Town Pop. 5,169

Living in Pontardawe: Liveability Score 44/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Pontardawe is 44/100, built from 7 categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 41/100 against a national town median of 18/100. Safety falls furthest short: 54/100 where the typical UK town reaches 88/100.

That places it last of the 5 scored places in the SA8 postcode district. Transport (5) and lifestyle (15) all fall below 30/100. On the national picture that lands Pontardawe in the middle half of all the places we score. For the surrounding area, see SA8 postcode district.

44
OUT OF 100
Below Avg
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

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Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

Pontardawe scores 44 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Pontardawe.
Or compare:
SA8 3AB SA8 4AA SA8 9AW SA8 SA9

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
54
89.2 crimes per 1,000 residents · last 12 months Below the England & Wales average of 94.3
Crime rate vs national average · last 12 months
Violence and sexual offences 234 crimes
↑ 36% above national average
Public order 60 crimes
↑ 78% above national average
Anti-social behaviour 50 crimes
↓ 36% below national average
Criminal damage and arson 36 crimes
≈ similar to national average
Other theft 28 crimes
↓ 13% below national average
other 53 crimes
Highest-crime locations
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  1. 1 Parking Area 47 crimes
  2. 2 Sports/Recreation Area 31 crimes
  3. 3 Ffordd Parc Ynysderw 22 crimes

Source: data.police.uk · England & Wales only

Environment
71
Air Quality NO₂ 4.6 · PM2.5 4.7 · PM10 7.5 µg/m³
81
Green Space 49
Parks Ample 5
Sports Pitches Adequate 2
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Some 2
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Adequate 4

Services

Schools
—

School inspection data is not available for this area.

Healthcare
41
A&E departmentsNorth Devon District Hospital43.7 mi
Weston General Hospital46.5 mi
Hereford County Hospital52.7 mi
Hospital waitsWye Valley NHS Trust18.7 mi
Routine referral (median)11 wks
Treated within 18 weeks65.2%
A&E seen within 4 hrs63.4%
1 GP surgery in area
GP capacity14,524 patients per GP

A&E, dentist and pharmacy data, and CQC ratings, are currently available for England only, not Wales.

Broadband
72
Full fibre (FTTP)74.6%
available across Neath Port Talbot
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
89.8%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
89.8%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.1%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 113 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
—
Employment rate54%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed54%Unemployed2.6%Retired24.1%Student4.7%Other inactive14.6%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial33.9%Skilled & technical32.9%Routine & elementary33.2%
Highest qualification (16+)
No qualifications21.4%Level 1 (1–4 GCSEs)8%Level 2 (5+ GCSEs)15.9%Level 3 (A levels)16.6%Level 4+ (degree & above)29.2%Apprenticeship6.5%Other (incl. vocational)2.4%
Home ownership63.9%
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain)
Bills
48
Council tax Neath Port Talbot · 2025-26
A £1,627
B £1,899
C £2,170
D £2,441
E £2,983
F £3,526
G £4,068
H £4,882
Energy South Wales region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band C
Water Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water
Average bill regional £502/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
5
Skewen 4.4 mi
Llansamlet 4.7 mi
Neath 4.8 mi
J45 M4 4.2 mi
J44 M4 4.3 mi
J45 M4 4.3 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
15
Pubs & Bars Adequate 3
Restaurants & Cafes None
Supermarkets & Convenience Some 1
Retail Shopping Some 3
Takeaways None
Fitness Adequate 2

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House Prices

Current median sale prices · last 12 months · England & Wales only

Type Median price Sales
All dwellings £177,500 29
Semi-detached £166,000 17
5-year monthly trend
All Detached Semi
£138k £195k £255k £313k 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (OGL v3.0)

Nearby places

Alltwen 52 0.7 mi away ⇄
Rhos 47 1.2 mi away ⇄
Clydach (Swansea) 53 2.4 mi away ⇄
Glais 49 2.8 mi away ⇄
Craig-cefn-parc 44 3.0 mi away ⇄
Ystalyfera 47 4.0 mi away ⇄
Cilfrew 54 4.1 mi away ⇄
Creunant 40 4.4 mi away ⇄
Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen 42 4.6 mi away ⇄
Cwm-twrch Uchaf 46 4.6 mi away ⇄
Neath 51 4.7 mi away ⇄
Tonna 57 4.7 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Pontardawe a nice place to live?

Pontardawe has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Pontardawe is 44/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

How safe is Pontardawe?

Pontardawe has crime levels around the national average. Our safety score is 54/100. There were 461 crimes recorded in the area over the past 12 months.

What are house prices like in Pontardawe?

The current median house price in Pontardawe is £177,500, around 38% below the England and Wales average. By property type: semi-detached £166,000. Over the past five years, prices have risen by around 20%. There were 29 sales recorded in the past 12 months.

Postcode districts in Pontardawe

SA8 45 ⇄
SA9 43 ⇄

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