Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
41% of households own their home with no mortgage. It is a large town of 20,689 residents in Wiltshire, South West.
Middle of the road on almost everything. Its lowest grade is for schools (C) — primary results beat a quarter of towns in England; secondary results beat 45% of towns in England. Crime runs high: police record 29.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 11.8 home and vehicle crimes. Against UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has more crime per resident than 42%. Fewer journeys need a car (B): 16% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. A median £285,000 buys a home here, 5.2 times what households in the Swindon council area earn in a year. The overall grade comes out at C+, #28 of 30 in Wiltshire. Set against the rest, it does better than 37% of UK towns.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS.
The 3 things Stratton St Margaret 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 Stratton St Margaret is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 17 buildings inside Stratton St Margaret’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
6% 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 Stratton St Margaret.
15% are under 15, lower than both Wiltshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Those 65 and older account for just over a fifth of residents. The middle age in Stratton St Margaret is 46. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 9.9% of the population.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Stratton St Margaret | Wiltshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.9% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.3% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 23% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Wiltshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Secondary results at the 8 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 45.1, with 44% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. 56% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruskin Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 333 | C |
| Kingsdown SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,108 | C |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Stratton St Margaret has 8 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Its listed buildings include the Church of St Margaret, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 6% of the total, below both Wiltshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Of all the crimes, 47% were violence and sexual offences. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 1,193 recorded crimes inside Stratton St Margaret’s built-up area, and 197 reports of anti-social behaviour. Also worth knowing: there were 10.5 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Wiltshire’s towns (7.9) 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.
One GP practice serves the town; 64% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Stratton St Margaret is Great Western Hospital, 3 miles away. 18% of residents have a disability, about level with England’s towns (17%) and above Wiltshire’s towns (17%).
| Census 2021 | Stratton St Margaret | Wiltshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.1% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
2.7% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, higher than both Wiltshire’s towns (2.1%) and England’s towns (2.3%). The car carried just over four in five commuters at the census. The average household earns £51K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Three quarters of households own their home, higher than both Wiltshire’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). Behind the median of £285,000: 978 standard sales inside Stratton St Margaret’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Private rents average £1,096 a month across the Swindon council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £366,500 | 162 |
| Semi-detached | £300,000 | 466 |
| Terraced | £250,000 | 269 |
| Flat or maisonette | £150,000 | 81 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Stratton St Margaret. Best known first.
MuseumSTEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway2.4 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumMuseum of Computing1.8 km outside town, to the southwest
Heritage railwaySwindon and Cricklade Railway4.8 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumRichard Jefferies Museum2.4 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumMuseum & Art Swindon1.6 km outside town, to the southwestPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustThe Coombes4.7 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
17 listed buildings in Stratton St Margaret, 1 of them Grade I.
Arkells Brewery House Brewery House: Photo: PaulCooper555 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Wheatsheaf: Photo: PaulCooper555 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Roman Road Bridge (MLN17508): Photo: Steve Daniels · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Pigeon house to rear of The Pigeon House, Pigeon House Lane: Photo: PaulCooper555 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stratton St Margaret | 20,689 | — | C+ | B− | C | C+ |
| Swindon | 183,687 | 2 | C+ | B | C− | C |
| Broad Blunsdon | 6,507 | 2.8 | B+ | C− | B | A− |
| Wanborough | 1,737 | 3.3 | — | D | A+ | A− |
| Highworth | 7,932 | 4 | B+ | B− | B+ | B |
| Wroughton | 7,276 | 4.1 | B | C | B+ | B− |
| Chiseldon | 2,033 | 4.4 | — | C− | B− | B− |
| Shrivenham and Watchfield | 5,353 | 4.7 | B | B | C+ | A |
Wanborough and Chiseldon have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results trail 55% of towns in England, and primary results trail 75% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C.
Large town in Wiltshire, England
Stratton St Margaret is a built-up area of 20,689 people, in the Swindon 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.