Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 6,806 people, this town lies in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
Much to like here, and you pay for it. Its best grade is for schools: primary results beat 98% of towns in England; secondary results beat 92% of towns in England. Overall, Burley in Wharfedale earns an A+, better than 95% of UK towns. In the ranking it comes #2 of 91 in West Yorkshire. Households here earn well: households earn a mean £64,293 a year, and 1.5% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Housing is expensive: homes sell for a median £415,000, about 9.1 times local household income.
Figures: income, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Burley in Wharfedale 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 Burley in Wharfedale is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 41 buildings inside Burley in Wharfedale’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
24% 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 Burley in Wharfedale.
78% of pupils at the town’s 2 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its two schools are listed below. Burley in Wharfedale’s two primaries have 599 pupils between them.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burley Oaks Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 393 | A− |
| Burley and Woodhead CofE Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 206 | A+ |
14% of residents have a disability, below West Yorkshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Self-reported good health: 86% of Burley in Wharfedale’s residents. Women here live to 85.9 on average and men to 82 (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Burley in Wharfedale is Bradford Royal Infirmary, 7.4 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Burley in Wharfedale | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 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.
8% of households rent from a council or housing body. Private renters make up just over one in ten households, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%). Burley in Wharfedale is the second most expensive of the 91 towns in West Yorkshire, at £415,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £538,500 | 136 |
| Semi-detached | £426,498 | 86 |
| Terraced | £310,000 | 99 |
| Flat or maisonette | £258,000 | 41 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · 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 24% of the total. Burley in Wharfedale’s listed buildings include Burley House, Grade I. Conservation areas cover 15% of the town’s land, lower than West Yorkshire’s towns (96%) yet higher than England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 190 recorded crimes inside Burley in Wharfedale’s built-up area, and 32 reports of anti-social behaviour. Homes saw 8.6 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below West Yorkshire’s towns (12.7) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Burley in Wharfedale has less crime per resident than four fifths of them. Violence and sexual offences made up half 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 45% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Four in five commuters drove, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). Working from home was the norm for 45% of workers at the census. Also worth knowing: the 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.5%.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
People aged 15 to 24 make up 8.8% of the town. 23% of residents are 65 or over, above West Yorkshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The middle age in Burley in Wharfedale is 46.2.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Burley in Wharfedale | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.8% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.9% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 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 Burley in Wharfedale. Best known first.
Historic houseFarnley Hall4.4 km outside town, to the east
MuseumIlkley Toy Museum4 km outside town, to the west
MuseumManor House Art Gallery and Museum4.2 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumOtley Museum3.3 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumSecond World War Experience Centre3.3 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumThe Ron Kitching Library3.3 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
41 listed buildings in Burley in Wharfedale, 1 of them Grade I.
Burley in Wharfedale Congregational Church: Photo: Storye book · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Malt Shovel Hotel: Photo: John Sparshatt · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Parish Church of St Mary: Photo: Mtaylor848 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · 4, 6 and 8, Main Street: Photo: Tim Green from Bradford · CC BY 2.0
3 notable people were born in Burley in Wharfedale.
William Watson: Elliot & Fry, Ltd., Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burley in Wharfedale | 6,806 | — | A+ | C− | B+ | A |
| Menston | 5,905 | 1.6 | A | D | B | A+ |
| Otley | 14,549 | 2.3 | B+ | C− | C+ | B+ |
| Ilkley | 14,852 | 2.9 | A | C− | B− | A+ |
| Guiseley | 12,462 | 2.9 | A− | C− | C | A |
| Yeadon | 14,273 | 4.1 | B− | C+ | C− | C+ |
| Baildon | 17,056 | 4.5 | B− | B− | C− | B− |
| East Morton | 1,227 | 4.6 | — | B | A | B+ |
East Morton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Among the strongest in England: GCSE results beat 92% of towns in England, and primary results beat 98% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Burley in Wharfedale has 2 state schools; places are handled by Bradford council.
That is 2.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Burley House.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £415,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £258,000, terraced houses £310,000, semi-detached houses £426,498 and detached houses £538,500.
Town in West Yorkshire, England
Burley in Wharfedale is a built-up area of 6,806 people, in the Bradford 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.