Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 3,266 people, lies in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber. Mortgage-free owners make up 52% of households.
Walton’s standout strength is safety (B): 18.3 violent and sexual offences and 8.6 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Prices are high against local incomes: the median home sold for £282,500, 6.2 years of area income. The overall grade comes out at B, better than 63% of UK towns. That places it #27 of 91 in West Yorkshire. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for schools, B for health, B for jobs & income and C+ for walkability.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021.
The 3 things Walton 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 Walton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 5 buildings inside Walton’s built-up area.
16% 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 Walton.
Degrees are held by 37% of adults. Nearly one in ten residents are 15 to 24, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). The middle age in Walton is 52.9.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Walton | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.1% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.5% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Its one school is below. Key Stage 2 results at the 8 primary schools within 3 km: 56% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). GCSE results at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km: 53% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 49.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walton Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 336 | B+ |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Walton has 5 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, all Grade II. Homes from before 1919 make up 16% of the total, below West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and close to England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Four in five households own their home, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (61%) and England’s towns (61%). Social renters account for one in ten households. The median sale, £282,500, comes from 98 standard sales inside Walton’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £377,500 | 38 |
| Semi-detached | £247,250 | 40 |
| Terraced | £215,000 | 14 |
| Flat or maisonette | £107,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 81 offences in Walton and 9 cases of nuisance behaviour. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Walton has less crime per resident than 70% of them. Of all the crimes, 53% were violence and sexual offences. 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.
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.
Walton has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.5 miles away. Men in Walton can expect to live to 81.4, women to 85.1 (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Walton is Pinderfields Hospital, 3.1 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Walton | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.8% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
2.6% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. The car took 85% of commuters, higher than both West Yorkshire’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). For 30% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. About 4% of its commuters stay in Walton for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Walton. Best known first.
CastleSandal Castle1.5 km outside town, to the northwest
CathedralWakefield Cathedral3.3 km outside town, to the northwest
Art galleryThe Hepworth Wakefield2.5 km outside town, to the northwest
Historic house · National TrustNostell Priory4.2 km outside town, to the east
MuseumWakefield Museum3.7 km outside town, to the northwest
Art galleryThe Art House3.5 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 →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walton | 3,266 | — | B | C | B | B |
| Crofton | 6,127 | 1.5 | B | B− | C+ | C+ |
| Sharlston | 2,163 | 2.4 | — | B | C− | D |
| Crigglestone and Durkar | 6,672 | 2.7 | B | B | C | B− |
| Havercroft and Ryhill | 5,204 | 2.8 | C | B+ | D | D |
| Hall Green | 2,307 | 2.8 | — | B | C− | C− |
| Wakefield | 97,871 | 2.9 | C | B | D− | D |
| Streethouse | 1,691 | 3 | — | B+ | D− | D |
Sharlston, Hall Green and Streethouse have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Band D council tax in Walton is £2,296 for 2026–27, less than in 75% 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.
Town in West Yorkshire, England
Walton is a built-up area of 3,266 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.