Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber has a population of 5,905. Secondary school results beat 91% of towns in England.
Much to like here, and you pay for it. Where it does best is health — life expectancy is 83.5 for men and 88.8 for women. Jobs and pay hold up well: the mean household earns £68,483 a year. The catch is cost of living (D) — a typical home costs £374,995 and rent runs £836 a month. Put together, the subjects come to an A overall, better than 90% of UK towns. Its place in the ranking is #7 of 91 in West Yorkshire.
Figures: life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Menston 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 Menston is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 15 buildings inside Menston’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
15% 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 Menston.
Seeing a GP means leaving Menston: the nearest practice is 1.6 miles away. 2.7% of residents report bad or very bad health. At the census, 88% of people in Menston called their health good or very good, higher than both West Yorkshire’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%). Disability touches 12% of the town’s population.
| Census 2021 | Menston | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.7% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
Attainment 8 at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km averages 53.8, and 63% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. There is one school here; it is shown below. At the 14 primary schools within 3 km, 69% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menston Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 398 | B+ |
Half the people of Menston are older than 45.4. 8.1% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Menston | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.1% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 9.1% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.3% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 51% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
5% live in social housing, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Renting privately is how 13% of households live. The £374,995 median rests on 339 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £642,500 | 90 |
| Semi-detached | £381,250 | 82 |
| Terraced | £352,500 | 66 |
| Flat or maisonette | £184,950 | 101 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 48% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The census found 17% of commuters going to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Working mainly from home: 48% of workers, higher than both West Yorkshire’s towns (28%) and England’s towns (31%). Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.3% of 16 to 64s in 2026. About 4% of its commuters stay in Menston for work.
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.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. Of Menston’s land, 23% lies in conservation areas, below West Yorkshire’s towns (96%) but above England’s towns (7%). The register of parks and gardens lists one locally.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 3.3 reports per 1,000, below West Yorkshire’s towns (7.1) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 198 crimes and 18 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Menston’s built-up area. Property crime (burglary and damage) runs at 9.1 per 1,000 residents a year. Violence and sexual offences accounted for just over half of recorded crime.
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.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Menston. Best known first.
Historic houseFarnley Hall4.4 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumOtley Museum2.4 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumThe Ron Kitching Library2.4 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumSecond World War Experience Centre2.5 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionCow and Calf3.8 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionWhite Wells5 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: 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 →
GCSE results beat 91% of towns in England, and primary results beat 84% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Bradford council.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £374,995, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £184,950, terraced houses £352,500, semi-detached houses £381,250 and detached houses £642,500.
Town in West Yorkshire, England
Menston is a built-up area of 5,905 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.