Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The large town has 97,871 residents and lies in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
The picture is mixed. Its lowest grade is for safety — police record 69.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 22.9 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has less crime per resident than 4%. It lags on health as well (D): life expectancy is 75.9 for men and 81.3 for women. Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (A−): 21% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Homes sell for a median £227,500, about 5 years of what households in the Wakefield council area earn. Schools are another plus (B+) — primary results beat nearly half of towns in England; secondary results beat 75% of towns in England. Put together, the subjects come to a C overall, ranking #73 of 91 in West Yorkshire. That leaves it better than 29% of UK towns.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Wakefield 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 Wakefield is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 242 buildings inside Wakefield’s built-up area, 11 of them Grade I, and 3 scheduled monuments.
15% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1910.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Wakefield. Best known first.
CathedralWakefield Cathedralin town
Art galleryThe Hepworth Wakefieldin town
MuseumWakefield Museumin town
Art galleryThe Art Housein town
CastleSandal Castle100 m outside town, to the south
MuseumYorkshire Sculpture Park4.4 km outside town, to the southwest · 300K visitors a yearPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Wakefield.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Police recorded 13,332 crimes inside Wakefield’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 1,407 reports of anti-social behaviour. Among the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, Wakefield has more crime per resident than 96% of them. There were 14.5 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above both West Yorkshire’s towns (6.8) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences made up 47% of the total.
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.
Of its 34 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. Some 14,835 pupils attend Wakefield’s 25 primaries and five secondaries. Attainment 8 at the town’s 5 secondary schools averages 48.7, and 55% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandal Castle VA Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 608 | D |
| Outwood Grange AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,900 | B+ |
| Jerry Clay AcademyTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 211 | A+ |
11 GP practices serve the town; three quarters of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Nearly a fifth of residents have a disability, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Wakefield is Pinderfields Hospital, 0.9 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Wakefield | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 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 answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 25% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income came to £46K a year before tax, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (£52K) and England’s towns (£55K). Work in town: 43% of resident commuters. There are 1.3 jobs in Wakefield for each resident in 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.
Homes from before 1919 make up 15% of the total, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (16%). Wakefield’s listed buildings include the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Grade I. The national list protects 3 ancient monuments here.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Private tenants account for 17% of households. Behind the median of £227,500: 3,500 standard sales inside Wakefield’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Owners make up 58% of households, below West Yorkshire’s towns (61%) and England’s towns (61%) alike.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £358,000 | 1,057 |
| Semi-detached | £220,000 | 1,396 |
| Terraced | £162,750 | 744 |
| Flat or maisonette | £110,000 | 303 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
People aged 15 to 24 are just over a tenth of the population. Residents of Wakefield have a median age of 39.8. Children under 15 make up 18% of residents.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Wakefield | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 23% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
242 listed buildings in Wakefield, 11 of them Grade I.
Cathedral Church of All Saints: Photo: Mike Kirby · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Heath Hall: Photo: Ian Russell · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Sandal Castle: motte and bailey castle and shell keep castle: Photo: Abcdef123456 · CC BY 3.0 · Stone Warehouse to North of Calder and Hebble Navigation Warehouse: Photo: Jim Osley · CC BY-SA 2.0
293 notable people were born in Wakefield.
Barbara Hepworth: Erling Mandelmann, CC BY-SA 3.0 · George Gissing: Published by R.F. Fenno & Co, New York, 1896, Public domain · John Healey: U.S. Secretary of Defense, Public domain · Anne Treisman: National Science Foundation, Public domain · Oliver Wood: Nicola, CC BY-SA 4.0 · James Bree: Timmy96, CC0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield | 97,871 | — | C | B | D− | D |
| Horbury | 9,868 | 2.6 | B− | B+ | D | C |
| Crigglestone and Durkar | 6,672 | 2.9 | B | B | C | B− |
| Ossett | 21,854 | 2.9 | B | B+ | C | C |
| Walton | 3,266 | 2.9 | B | C | B | B |
| Bottom Boat | 1,191 | 3.1 | — | A− | C− | C |
| Thorpe on the Hill | 1,232 | 3.4 | — | B− | C | C |
| Lofthouse and Robin Hood | 4,187 | 3.5 | B | B− | C | C |
Bottom Boat and Thorpe on the Hill have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Its Grade I buildings include Cathedral Church of All Saints. It also has 3 scheduled monuments.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Large town in West Yorkshire, England
Wakefield is a built-up area of 97,871 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.