Dousland’s story
No listed buildings inside Dousland’s built-up area
28% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
DouslandDevon
The village, home to 843 people, lies in Devon, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Pete Chapman · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
843
Census 2021 · West Devon council
Median home
£445K
32 sales in 3 years
Median age
61
42% are 65+ · Devon 24%
Degree level
40%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Dousland a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Dousland has no grades; its figures are still real. 6% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. People aged 65 and over make up just over two in five residents. Two thirds of households own their home outright.
What makes Dousland stand out
The 3 things Dousland does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
42% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Own outright
Housing
67% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Dousland.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Dousland: 42% are 65 or over, above Devon’s towns and England’s towns
The share aged 15 to 24 is 5.9%. Children under 15 make up 8.7%, below Devon’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The median resident of Dousland is 61 years old.
61median age
DouslandDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
42%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level40%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Dousland | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 8.7% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 5.9% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 10% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 42% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.6% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 40% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Work tends to be further away for Dousland: 16% commute under 5 km, below Devon’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims came to 0.9% of 16 to 64s in 2026, lower than both Devon’s towns (2.3%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Driving is how 90% of commuters got to work at the census. Work in town: 3% of resident commuters. Dousland counts 0.3 jobs per working resident.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot4%
Bicycle1%
Train1%
16%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
28%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£51K
mean household income, before tax
0.9%
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
Few households rent privately in Dousland: 8%, fewer than in Devon’s towns and England’s towns
1% live in social housing, lower than both Devon’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). Home ownership stands at 90% of households. Private rents average £846 a month across the West Devon council area.
£445Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Dousland£445K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £453,750 | 30 |
90%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£846
average private rent a month, West Devon council area
£2,631
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
Homes in Dousland see less burglary and damage than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 1.3 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences were 79% of the crimes. The violent crime rate is 9.9 per 1,000 residents a year. Dousland logged 14 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 1 complaints of anti-social conduct.
9.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual11
Other crime2
Other theft1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Anti-social1
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.
9.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
14
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
More people in Dousland live with a disability than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns: 22%
The nearest A&E to Dousland is Derriford Hospital, 6.2 miles away. At the census, 4.6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below both Devon’s towns (5.9%) and England’s towns (5.2%). There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 1 miles off.
81%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 81%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Dousland | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.6% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
82.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.9
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Old homes shape Dousland: 28% were built before 1919, more than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns
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 Dousland’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
28%
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 Dousland
13pages on Dousland
The big questions
Safety9.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £445K · rent £846 a monthHousing10 sold in 12 months · busiest street Merrivale View RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82.8 (men), 84.9 (women)Work & commute50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Dousland’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
YelvertonHorrabridgePrincetownTavistockBere AlstonGunnislake and St Ann's ChapelPlymouthDousland
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dousland | 843 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Yelverton | 1,856 | 1.2 | — | C− | A− | B+ |
| Horrabridge | 1,875 | 1.6 | — | B− | B | B+ |
| Princetown | 1,442 | 4.4 | — | B | B+ | B− |
| Tavistock | 12,676 | 4.6 | C | C | C+ | B |
| Bere Alston | 2,259 | 5.6 | — | B− | B | B |
| Gunnislake and St Ann's Chapel | 3,506 | 7.1 | C | D | B | B− |
| Plymouth | 266,970 | 8 | C | C+ | D | C− |
Yelverton, Horrabridge, Princetown and Bere Alston have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Dousland
How much is council tax in Dousland?
Band D council tax in Dousland is £2,631 for 2026–27, more than in 91% 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.
Is Dousland expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £445,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
About Dousland
Village in Devon, England
Dousland is a built-up area of 843 people, in the West 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
- Population
- 843 (Census 2021)
- Council
- West Devon
- County
- Devon
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006876
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.