Princetown’s story
19 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Princetown’s built-up area.
51% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PrincetownDevon
A village of 1,442 in Devon, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Stephen McKay · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,442
Census 2021 · West Devon council
Median home
£239K
28 sales in 3 years
Median age
42.7
17% are 65+ · Devon 24%
Degree level
26%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
23%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Princetown a good place to live?
Princetown has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. The median home sold for £238,500 in the last three years, 4.8 times what households in the West 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 state schools in and within 3 km of this town had fewer than 30 pupils in published KS2 or GCSE results, too few to grade, so it has no School Grade.
What makes Princetown stand out
The 3 things Princetown does most differently from other towns.
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St Michael; 5.4 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Claimant rate, against UK towns
Work
of 16 to 64s in 2026: fewer than in 95% of UK towns
DWP claimant count, January to August 2026.
How Princetown grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Princetown is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Hazard riskAOpen →Walkability23% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transportAOpen →SafetyB+Open →Cost of livingrent £846 a monthBOpen →HealthLife expectancy 80.8 for men, 85.6 for womenB−Open →Jobs & incomeMean household income £52,475B−Open →
SchoolsNot graded yet–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryAOpen →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 100% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeB+Open →Civic life2.8 local charities per 1,000 residents; 100% live within 1 km of a libraryAOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Princetown.
History
Old homes shape Princetown: 51% 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.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. Of Princetown’s land, 62% lies in conservation areas, higher than both Devon’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (7%). Listed buildings per head: 132 for every 10,000 residents of the town. This Devon town has 19 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade II*.
19listed buildingsAHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II18
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Michael Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
2
registered parks and gardens
51%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
132
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Schools
The schools around Princetown
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princetown Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 51 | D |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Under 5 km to work: 17% in Princetown, fewer than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Work in town: 16% of resident commuters. Nearly three quarters of commuters drove, near Devon’s towns (73%) and higher than England’s towns (70%). In 2026, 1.2% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
23%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving74%
On foot21%
Bus2%
17%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
31%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£52K
mean household income, before tax
1.2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A
Walkability: more walkable than 85% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Princetown records less crime per resident than 67% of UK towns
Burglary and damage come to 6.6 per 1,000 residents a year. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 38 recorded crimes inside Princetown’s built-up area, and 5 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 55% of recorded crime.
19.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 47% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual21
Damage & arson6
Public order3
Other theft2
Burglary2
Vehicle crime2
Weapons1
Other crime1
Anti-social5
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.
19.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
38
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.
HousingCost of living grade B
Few households rent privately in Princetown: 14%, fewer than in Devon’s towns and England’s towns
Owners make up just over two thirds of households. From September 2023 to August 2026, 28 homes sold inside Princetown’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £238,500. 18% of households live in social housing.
£239Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Princetown£239K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £245,000 | 14 |
| Terraced | £221,000 | 11 |
68%
of households own their home · England 61%
14%
rent privately · England 21%
£846
average private rent a month, West Devon council area
£2,634
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
More people in Princetown say their health is bad than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns: 8.8%
71% of people in Princetown rate their own health good or very good. At the census, 31% of people here had a disability, higher than both Devon’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (17%). Women here live to 85.6 on average and men to 80.8 (2019–23). Also worth knowing: there is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 5.4 miles off.
71%good or very good healthB−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 71%Fair 20%Bad or very bad 9%
| Census 2021 | Princetown | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 71% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.8% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 31% | 21% | 17% |
80.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Princetown than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 10% are under 15
17% of residents are 65 or over, below both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 8.5% of the town. At 42.7, the median resident of Princetown sits in the middle of the age range. Among adults, 26% have a degree.
42.7median age
PrincetownDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
17%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications20%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level26%
Women and men · all residents
31% women, 69% men
About 45 women for every 100 men. Across England, 51% of residents are women. A large institution, such as a prison, barracks, boarding school, university or care home, can tilt a town’s split: the census counts the people living there as residents.
| Princetown | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 10% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 34% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.9% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Princetown
13pages on Princetown
The big questions
SafetyB+19.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingBMedian home £239K · rent £846 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state schoolHealthB−Life expectancy 80.8 (men), 85.6 (women)Work & commuteB−54% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Princetown’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
HorrabridgeYelvertonTavistockBere AlstonGunnislake and St Ann's ChapelBuckfastleighAshburtonPrincetown
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princetown | 1,442 | — | — | B | B+ | B− |
| Horrabridge | 1,875 | 5.3 | — | B− | B | B+ |
| Yelverton | 1,856 | 5.6 | — | C− | A− | B+ |
| Tavistock | 12,676 | 6.5 | C | C | C+ | B |
| Bere Alston | 2,259 | 9.7 | — | B− | B | B |
| Gunnislake and St Ann's Chapel | 3,506 | 10 | C | D | B | B− |
| Buckfastleigh | 2,720 | 10 | C− | B | C− | C+ |
| Ashburton | 3,368 | 11 | C+ | C+ | C+ | C+ |
Horrabridge, Yelverton 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 Princetown
How many listed buildings are there in Princetown?
That is 5.4 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Princetown?
Band D council tax in Princetown is £2,634 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.
Does Princetown flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Princetown
Village in Devon, England
Princetown is a built-up area of 1,442 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
- 1,442 (Census 2021)
- Council
- West Devon
- County
- Devon
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006846
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.