households, above West Glamorgan’s towns (19%) and Wales’s towns (18%) alike. From September 2023 to August 2026, 1,083 homes sold inside Port Talbot’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £153,000. Private rents average £690 a month across the Neath Port Talbot council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £274,995 | 107 |
| Semi-detached | £166,000 | 447 |
| Terraced | £129,000 | 479 |
| Flat or maisonette | £146,750 | 50 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 18% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
45% of commuters who live in Port Talbot also work there. Working mainly from home: 18% of workers, lower than both West Glamorgan’s towns (23%) and Wales’s towns (24%). This West Glamorgan town counts 1.4 jobs per working resident.
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.
Grade II* covers 4 of them. The register of parks and gardens lists one in Port Talbot.
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 10% of the population. 18% are under 15, above both West Glamorgan’s towns (16%) and Wales’s towns (17%). Port Talbot has a median age of 42.
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Port Talbot | West Glamorgan | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 24% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 20% | 21% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 28% | 21% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 22% | 30% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Glamorgan and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Port Talbot. Best known first.
CastleKenfig Castle2.9 km outside town, to the southeast
Abbey or prioryMargam Abbey1.2 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleMargam Castle1.5 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleNeath Castle4.8 km outside town, to the north
Abbey or priory · CadwNeath Abbey4.2 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
9 notable people were born in Port Talbot.
Dic Penderyn: John Lord, CC BY-SA 2.0
Large town in West Glamorgan, Wales
Port Talbot is a built-up area of 31,557 people, in the Neath Port Talbot 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Talbot | 31,557 | — | D | B+ | D | D− |
| Cwmavon | 4,524 | 2.2 | C− | B+ | C+ | D |
| Baglan | 10,516 | 2.4 | C− | B+ | C | D |
| Neath | 40,738 | 4.9 | D | B | C− | D |
| Coedhirwaun | 1,270 | 5.2 | — | D | A+ | C+ |
| Tonna | 2,665 | 5.6 | C | B− | B | C− |
| Maesteg | 18,342 | 5.9 | D | A− | C− | D− |
| Pyle | 14,075 | 6.3 | D | B+ | C− | D |
Coedhirwaun has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
32 on Cadw’s list, 4 of them Grade II*.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £153,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £146,750, terraced houses £129,000, semi-detached houses £166,000 and detached houses £274,995.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on Natural Resources Wales’s flood risk service.
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.