Woolley’s story
23 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Woolley’s built-up area.
17% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
WoolleyWest Yorkshire
347 residents make their home in this village in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: JThomas · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
347
Census 2021 · Wakefield council
Median home
£595K
17 sales in 3 years
Median age
55.5
32% are 65+ · West Yorkshire 17%
Degree level
52%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Woolley a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Woolley has no grades; its figures are still real. Nearly one in ten commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 23, with 1 at Grade I. Homes change hands at a median £595,000.
What makes Woolley stand out
The 3 things Woolley does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
9% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Church of St Peter; 27.2 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.1 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Woolley.
Work & commute
Work tends to be further away for Woolley: 9% commute under 5 km, below West Yorkshire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 40% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Woolley counts 0.4 jobs per working resident. 87% of commuters drove, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). The census counted 40% of workers working mainly from home. Of the commuters living locally, 2% work in the town itself.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot4%
Bus3%
Train1%
Bicycle1%
9%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
40%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£60K
mean household income, before tax
0.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Most households in Woolley own their home: 88%, more than in West Yorkshire’s towns and across England’s towns
Private renters make up 8% of households, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%). The social rented sector houses 5% of households. That is the middle of 17 standard sales inside Woolley’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£595Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Woolley£595K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £615,000 | 13 |
88%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£806
average private rent a month, Wakefield council area
£2,307
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violent crime runs low in Woolley: 15.4 per 1,000 residents a year, under West Yorkshire’s towns and England’s towns
Police recorded 12 crimes inside Woolley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 2 reports of anti-social behaviour. Homes saw 13.5 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both West Yorkshire’s towns (12.7) and England’s towns (9.4). Violence and sexual offences accounted for a third of recorded crime.
15.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual4
Public order3
Vehicle crime2
Other theft1
Burglary1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Anti-social2
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.
15.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
12
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Just 3.5% of people in Woolley say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in West Yorkshire’s towns and across England’s towns
86% of Woolley’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%). Disability touches 14% of the town’s population. This West Yorkshire town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.9 miles away.
86%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 86%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Woolley | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
82.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
More buildings in Woolley are listed than in West Yorkshire’s towns or England’s towns: 663 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Woolley’s listed buildings include the Church of St Peter, Grade I. Conservation areas cover 100% of the town’s land, higher than both West Yorkshire’s towns (72%) and England’s towns (7%). The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
23listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II22
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Peter Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
17%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
663
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Woolley skews older, with 32% of residents 65 or over, more than in West Yorkshire’s towns and across England’s towns
The under-15s are just over a tenth of the population here. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 5.5% of residents, lower than both West Yorkshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). Half the people of Woolley are older than 55.5. Among adults, 52% have a degree.
55.5median age
WoolleyWest YorkshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
32%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications11%
Apprenticeship3%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level52%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About 104 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Woolley | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 5.5% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 36% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 32% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.3% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 52% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Woolley
13pages on Woolley
The big questions
Safety15.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £595K · rent £806 a monthHousing2 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82.2 (men), 85.6 (women)Work & commute46% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Woolley’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Hall GreenDartonCrigglestone and DurkarRoystonCarltonBarugh Green and RedbrookNetherton (Wakefield)Woolley
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woolley | 347 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hall Green | 2,307 | 1.4 | — | B | C− | C− |
| Darton | 15,016 | 1.9 | C+ | B | C+ | C− |
| Crigglestone and Durkar | 6,672 | 2.2 | B | B | C | B− |
| Royston | 10,755 | 2.7 | C | B+ | C− | D |
| Carlton | 2,125 | 3.2 | — | B+ | D | D |
| Barugh Green and Redbrook | 7,545 | 3.3 | B+ | B− | B | C+ |
| Netherton (Wakefield) | 2,331 | 3.4 | — | B− | B+ | B− |
Hall Green, Carlton and Netherton (Wakefield) have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Woolley
Is Woolley expensive to live in?
Private rents in the Wakefield council area averaged £806 a month in August 2026.
How many listed buildings are there in Woolley?
That is 27.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Peter.
How much is council tax in Woolley?
Band D council tax in Woolley is £2,307 for 2026–27, less than in 74% 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.
About Woolley
Village in West Yorkshire, England
Woolley is a built-up area of 347 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
- Population
- 347 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wakefield
- County
- West Yorkshire
- Region
- Yorkshire and The Humber
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001068
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.