Sowerby & Topcliffe
vs Wathvale & Bishop Monkton
Sowerby & Topcliffe has the younger population: 16% of residents are aged 15–29, against 13% in Wathvale & Bishop Monkton. Homes in Wathvale & Bishop Monkton sold for a median of £391,250, 44% above Sowerby & Topcliffe. Wathvale & Bishop Monkton has more green space nearby (6% within 500 m, against 5%).
People
Sowerby & Topcliffe has 7,791 residents in 3,328 households; Wathvale & Bishop Monkton has 8,548 in 3,584. Wathvale & Bishop Monkton has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 24%, 1.6 percentage points more than Sowerby & Topcliffe (North Yorkshire: 25%). Sowerby & Topcliffe has the higher share of people living alone: 28%, 5.6 percentage points more than Wathvale & Bishop Monkton (North Yorkshire: 31%).
Homes and prices
In both, detached houses are the most common type of home: 36% of homes in Sowerby & Topcliffe and 51% in Wathvale & Bishop Monkton. Wathvale & Bishop Monkton has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 68%, 2.4 percentage points more than Sowerby & Topcliffe (North Yorkshire: 69%). Wathvale & Bishop Monkton has the higher share of private renting: 21%, 2.9 percentage points more than Sowerby & Topcliffe (North Yorkshire: 19%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £271,000 in Sowerby & Topcliffe and £391,250 in Wathvale & Bishop Monkton, against £270,000 across North Yorkshire.
Surroundings
The share of land within 500 m that is green space is about the same in both (5% and 6%). A typical postcode has 23 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Sowerby & Topcliffe, and 5 in Wathvale & Bishop Monkton. The typical postcode is 472 m from the nearest school in Sowerby & Topcliffe and 1,093 m in Wathvale & Bishop Monkton. The typical postcode is 2,260 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Sowerby & Topcliffe and 8,262 m in Wathvale & Bishop Monkton. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 57% of premises in Sowerby & Topcliffe and 35% in Wathvale & Bishop Monkton.
Safety
Over 12 months, police recorded 55 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Sowerby & Topcliffe and 33 in Wathvale & Bishop Monkton, against 68 across North Yorkshire. Police.uk records crimes by approximate location, not by where victims or offenders live. Busy streets, shops, stations and nightlife record more. Figures are counts, not a measure of personal risk.
Sources: Census 2021 (ONS) · HM Land Registry Price Paid Data · official school registers · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Environment Agency · data.police.uk, 12 months to Aug 2026 · Ofcom Connected Nations
In brief.
Each ward in a few lines, from its own page.
Sowerby & Topcliffe is one of 89 wards in North Yorkshire, home to 7,791 people in 3,328 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £271,000 over the past two years, in line with the North Yorkshire median. On average 5% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 66% below the North Yorkshire average.
Wathvale & Bishop Monkton is one of 89 wards in North Yorkshire, home to 8,548 people in 3,584 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £391,250 over the past two years, 45% above the North Yorkshire median. On average 6% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 62% below the North Yorkshire average.
More comparisons.
Sowerby & Topcliffe and Wathvale & Bishop Monkton next to other wards of North Yorkshire.