Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a large town of 21,976 residents in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
Safety lags: 44.6 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 16.5 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 21%. Health outcomes fall short of most towns: men here can expect to live to 78, women to 81.7. Cost of living is where it shines: a typical home costs £190,000 and rent runs £806 a month. Fewer journeys need a car: on the way to work, 18% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. The overall grade lands at C+, better than 35% of UK towns. Its place in the ranking is #68 of 91 in West Yorkshire.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy, ONS.
The 2 things Normanton 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 Normanton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 8 buildings inside Normanton’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Normanton. Best known first.
CathedralWakefield Cathedral4.3 km outside town, to the west
CastlePontefract Castle4.7 km outside town, to the east
Art galleryThe Hepworth Wakefield4.4 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic house · National TrustNostell Priory4 km outside town, to the south
MuseumWakefield Museum4.6 km outside town, to the west
MuseumQueen's Mill2.9 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Normanton.
Normanton has a median age of 42.4 years. People aged 15 to 24 make up 10% of the town, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). Under 15: 17% of residents.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Normanton | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.1% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 22% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Some 2,773 pupils attend Normanton’s eight primaries and one secondary. Below are three of its 9 schools, each with why it was picked. GCSE results at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km: 47% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 45.2.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normanton Junior AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 357 | A− |
| Outwood Academy FreestonLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 993 | B− |
| Normanton Common Primary AcademyTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 334 | A− |
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Among the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Normanton has more crime per resident than nearly four fifths of them. 1,746 crimes and 188 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside the town’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences were 49% of the crimes.
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.
19% of residents in Normanton live with a disability. Women here live to 81.7 on average and men to 78 (2019–23). 3 GP practices serve the town; 77% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Normanton | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.9% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 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.
Normanton counts 8 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade II*. Per 10,000 residents, Normanton counts 4 listed buildings, below West Yorkshire’s towns (25) and England’s towns (39) alike. Nearly a fifth 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 21% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims reached 3.1% of 16 to 64s in 2026. The car took nearly four in five commuters, above West Yorkshire’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Work in town: 15% of resident commuters. Normanton counts 0.7 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Behind the median of £190,000: 760 standard sales inside Normanton’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Households that own their home make up 63%.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £312,750 | 174 |
| Semi-detached | £195,000 | 298 |
| Terraced | £145,000 | 272 |
| Flat or maisonette | £93,750 | 16 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
29 notable people were born in Normanton.
Martin Frobisher: Cornelis Ketel, Public domain · Alice Bacon, Baroness Bacon: Elliott & Fry, Public domain · Richard Crawshay: Wilson of Birmingham, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normanton | 21,976 | — | C+ | B+ | D | C− |
| Streethouse | 1,691 | 1.7 | — | B+ | D− | D |
| Sharlston | 2,163 | 2.1 | — | B | C− | D |
| Methley | 1,196 | 2.1 | — | B− | B | C− |
| Bottom Boat | 1,191 | 2.3 | — | A− | C− | C |
| Mickletown | 3,362 | 2.8 | B− | C+ | B− | C− |
| Featherstone | 11,657 | 2.9 | D | B+ | D− | D |
| Crofton | 6,127 | 2.9 | B | B− | C+ | C+ |
Streethouse, Sharlston, Methley and Bottom Boat have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £190,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £93,750, terraced houses £145,000, semi-detached houses £195,000 and detached houses £312,750.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Large town in West Yorkshire, England
Normanton is a built-up area of 21,976 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.