Exeter grades C overall against UK towns: better than 32% of UK towns, and #24 of 47 in Devon. Its strongest subject is walkability (A+): 38% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is safety (D): 47.6 violent and sexual offences and 14.5 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has less crime per resident than 44%. The median home sold for £295,000 in the last three years, 5.5 times what households in the Exeter council area earn in a year.
Devon And Cornwall Police published 33 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Exeter is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Exeter.
Who lives here
A young town: 22% of people in Exeter are 15 to 24, more than in Devon’s towns and across England’s towns
Degrees are held by just over a third of adults, higher than Devon’s towns (30%) and near England’s towns (34%). Retirement age and beyond: 16% of residents are 65 or older. Residents of Exeter have a median age of 35.1. 14% of residents are children under 15.
35.1median age
ExeterDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
22%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar26%
Degree level34%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsB−
School results in Exeter are weaker than in 52% of towns in England
Of its 41 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. St Gabriel's CofE Primary School’s results beat 85% of schools in England like it. GCSE results at the town’s 6 secondary schools: 51% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 47.9.
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 41 schools →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Work is close at hand in Exeter: 73% of commuters travel under 5 km, more than in Devon’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Work in town: nearly three quarters of resident commuters. Nearly three in five commuters drove to work at the census. For every resident in work, Exeter has 1.7 jobs.
38%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving59%
On foot23%
Bus7%
Bicycle7%
Train1%
73%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
30%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
2.4%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A+
Walkability: more walkable than almost every UK town
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
More crimes per resident in Exeter than in 89% of UK towns
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Police figures for Exeter’s built-up area: 12,604 crimes and 2,137 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 19.8 reports per 1,000, above Devon’s towns (5.7) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Violence and sexual offences made up 48% of the total.
47.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearDSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 44% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual6,030
Shoplifting1,497
Damage & arson1,118
Public order959
Other theft863
Burglary391
Drugs388
Vehicle crime367
Anti-social2,137
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.
47.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
14.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
19.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
History
Listed buildings in Exeter: 762, with 22 at Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
20% of homes were built before 1919. Exeter’s listed buildings include Bowhill, Grade I. Relative to its size, Exeter keeps 60 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below Devon’s towns (107) and close to England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C−
Private renting is more common in Exeter than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 25% of households
The owner-occupied share of households is 57%. Half of the 4,331 standard sales inside Exeter’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £295,000. Private rents average £1,318 a month across the Exeter council area.
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
84% of people in Exeter say their health is good or very good, more than in Devon’s towns and across England’s towns
4.6% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below Devon’s towns (5.9%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. 15 GP practices serve the town; 83% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Exeter is Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital (Wonford), 0.6 miles away.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Chris Martin: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0 · William Kingdon Clifford: not stated, Public domain · Matthew Goode: gdcgraphics, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Henrietta of England: Jean Nocret, Public domain · Ethan Ampadu: Nickb1792, CC BY-SA 4.0 · John Bowring: John King (1788-1847), Public domain
Clyst Honiton, Clyst St Mary and Broadclyst have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Exeter
How many listed buildings are there in Exeter?
That is 2.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Cathedral Church of St Peter. It also has 16 scheduled monuments.
Is Exeter safe?
About the middle for its size: 56% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them far smaller, it grades D.
Does Exeter flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Exeter
City in Devon, England
Exeter is a built-up area of 126,181 people, in the Exeter 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
126,181 (Census 2021)
Council
Exeter
County
Devon
Region
South West
Area
11.7 sq mi (30.3 km²)
ONS code
E63006718
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.
