Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,094 in Devon, South West.
Axminster grades D overall against UK towns: better than 13% of UK towns, and #40 of 47 in Devon. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): 19% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is schools (D−): primary results beat 2% of towns in England; secondary results beat 12% of towns in England. The median home sold for £250,000 in the last three years, 4.7 times what households in the East Devon council area earn in a year.
Devon And Cornwall Police published 33 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
The 3 things Axminster 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 Axminster is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 53 buildings inside Axminster’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
16% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1905.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Axminster.
Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, AxminsterLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 136 | C− |
| Axe Valley AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 741 | C− |
On this, Axminster is above both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are 9.5% of the population. The median resident of Axminster is 46.8 years old.
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Axminster | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
In the comparison, Axminster comes above both Devon’s towns (21.4) and England’s towns (22). Burglary and damage come to 12.4 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 479 crimes inside Axminster’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 51 reports of anti-social behaviour.
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 Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 19% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For Axminster, that is below both Devon’s towns (51%) and England’s towns (45%). The car carried 79% of commuters at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Axminster has 53 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 3 Grade II*. 16% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Axminster sits above both Devon’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%) on this measure.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £360,000 | 87 |
| Semi-detached | £257,000 | 61 |
| Terraced | £220,000 | 96 |
| Flat or maisonette | £125,500 | 42 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
That puts Axminster above both Devon’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Axminster is Musgrove Park Hospital, 16.7 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
| Census 2021 | Axminster | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.1% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Axminster. Best known first.
MuseumAxminster Museumin town
Historic house · National TrustShute Barton3.7 km outside town, to the west
CastleColcombe Castle5 km outside town, to the southwest
FortMusbury Castle3.3 km outside town, to the southZooZooAxe Valley Wildlife Park1.3 km outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionLittle Orchard Alpacas3.3 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
53 listed buildings in Axminster.
Church of St Mary: Photo: Sealman · Public domain · Oak House: Photo: Roger Cornfoot · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Castle Hill House: Photo: Derek Harper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Cavalier Public House: Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axminster | 6,094 | — | D | B | D | C+ |
| Uplyme | 1,053 | 3.8 | — | C− | A | A |
| Lyme Regis | 3,741 | 4.5 | C | D− | B− | B+ |
| Tatworth | 2,287 | 4.6 | — | B− | A | A− |
| Colyton | 1,938 | 4.6 | — | C | A− | A |
| Charmouth | 1,337 | 5.1 | — | D− | A− | B+ |
| Seaton | 7,429 | 6.2 | B+ | C+ | B | B− |
| Chard | 14,287 | 6.5 | C | B | D | C− |
Uplyme, Tatworth, Colyton and Charmouth have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Axminster has 2 state schools; places are handled by Devon council.
That is 3.6 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Devon, England
Axminster is a built-up area of 6,094 people, in the East Devon 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.