Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a village of 1,819 residents in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
Residents are healthier than most: life expectancy is 86 for men and 88.4 for women. Its schools beat most (A+): primary results beat 95% of towns in England. Buying in is costly: homes sell for a median £575,000, about 11.4 times local household income. It lags on walkability as well: nearly one in ten commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021. Bardsey has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
The 3 things Bardsey 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 Bardsey is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Bardsey’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bardsey.
2.2% of residents report bad or very bad health; what’s more, at the census, just over a tenth of people here had a disability, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). Self-reported good health: 88% of Bardsey’s residents. Seeing a GP means leaving Bardsey: the nearest practice is 1.8 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Bardsey | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.2% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Below is its only school. Key Stage 2 results at the 3 primary schools within 3 km: 74% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). 208 pupils attend Bardsey’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bardsey Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 208 | B+ |
Households that own their home make up 90%. Social housing holds 3% of households, lower than both West Yorkshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Half of the 49 standard sales inside Bardsey’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £575,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £615,000 | 33 |
| Semi-detached | £408,500 | 15 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 40 recorded crimes inside Bardsey’s built-up area, and 3 reports of anti-social behaviour. Burglary and damage came to 4 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both West Yorkshire’s towns (12.7) and England’s towns (9.4). For its size, Bardsey records less crime per resident than 87% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people. Violence and sexual offences made up 48% 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 50% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.2% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below West Yorkshire’s towns (2.3%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. Driving is how 88% of commuters got to work at the census. Work in town: 3% of resident commuters. Half of workers did their job mainly from home at the census.
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.
The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them. 8% of its homes were built before 1919, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (16%). Historic England’s list names 14 listed buildings in Bardsey: 1 Grade I. Its listed buildings include the Church of All Hallows, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Degrees are held by nearly half of adults, above West Yorkshire’s towns (30%) and England’s towns (34%) alike. People aged 15 to 24 are 6.9% of the population. Half the people of Bardsey are older than 50.1. Under-15s account for 17% of the population.
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bardsey | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.9% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.4% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 49% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bardsey. Best known first.
CastleHarewood Castle4.5 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseBramham Park4 km outside town, to the southeastCastleCastleRoundhay Castle (Folly)4.9 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bardsey | 1,819 | — | — | D− | A | A+ |
| East Keswick | 1,145 | 0.7 | — | D− | A+ | A+ |
| Scarcroft | 1,634 | 1.4 | — | D− | A | A+ |
| Collingham | 2,362 | 1.4 | — | D− | A− | A+ |
| Thorner | 1,397 | 2.2 | — | D | B+ | A− |
| Shadwell | 1,452 | 3 | — | D− | A− | A+ |
| Boston Spa | 6,358 | 3.5 | A− | D | B+ | A |
| Bramham | 1,764 | 3.5 | — | D | A− | A |
East Keswick, Scarcroft, Collingham, Thorner, Shadwell and Bramham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Primary results beat 95% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Leeds council.
That is 3.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of All Hallows. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £575,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £408,500 and detached houses £615,000.
Village in West Yorkshire, England
Bardsey is a built-up area of 1,819 people, in the Leeds 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.