Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 9,516 people, lies in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
Low prices, and some weak spots to weigh against them. Its lowest grade is for safety — 71.2 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 33.1 home and vehicle crimes. Schools are where it shines: primary results beat 93% of towns in England; secondary results beat 49% of towns in England. Buying the median home, at £185,000, takes 4.1 years of household income in the Wakefield council area. Overall, that makes a C, good for #72 of 91 in West Yorkshire. It comes out better than 31% of UK towns. Residents’ health trails most towns (D−): life expectancy 73.8 for men, 79 for women.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes and life expectancy, ONS.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Knottingley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Knottingley does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 4 buildings inside Knottingley’s built-up area.
9% 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 Knottingley.
Children are nearly a fifth of the town. Young adults of 15 to 24 are just over one in ten residents, lower than both West Yorkshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). Half the people of Knottingley are older than 38.7.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Knottingley | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 33% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 16% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
73% of pupils at the town’s 3 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Simpson's Lane Academy’s results beat 90% of schools in England like it. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. GCSE results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: 47% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 44.6.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simpson's Lane AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 387 | A |
| De Lacy AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 853 | B− |
45% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Knottingley logged 1,371 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 167 complaints of anti-social conduct. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 23.4 reports per 1,000, above West Yorkshire’s towns (6.8) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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.
8% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, above West Yorkshire’s towns (5.7%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike, and a disability affects 23% of people in Knottingley. The nearest A&E to Knottingley is Pinderfields Hospital, 9.9 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 73% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Knottingley | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 75% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
9% of homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 14% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
37% of commuters travelled under 5 km, lower than both West Yorkshire’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%). For every resident in work, Knottingley has 1.2 jobs. Of the commuters living locally, 20% work in the town itself. Households take home £41K a year before tax, on average.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The owner-occupied share of households is 55%. Private renters make up 12% of households, lower than both West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%). The £185,000 median rests on 486 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £223,820 | 88 |
| Semi-detached | £180,495 | 293 |
| Terraced | £148,000 | 99 |
| Flat or maisonette | £83,750 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
8 notable people were born in Knottingley.
Town in West Yorkshire, England
Knottingley is a built-up area of 9,516 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knottingley | 9,516 | — | C | B+ | D− | D− |
| Holmfield | 4,150 | 0.9 | C− | A− | D− | D− |
| Byram | 1,436 | 1.4 | — | A | C | B− |
| Darrington | 1,194 | 2.2 | — | C− | C− | A− |
| Pontefract | 32,982 | 2.6 | C+ | B+ | D | C− |
| Monk Fryston and Hillam | 1,717 | 3.7 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Eggborough | 2,440 | 3.9 | — | A− | B− | B− |
| Castleford | 45,363 | 4 | D | B+ | D− | D |
Byram, Darrington, Monk Fryston and Hillam and Eggborough have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Secondary results are closer to the middle, trailing 51%.
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 £83,750, terraced houses £148,000, semi-detached houses £180,495 and detached houses £223,820.
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.
