Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a village of 1,194 residents in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
Schools are where it shines — primary results beat just over nine in ten towns in England; secondary results beat 69% of towns in England. Add health to its strengths — life expectancy 83.2 for men, 87.2 for women. The weak point is walkability (D−) — 5% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. It lags on cost of living as well — the median home sold for £365,000, 8.1 years of area income.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years. Darrington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
The 3 things Darrington 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 Darrington is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Darrington’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
12% 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 Darrington.
Nearly a third of residents are 65 or over, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for nearly a tenth of the town. The age that splits Darrington in two is 54.1. Among adults, 37% have a degree.
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Darrington | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.4% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 32% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
There is one school here; it is shown below. At the 8 primary schools within 3 km, 72% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Attainment 8 at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km averages 48.1, and just over half of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darrington Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 129 | B− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.3% of 16 to 64s in 2026. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 28%, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%). There are 0.8 jobs in Darrington for each resident in work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The nearest A&E to Darrington is Pinderfields Hospital, 9.1 miles away. 19% of residents have a disability, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). Seeing a GP means leaving Darrington: the nearest practice is 1.9 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Darrington | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.2% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, 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 and early deaths.
The social rented sector houses 6% of households. Private renters make up 10% of households, below West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Behind the median of £365,000: 51 standard sales inside Darrington’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £395,000 | 31 |
| Semi-detached | £264,000 | 16 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
For its size, Darrington records more crime per resident than 91% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 77 crimes and 3 reports of anti-social behaviour inside the town’s built-up area. Violence came to 25.4 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than West Yorkshire’s towns (31.8) yet higher than England’s towns (22).
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Darrington’s listed buildings include the Church of St Luke and All Saints, Grade I. The pre-1919 share of homes is 12%. It counts 8 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade I. Scaled to its population, Darrington has 67 listed buildings per 10,000 people, above West Yorkshire’s towns (25) and England’s towns (39) alike.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Darrington. Best known first.
CastlePontefract Castle2.8 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumPontefract Museum2.9 km outside town, to the northwestArt galleryArt galleryLittle Smeaton Art Gallery4.1 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darrington | 1,194 | — | — | C− | C− | A− |
| Pontefract | 32,982 | 1.9 | C+ | B+ | D | C− |
| Knottingley | 9,516 | 2.2 | C | B+ | D− | D− |
| Holmfield | 4,150 | 2.5 | C− | A− | D− | D− |
| Byram | 1,436 | 3.3 | — | A | C | B− |
| Featherstone | 11,657 | 3.7 | D | B+ | D− | D |
| Upton | 6,332 | 3.9 | D | B+ | D | C− |
| Ackworth Moor Top | 6,275 | 3.9 | B | B− | C+ | A− |
Byram has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2.7 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Luke and All Saints. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Primary schools stand out: Key Stage 2 results beat 91% of towns in England. Secondary results beat 69%. One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Wakefield council.
Village in West Yorkshire, England
Darrington is a built-up area of 1,194 people, in the Wakefield 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.