Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 396 in Devon, South West.
Shebbear has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Shebbear does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 6 buildings inside Shebbear’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
37% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Shebbear.
26% of adults hold a degree, below both Devon’s towns (30%) and England’s towns (34%). Over-65s are 29% of the population. The median resident of Shebbear is 53.2 years old. Children under 15 make up 17% of residents.
48% women, 52% men
About 110 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Shebbear | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.8% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Below is its only school. 59% of pupils at the one primary school within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its one primary school teaches 54 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shebbear Community SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 54 | C+ |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 25% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car carried 83% of commuters at the census. 32% of commuters travelled under 5 km, below both Devon’s towns (51%) and England’s towns (45%). Average household income comes to £41K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Home ownership stands at 67% of households. 21% live in social housing, above both Devon’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £789 a month across the Torridge council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £440,000 | 11 |
| Semi-detached | £273,750 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences made up 85% of the total. Over the year to August 2026, 20 offences were reported in Shebbear, along with 1 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Burglary and damage come to 6.4 per 1,000 residents a year. There were 11.9 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Devon’s towns (5.7) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
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.
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.
At the census, nearly one in ten residents said their health was bad or very bad, above Devon’s towns (5.9%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. Just over three quarters of people in Shebbear rate their own health good or very good. This Devon town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.8 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Shebbear | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 76% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.4% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 26% | 21% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Shebbear counts 6 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade II*. Scaled to its population, Shebbear has 152 listed buildings per 10,000 people, above both Devon’s towns (105) and England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shebbear | 396 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Holsworthy | 3,472 | 6.9 | D | D | C+ | C+ |
| Great Torrington | 5,958 | 7.1 | D | C− | B− | C |
| Bideford | 19,493 | 11 | D− | C− | C− | C |
| Winkleigh | 1,342 | 12 | — | D | A− | B |
Winkleigh has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 6.2 times the typical UK town for its size. 37% of Shebbear’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 29% of residents were 65 or over and 31% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 17% were under 15.
Band D council tax in Shebbear is £2,547 for 2026–27, more than in 76% 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.
Village in Devon, England
Shebbear is a built-up area of 396 people, in the Torridge 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
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.