High Ackworth’s story
17 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside High Ackworth’s built-up area.
25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
High AckworthWest Yorkshire
The village, home to 742 people, lies in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Bill Henderson · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
742
Census 2021 · Wakefield council
Median home
£378K
26 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.4
25% are 65+ · West Yorkshire 17%
Degree level
46%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is High Ackworth a good place to live?
High Ackworth has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 6% of commuters. 17 buildings are listed here, 0 at Grade I. 50% of households own their home outright.
What makes High Ackworth stand out
The 3 things High Ackworth does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
2 Grade II*, including Church of St Cuthbert; 9.4 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Own outright
Housing
50% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in High Ackworth.
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in High Ackworth: just 21% travel under 5 km, below West Yorkshire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
1% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. The car took 91% of commuters, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). Working from home was the norm for 38% of workers at the census.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
On foot3%
Bicycle1%
Train1%
21%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
38%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£53K
mean household income, before tax
1%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Few households rent privately in High Ackworth: 7%, fewer than in West Yorkshire’s towns and England’s towns
At the median, a home went for £378K, above West Yorkshire’s towns (£232K) and England’s towns (£308K) alike. Households that own their home make up 90%. 3% of households rent from a council or housing body.
£378Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
High Ackworth£378K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £525,000 | 12 |
| Semi-detached | £315,000 | 6 |
| Terraced | £230,000 | 8 |
90%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£806
average private rent a month, Wakefield council area
£2,364
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Crime recorded by police in High Ackworth
Violence and sexual offences were nearly two fifths of the crimes. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 56 recorded crimes inside High Ackworth’s built-up area, and 1 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violent crime ran at 24.3 per 1,000 residents a year, below West Yorkshire’s towns (31.6) but above England’s towns (22).
24.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual22
Drugs7
Other theft6
Public order5
Burglary5
Damage & arson3
Vehicle crime3
Other crime3
Anti-social1
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.
24.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
56
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Bad health is less common in High Ackworth than in West Yorkshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.2% of residents
High Ackworth has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 0.9 miles away. 85% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%). The nearest A&E to High Ackworth is Pinderfields Hospital, 6.8 miles away.
85%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | High Ackworth | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
83.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
More of the land in High Ackworth is conservation area than in West Yorkshire’s towns or England’s towns: 100%
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
For its size, High Ackworth has 229 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. A quarter of its homes were built before 1919, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (16%). Grade II* covers 2 of them.
17listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*2
Grade II15
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Cuthbert Grade II*
- The Old Hall and Attached Garden Wall to Front Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
25%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
229
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Degrees are more common in High Ackworth than in West Yorkshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 46% of adults
8.1% of residents are 15 to 24, below West Yorkshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. People 65 and over make up 25% of the town. The middle age in High Ackworth is 48.4.
48.4median age
High AckworthWest YorkshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications10%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level46%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| High Ackworth | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.1% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.4% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 46% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Pontefract Castle and 3 more in and around High Ackworth
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near High Ackworth. Best known first.
CastlePontefract Castle3.9 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic house · National TrustNostell Priory3.4 km outside town, to the west
MuseumPontefract Museum3.4 km outside town, to the northWater parkWater parkHemsworth Water Park3.6 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Pontefract Castle: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Nostell Priory: Wehha, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pontefract Museum: Stanley Walker, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about High Ackworth
13pages on High Ackworth
The big questions
Safety24.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £378K · rent £806 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street Pontefract RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 83.2 (men), 87.2 (women)Work & commute48% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
High Ackworth’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Ackworth Moor TopFeatherstonePontefractFitzwilliam and KinsleyDarringtonStreethouseSharlstonHigh Ackworth
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Ackworth | 742 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ackworth Moor Top | 6,275 | 1.2 | B | B− | C+ | A− |
| Featherstone | 11,657 | 1.7 | D | B+ | D− | D |
| Pontefract | 32,982 | 2.6 | C+ | B+ | D | C− |
| Fitzwilliam and Kinsley | 4,993 | 2.6 | D− | B | D− | D− |
| Darrington | 1,194 | 2.9 | — | C− | C− | A− |
| Streethouse | 1,691 | 3.1 | — | B+ | D− | D |
| Sharlston | 2,163 | 3.4 | — | B | C− | D |
Darrington, Streethouse and Sharlston have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about High Ackworth
How many listed buildings are there in High Ackworth?
That is 9.4 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is High Ackworth expensive to live in?
By type: terraced houses £230,000, semi-detached houses £315,000 and detached houses £525,000. Private rents in the Wakefield council area averaged £806 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in High Ackworth?
Band D council tax in High Ackworth is £2,364 for 2026–27, less than in 64% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About High Ackworth
Village in West Yorkshire, England
High Ackworth is a built-up area of 742 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
- Population
- 742 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wakefield
- County
- West Yorkshire
- Region
- Yorkshire and The Humber
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001003
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.