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Ottery St Mary , The SquareOttery St Mary, #1 on this list · Photo: Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0
Devon rankings · Health

Healthiest towns in Devon

Ottery St Mary ranks first on health among Devon’s 47 towns of 2,500+; 6 of the 47 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The Health Grade: life expectancy and healthy life expectancy (ONS), with Census 2021 health and disability, all adjusted for age; English towns add OHID’s early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity. The rank across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland sits beside each letter. How grades work

#1

Ottery St Mary

6,043 people
A+

Better than 95% of UK towns·#91 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#2

Sidmouth

13,258 people
A

Better than 87% of UK towns·#239 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#3

Budleigh Salterton

5,237 people
A−

Better than 85% of UK towns·#277 of 2,515 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

All 47 towns, ranked

Health grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland links to the national list.

Every town in Devon →

47 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns
1Ottery St Mary6,043 peopleA+#91 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 95% of UK towns
2Sidmouth13,258 peopleA#239 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 87% of UK towns
3Budleigh Salterton5,237 peopleA−#277 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns
4Willand3,477 peopleA−#309 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 83% of UK towns
5West Clyst2,683 peopleA−#380 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 79% of UK towns
6Topsham4,193 peopleA−#414 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 77% of UK towns
7South Brent2,643 peopleB+#462 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 75% of UK towns
8Ivybridge12,485 peopleB+#604 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 67% of UK towns
9Bovey Tracey6,241 peopleB+#640 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 65% of UK towns
10Chudleigh4,372 peopleB#693 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 63% of UK towns
11Tavistock12,676 peopleB#721 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 61% of UK towns
12Kingskerswell3,761 peopleB#775 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns
13Dartmouth5,260 peopleB#787 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns
14Braunton6,610 peopleB#789 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns
15Combe Martin2,707 peopleB#802 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 57% of UK towns
16Exminster4,388 peopleB#828 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 56% of UK towns
17Honiton12,155 peopleB−#863 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 54% of UK towns
18Kingsbridge5,682 peopleB−#919 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 52% of UK towns
19Fremington5,229 peopleB−#929 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 52% of UK towns
20Seaton7,429 peopleB−#934 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 51% of UK towns
21Westward Ho!3,468 peopleB−#995 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 49% of UK towns
22Kingsteignton11,945 peopleB−#1,071 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 46% of UK towns
23Exmouth35,502 peopleB−#1,074 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 45% of UK towns
24Axminster6,094 peopleC+#1,107 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 44% of UK towns
T25Cranbrook4,936 peopleC+#1,121 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 43% of UK towns
T25Northam5,191 peopleC+#1,121 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 43% of UK towns
27Ashburton3,368 peopleC+#1,150 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 43% of UK towns
28Totnes9,217 peopleC+#1,158 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 42% of UK towns
29Dawlish11,800 peopleC+#1,213 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns
30Buckfastleigh2,720 peopleC+#1,218 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns
31Exeter126,181 peopleC+#1,253 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns
32Crediton7,971 peopleC+#1,260 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns
33Okehampton9,108 peopleC+#1,280 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 38% of UK towns
34Newton Abbot29,650 peopleC+#1,298 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 37% of UK towns
35Teignmouth15,314 peopleC+#1,313 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns
36Cullompton8,895 peopleC+#1,322 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns
37Holsworthy3,472 peopleC+#1,326 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns
38South Molton6,226 peopleC+#1,332 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns
39Great Torrington5,958 peopleC#1,470 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 31% of UK towns
40Brixham17,839 peopleC#1,491 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 30% of UK towns
41Tiverton19,710 peopleC#1,549 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns
42Barnstaple31,271 peopleC#1,599 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 27% of UK towns
43Bideford19,493 peopleC#1,621 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 26% of UK towns
44Paignton67,509 peopleC#1,624 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 26% of UK towns
45Plymouth266,970 peopleC−#1,816 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 20% of UK towns
46Torquay52,034 peopleC−#1,977 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 15% of UK towns
47Ilfracombe9,199 peopleD#2,106 of 2,515 nationallybetter than 12% of UK towns
Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the healthiest town in Devon?

Ottery St Mary ranks first on health among 47 towns, with an A+: better than 95% of UK towns. Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The Health Grade: life expectancy and healthy life expectancy (ONS), with Census 2021 health and disability, all adjusted for age; English towns add OHID’s early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Devon’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Devon is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Devon lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Devon rankings →
Best places to live47 towns · #1 IvybridgeBest small towns30 towns · #1 Ottery St MaryMost affordable towns47 towns · #1 TivertonSafest towns47 towns · #1 Budleigh SaltertonTowns with the best schools47 towns · #1 IvybridgeBest 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

Healthiest towns, county by county

AberdeenshireBedfordshireBerkshireBuckinghamshireCambridgeshireCheshireClwydCornwallCounty DurhamCumbriaDerbyshireDevonDorsetDyfedEast Riding of YorkshireEast SussexEssexFifeGloucestershireGreater ManchesterGwentHampshireHertfordshireHighlandKentLancashireLeicestershireLincolnshireLondonMerseysideMid GlamorganNorfolkNorth LanarkshireNorth YorkshireNorthamptonshireNorthumberlandNottinghamshireOxfordshireShropshireSomersetSouth LanarkshireSouth YorkshireStaffordshireSuffolkSurreyTyne and WearWarwickshireWest GlamorganWest MidlandsWest SussexWest YorkshireWiltshireWorcestershire

Sources: 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 · 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.