Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
46% of households own their home with no mortgage. Population 11,711: a town in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
Much to like here, and you pay for it. With a B+ overall, Wetherby is better than nearly two thirds of UK towns and ranks #24 of 91 in West Yorkshire. Its strongest subject is schools — primary results beat 88% of towns in England; secondary results beat 89% of towns in England. What holds it back is cost of living (D): a typical home costs £349,950 and rent runs £1,145 a month.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Wetherby 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 Wetherby is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 31 buildings inside Wetherby’s built-up area, and 2 scheduled monuments.
6% 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 1819.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Wetherby.
The 15-to-24 age group: 8.3%, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). Under 15: 14% of residents. The median resident of Wetherby is 50.8 years old. 39% of adults hold a degree.
52% women, 48% men
About 91 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.
| Wetherby | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.3% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.3% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 39% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Wetherby’s four primaries and one secondary have 1,663 pupils between them. Of its 5 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, the town’s results beat 87% of schools in England like it. 70% of pupils at the town’s 4 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crossley Street Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 242 | A |
| Wetherby High SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 828 | B+ |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, WetherbyTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 226 | A |
Owners make up 76% of households, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (61%) and England’s towns (61%). Council and housing-body homes hold 12% of households. Half of the 593 standard sales inside Wetherby’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £349,950.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £463,500 | 252 |
| Semi-detached | £305,000 | 146 |
| Terraced | £235,000 | 93 |
| Flat or maisonette | £199,975 | 102 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
At the census, 4.7% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. The nearest A&E to Wetherby is Harrogate District Hospital, 6.8 miles away. 2 GP practices serve the town; 85% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Wetherby | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 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.
Violence and sexual offences were 51% of the crimes. Over the year to August 2026, 744 offences were reported in Wetherby, along with 62 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Burglary and damage came to 9.5 per 1,000 residents a year, about level with England’s towns (9.4) and below West Yorkshire’s towns (12.7).
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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 39% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 78% of commuters, higher than both West Yorkshire’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). The census counted 39% of workers working mainly from home. Work in town: nearly a quarter of resident commuters. A household here earns £59K 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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list names 31 listed buildings in Wetherby, every one Grade II. 6% of its homes were built before 1919, below West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. The national list protects 2 ancient monuments locally.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Wetherby. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageSpofforth Castle3.6 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumThe Second World War Experience Centre3.9 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttractionAction Karts4 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
31 listed buildings in Wetherby.
Wetherby Bridge: Photo: Mike Kirby · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Church of St James: Photo: Stephen Craven · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Angel: Photo: Richard Locket · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wetherby Town Hall and Attached Front Wall: Photo: Richard Locket · CC BY-SA 4.0
9 notable people were born in Wetherby.
James Harry Lacey: Royal Air Force official photographer, Public domain · Stuart Naylor: Mattythewhite, CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wetherby | 11,711 | — | B+ | D | C− | A− |
| Collingham | 2,362 | 2.2 | — | D− | A− | A+ |
| Boston Spa | 6,358 | 2.4 | A− | D | B+ | A |
| Thorp Arch | 1,782 | 2.7 | — | D− | D− | C |
| Spofforth | 1,175 | 2.8 | — | C | A− | A |
| Bardsey | 1,819 | 3.6 | — | D− | A | A+ |
| East Keswick | 1,145 | 3.7 | — | D− | A+ | A+ |
| Bramham | 1,764 | 3.8 | — | D | A− | A |
Collingham, Thorp Arch, Spofforth, Bardsey, East Keswick and Bramham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results beat 89% of towns in England, and primary results beat 88% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
About the middle for its size: 60% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C−.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £349,950, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £199,975, terraced houses £235,000, semi-detached houses £305,000 and detached houses £463,500.
Town in West Yorkshire, England
Wetherby is a built-up area of 11,711 people, in the Leeds 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.