Stratford-upon-Avon
Town · 27,706 residents
79Very good
Very good · better than 9 in 10 towns
Check Local Score out of 100 · 60 is typical for the country
Each arc is a topic, coloured by its score
What’s good
- Schools scores 81, well above the typical 60
- 119 places to eat and drink
- Environment scores 73, well above the typical 60
Check before you view
- Flood risk: 14% of the area is in the highest flood zone, so check the street
- Radon: part of the area is in an affected zone, and a home test is cheap
The essentials
Everyday life
The area
Around Stratford-upon-Avon
Map outline: Official built-up area
Is Stratford-upon-Avon a good place to live?
Stratford-upon-Avon scores 79/100 overall, which the scorecard rates as very good — 60 is typical for the country.
It stands out for schools (81) and food & drink (75).
Scores come from official data on safety, schools, transport, prices, health, food & drink and the local environment, for Stratford-upon-Avon in West Midlands, each measured against the national average.
Summary of Stratford-upon-Avon
Timber-framed shopfronts, tourist coaches idling near the river, and a steady stream of visitors photographing buildings that locals walk past without looking up — that's the daily backdrop here, even before you factor in the business of actually living among it. Stratford-upon-Avon carries its Shakespeare inheritance lightly on the residential streets away from the centre, where it settles into something closer to a well-off market town: mature trees, Victorian and Edwardian villas, the odd new-build infill. The median age of nearly 47 tells you this isn't a place full of shared houses and first jobs; it's a town people move to and stay in.
The practical case for living here is strong on paper and mostly holds up in person. Two rail stations — Stratford-upon-Avon and Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway — give commuters a choice of routes, which matters if you're working outside the town but don't want to give up the lifestyle. Schools are the standout: King Edward VI School and Stratford Girls' Grammar School both carry Outstanding ratings, with progress scores well above the national average, and with thirteen schools in the area, families have genuine choice rather than a single feeder route. Housing leans heavily toward detached freehold homes — the sample of recent sales shows detached properties selling for a good deal more than the national detached median — and at a median price around £352,500, the town sits just above the national figure but roughly in line with its wider district. This is not a cheap place to buy, but it isn't the outlier some Cotswolds-adjacent towns have become either.