Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a large town of 21,541 residents in West Midlands.
Residents’ health trails most towns: life expectancy 75.1 for men, 78.8 for women. Fewer journeys need a car (A−): on the way to work, 22% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. It takes 4 years of household income in the Walsall council area to buy the median home, at £185,000. All told, that adds up to a D− overall and a rank of #25 of 35 in West Midlands. On that grade it does better than 4% of UK towns. Police record more crime here than in most towns (D−): 53.7 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 25.5 home and vehicle crimes. Only 7% of UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people have more crime per resident.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026.
The 3 things Darlaston does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Darlaston is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 9 buildings inside Darlaston’s built-up area.
16% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Darlaston. Best known first.
Art galleryThe New Art Gallery2.1 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumWednesbury Museum & Art Gallery1.2 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumBliston Craft Gallery and Library1.2 km outside town, to the west
MuseumWillenhall Lock Museum900 m outside town, to the northwest
MuseumBlack Country Living Museum4.8 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumThe Leather Museum2.5 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Darlaston.
Degrees are held by a fifth of adults. Just over one in ten residents are 65 or over, lower than both West Midlands’ towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). The median resident of Darlaston is 33.9 years old.
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Darlaston | West Midlands | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 22% | 24% | 25% |
| 65+ | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 29% | 24% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.7% | 4.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 20% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Midlands and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Kings Hill Primary School’s results beat 87% of schools in England like it. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 6 primary schools: three in five pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below are two of its 8 schools, each with why it was picked. GCSE results at the 18 secondary schools within 3 km: 34% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 41.6.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings Hill Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 459 | A |
| Grace Academy DarlastonLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,059 | D |
6.9% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, higher than both West Midlands’ towns (6%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Self-reported good health: 79% of Darlaston’s residents. 4 GP practices serve the town; 73% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Darlaston | West Midlands | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.9% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, 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 and early deaths.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
For its size, Darlaston records more crime per resident than 93% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Police recorded 2,201 crimes inside the town’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 117 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences made up 50% of the total.
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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 15% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Home was the main workplace for 15% of workers at the census. Households had £43K a year before tax, below both West Midlands’ towns (£48K) and England’s towns (£55K). Darlaston counts 0.9 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.
Homes from before 1919 make up 16% of the total, about level with England’s towns (16%) and above West Midlands’ towns (7%). For its size, Darlaston has 4 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
46% of households own their home. No town in West Midlands costs less to buy into than Darlaston, at £185,000, the lowest of 35. Private rents average £927 a month across the Walsall council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £283,500 | 33 |
| Semi-detached | £197,500 | 173 |
| Terraced | £172,500 | 135 |
| Flat or maisonette | £99,000 | 32 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
9 listed buildings in Darlaston.
The White Lion Public House: Photo: Gordon Griffiths · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Globe Inn: Photo: John M · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Church of All Saints, Darlaston: Photo: John M · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 1 and 2, Church Street: Photo: KelliW592 · CC BY-SA 4.0
17 notable people were born in Darlaston.
Netan Sansara: Imonone89, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mark Rhodes: Beau’s Toy Farm, CC BY 3.0 · Tom Butler: Port Vale F.C., Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darlaston | 21,541 | — | D− | C | D− | D− |
| Wednesbury | 20,321 | 1.2 | D− | C− | D− | D− |
| Bilston | 34,631 | 1.4 | D− | C− | D− | D− |
| Willenhall | 49,582 | 2.1 | D− | C | D | D |
| Tipton | 47,202 | 2.4 | D− | C− | D | D− |
| Walsall | 70,777 | 2.5 | D | C− | D− | D |
| Coseley | 25,206 | 3 | C− | A− | C− | D |
| West Bromwich | 103,099 | 3 | D− | D | D− | D |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £185,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £99,000, terraced houses £172,500, semi-detached houses £197,500 and detached houses £283,500. Household incomes are lower than in 87% of UK towns, so cost of living grades C.
GCSE results trail 84% of towns in England, and primary results trail 57% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Large town in West Midlands, England
Darlaston is a built-up area of 21,541 people, in the Walsall 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
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.