#1Ottery St Mary
6,043 peopleScore 60.2·#334 of 1,289 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Strongest: health A+, schools B+·lowest: hazard risk D
Ottery St Mary, #1 on this list · Photo: Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0Devon rankings · Small towns
Best small towns in Devon
Ottery St Mary ranks first of 30 small towns of 2,500 to 9,999 residents in Devon, with an A−. 1 of the 30 grade A− or better.
The overall score, among towns of 2,500 to 9,999; the letter is the same UK grade every town gets. The rank across England, Wales and Northern Ireland sits beside each letter. How grades work
#1A−
#2Willand
3,477 peopleScore 58.6·#374 of 1,289 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Strongest: hazard risk A, health A−·lowest: cost of living C+
#3Seaton
7,429 peopleScore 55.8·#460 of 1,289 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Strongest: schools A, walkability A·lowest: hazard risk D
All 30 towns, ranked
By overall score; the letter is the same UK grade as on each town’s page. Each rank across England, Wales and Northern Ireland links to the national list. The score (0–100) blends the seven livability grades and sets the order; the letter places that score among UK towns of 2,500+, and A+ is the top 5%, so neighbours on the list often share a letter.
30 towns.
#TownScoreGrade · UK rankWhat drives it
1Ottery St Mary6,043 people60.2top 22.5%A−#334 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: health A+, schools B+·lowest: hazard risk D
2Willand3,477 people58.6top 25.2%B+#374 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: hazard risk A, health A−·lowest: cost of living C+
3Seaton7,429 people55.8top 31.2%B+#460 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: schools A, walkability A·lowest: hazard risk D
4Exminster4,388 people54.9top 33.3%B+#495 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: safety A−, walkability B+·lowest: cost of living C−
5Chudleigh4,372 people52.3top 38.2%B#565 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: schools B+, health B·lowest: cost of living C+
6Topsham4,193 people51.6top 39.6%B#589 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A+, health A−·lowest: cost of living D−
7Braunton6,610 people50.2top 42.3%B#625 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, safety B+·lowest: hazard risk D
8Budleigh Salterton5,237 people49.4top 44.7%B#655 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: safety A, health A−·lowest: schools D
9West Clyst2,683 people47.9top 47.9%B−#701 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: hazard risk A, health A−·lowest: cost of living C−
10Kingskerswell3,761 people47.7top 48.2%B−#704 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: schools B+, health B·lowest: hazard risk D
11Kingsbridge5,682 people46.9bottom 49.7%B−#728 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A+, schools A−·lowest: hazard risk C−
12Bovey Tracey6,241 people46.0bottom 47.8%B−#753 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: safety A−, health B+·lowest: hazard risk D
13Fremington5,229 people45.2bottom 46.0%B−#772 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: safety A−, walkability B·lowest: cost of living D
14South Brent2,643 people45.1bottom 45.7%B−#778 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: health B+, hazard risk B+·lowest: schools D−
15Crediton7,971 people43.9bottom 42.7%C+#817 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, cost of living B·lowest: safety C−
16Ashburton3,368 people43.4bottom 41.2%C+#832 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A−, schools B·lowest: hazard risk D−
17Totnes9,217 people42.1bottom 38.4%C+#865 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A+, schools A−·lowest: hazard risk D
18Cranbrook4,936 people40.1bottom 33.8%C#923 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income B, walkability B−·lowest: safety C−
19Combe Martin2,707 people38.1bottom 29.2%C#977 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability B+, health B·lowest: jobs & income D
20Northam5,191 people36.7bottom 25.3%C#1,023 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: safety A−, walkability B·lowest: cost of living D−
21Cullompton8,895 people35.7bottom 22.6%C−#1,050 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability B, cost of living B−·lowest: hazard risk D−
22Buckfastleigh2,720 people34.9bottom 20.7%C−#1,068 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability B, cost of living B·lowest: jobs & income D
23Okehampton9,108 people33.9bottom 17.8%C−#1,101 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, cost of living B−·lowest: jobs & income D
24South Molton6,226 people33.5bottom 17.2%C−#1,108 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, safety C+·lowest: jobs & income D
25Dartmouth5,260 people33.3bottom 16.6%C−#1,114 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A+, health B·lowest: hazard risk D−
26Great Torrington5,958 people31.7bottom 13.2%D#1,153 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, safety B−·lowest: jobs & income D
27Axminster6,094 people31.2bottom 12.7%D#1,161 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A−, cost of living B·lowest: schools D−
28Ilfracombe9,199 people27.5bottom 6.7%D#1,221 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A+, cost of living C+·lowest: jobs & income D−
29Holsworthy3,472 people26.7bottom 5.7%D#1,231 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, hazard risk B·lowest: schools D−
30Westward Ho!3,468 people24.8bottom 3.8%D−#1,252 of 1,289 nationallyStrongest: walkability B, health B−·lowest: cost of living D
Quick answers
Questions people ask
What is the best small town to live in Devon?
Ottery St Mary ranks first of 30 (A−): health (A+) and schools (B+) are its strongest grades; hazard risk (D) is its lowest. Willand and Seaton follow.
How are these towns ranked?
By the overall grade, which blends seven livability grades (cost of living, safety, schools, health, jobs & income, walkability, flood risk) from public data, each comparing a town with every UK town. How grades work.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
The list covers towns of 2,500 to 9,999 residents with an overall grade. Towns without one are counted above with the reason.
Go deeper
All Devon rankings →More Devon lists
Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.
Best places to live47 towns · #1 IvybridgeMost affordable towns47 towns · #1 TivertonSafest towns47 towns · #1 Budleigh SaltertonTowns with the best schools47 towns · #1 IvybridgeHealthiest towns47 towns · #1 Ottery St MaryBest towns for jobs & income47 towns · #1 IvybridgeMost walkable towns47 towns · #1 ExeterTowns with the lowest flood risk47 towns · #1 West Clyst and WillandBest towns for the outdoors47 towns · #1 PlymouthMost historic towns47 towns · #1 DartmouthTowns with the most civic life47 towns · #1 HolsworthyTowns with the highest household incomes47 towns · #1 CranbrookDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest council tax47 towns · #1 PlymouthDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters47 towns · #1 IlfracombeDescribed, no lettersTowns with the warmest summers47 towns · #1 Exminster and TopshamDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers47 towns · #1 Combe MartinDescribed, no lettersTowns with the fewest frosts47 towns · #1 IlfracombeDescribed, no lettersDriest towns47 towns · #1 ExmouthDescribed, no lettersWettest towns47 towns · #1 BuckfastleighDescribed, no letters
County by county
Best small towns, county by county
BedfordshireBerkshireBuckinghamshireCambridgeshireCheshireClwydCornwallCounty DurhamCumbriaDerbyshireDevonDorsetDyfedEast Riding of YorkshireEssexGloucestershireGwentHampshireHertfordshireKentLancashireLeicestershireLincolnshireMid GlamorganNorfolkNorth YorkshireNorthamptonshireNottinghamshireOxfordshireSomersetSouth YorkshireStaffordshireSuffolkSurreyTyne and WearWarwickshireWest SussexWest YorkshireWiltshire
Sources: 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.