Bigbury-on-Sea’s story
Bigbury-on-Sea: 37% of homes built before 1919
37% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Bigbury-on-SeaDevon
215 people call this village in Devon, South West home.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jolly Janner · Public domain
Population
215
Census 2021 · South Hams council
Median home
£699K
11 sales in 3 years
Median age
59.6
41% are 65+ · Devon 24%
Degree level
48%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
24%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Bigbury-on-Sea a good place to live?
Bigbury-on-Sea is below the 1,000 residents fair grades need, but every figure on this page is real. Homes sell for a median £699,192. Just over two in five residents are 65 or over. 37% of its homes date from before 1919.
What makes Bigbury-on-Sea stand out
The 3 things Bigbury-on-Sea does most differently from other towns.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.5 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
41% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bigbury-on-Sea.
Who lives here
An older town: 41% of people in Bigbury-on-Sea are 65 or over, more than in Devon’s towns and across England’s towns
Children under 15 count for a tenth of the people here. Young adults of 15 to 24 are one in ten residents, lower than both Devon’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). At 59.6, the median resident of Bigbury-on-Sea sits in the middle of the age range. Degrees are held by 48% of adults.
59.6median age
Bigbury-on-SeaDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
41%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship1%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level48%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bigbury-on-Sea | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.7% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 10% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 41% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 0.5% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 48% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Household income in Bigbury-on-Sea, £58K a year, runs above Devon’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 43% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.9%. Working mainly from home: 43% of workers, higher than both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (31%). For every resident in work, Bigbury-on-Sea has 1.3 jobs.
24%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving71%
On foot15%
Bus2%
Train2%
Bicycle2%
Underground, tram2%
0%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
43%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£58K
mean household income, before tax
1.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Most households in Bigbury-on-Sea own their home: 84%, more than in Devon’s towns and across England’s towns
The private rented sector houses 14% of households. Social housing holds 1% of households, below both Devon’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,012 a month across the South Hams council area.
£699Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Bigbury-on-Sea£699K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £809,051 | 6 |
84%
of households own their home · England 61%
14%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,012
average private rent a month, South Hams council area
£2,558
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Burglary and damage hit Bigbury-on-Sea harder than Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 15.2 per 1,000 residents a year
There were 1.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Devon’s towns (5.7) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 19 crimes inside Bigbury-on-Sea’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 21% of recorded crime.
18.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Other theft7
Violence & sexual4
Damage & arson4
Burglary2
Shoplifting1
Public order1
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social0
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.
18.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
15.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
19
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Health
Bad health is less common in Bigbury-on-Sea than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns: 1.9% of residents
The nearest A&E to Bigbury-on-Sea is Derriford Hospital, 13.3 miles away. At the census, 88% of people in Bigbury-on-Sea called their health good or very good, above Devon’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. Disability touches just over a tenth of the town’s population. There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 4.4 miles off.
88%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Bigbury-on-Sea | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.9% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 21% | 17% |
82.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
More of the land in Bigbury-on-Sea is conservation area than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 100%
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Bigbury-on-Sea’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
37%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bigbury-on-Sea
12pages on Bigbury-on-Sea
The big questions
Safety18.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £699K · rent £1,012 a monthHousing2 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82.7 (men), 87.6 (women)Work & commute62% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards2.1% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Bigbury-on-Sea’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
ModburyLoddiswellKingsbridgeSalcombeYealmptonIvybridgeWemburyBigbury-on-Sea
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bigbury-on-Sea | 215 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Modbury | 1,687 | 4.5 | — | C− | A | A |
| Loddiswell | 1,032 | 4.9 | — | B− | B | A |
| Kingsbridge | 5,682 | 5.2 | B− | C+ | C | B− |
| Salcombe | 1,583 | 6.2 | — | D | B | A+ |
| Yealmpton | 2,007 | 6.5 | — | C | A+ | A |
| Ivybridge | 12,485 | 7.4 | A− | C+ | B− | B+ |
| Wembury | 1,828 | 8.4 | — | C− | A+ | A+ |
Modbury, Loddiswell, Salcombe, Yealmpton and Wembury have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Bigbury-on-Sea
How much is council tax in Bigbury-on-Sea?
Band D council tax in Bigbury-on-Sea is £2,558 for 2026–27, more than in 78% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Bigbury-on-Sea
Village in Devon, England
Bigbury-on-Sea is a built-up area of 215 people, in the South Hams 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
- Population
- 215 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Hams
- County
- Devon
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63007002
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.