Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town has a population measured for both the civil parish and the electoral ward at the 2011 Census as 4,888.

Malton has been described as "the food capital of Yorkshire" and was voted one of the best places to live in Britain by The Sunday Times in both the 2017 and 2018 lists.

[4] Malton was named the dog-friendliest town in the UK at the annual Dog Friendly Awards, in association with the Kennel Club, in 2018/19.

[citation needed] A seven-foot-long British oak canoe was found on the farm of Mr Hebden Flowers of South Holme in 1869.

This was a spectacular property and it was described by the diarist Sir Henry Slingsby as the rival of many other great houses, including that at Audley End.

[citation needed] The house was subsequently demolished in 1674 and the stones divided between two sisters, Mary (who married into the Palmes family) and Margaret Eure.

The Old Lodge Hotel is the remaining fragment of the original Jacobean "prodigy house" and its size hints at the grandeur of the complete structure.

The Talbot Hotel, still standing and renovated,[15] dates back to the early 17th century and may contain remnants of the medieval town wall.

[17] A sure sign of a town 'up and coming' was the advertisement of a 'light coach, setting out from Leeds to Scarborough returning to Malton to dine.'

[20] According to the 1840 edition of White's Gazetteer, Malton's "town and suburbs have much improved during the last twenty years, by the erection of houses; and gas works were constructed in 1832.

[22] By 1835, medical care was being provided at The Dispensary on Saville Street; this was a predecessor of the Malton Cottage Hospital which would not open until August 1905, funded by donations and a subscription.

[28] The navigation capacity on the Derwent was one of the earliest in Britain to be significantly improved around 1725, enabling extensive barge traffic to transport goods and produce.

A book detailing the history since 1713 was published in 2013, written by Norman Maitland, entitled 300 years of continuity and change: families and business in Malton from the 18th century to the present.

Malton's independent microbrewery, Brass Castle Brewery, hosts an annual spring 'BEERTOWN' festival at the town's Milton Rooms.

The Local Plan sees Malton's historic town centre as the thriving and attractive cultural and economic heart of the area.

During the Plan's period until 2027, Malton and Norton will be the focus for the majority of any new development and growth including new housing, employment and retail units.

The Local Plan establishes a level of housebuilding of 200 units per annum for the whole district in order to deliver at least 3,000 (net) new homes over the period of 2012 to 2027.

The livestock market, currently situated on the edge of the town centre will be relocated to a site close to Eden Camp once construction work there is complete.

The route of The White Rose Way, a long-distance walk from Leeds to Scarborough, North Yorkshire also passes through Malton.

Writer Norman Maitland describes the history of horse racing as "being in the blood in this part of Yorkshire for generations..." with meetings being advertised as early as 1692.

Malton is also well located for visiting the North York Moors and the seaside towns of Whitby, Scarborough and Bridlington.

[44] Formed in 2011, Malton CIC benefits the area with donations to local organisations, including Ryedale Book Festival.

[47][48] BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Tyne Tees is also received in the town from the Bilsdale TV transmitter.

As with the rest of the British Isles and Yorkshire, Malton possesses a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters.

The nearest Met Office weather station for which records are available is High Mowthorpe, about 6 miles (10 km) east of the town centre.

TransPennine Express operates hourly trains in each direction between Scarborough and York; alternate services continue on to Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly.

[52] With a change at York, it is possible to reach London Kings Cross in around two and a half hours; a journey to Leeds takes around 50 minutes.

There are long-term aspirations to reopen the former railway between Malton and Pickering; this would provide services to Whitby over a distance of 32 miles (51 km).