Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,226 in Devon, South West.
South Molton grades C− overall against UK towns: better than 17% of UK towns, and #35 of 47 in Devon. Its strongest subject is walkability (A): 25% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is jobs & income (D): mean household income £45,517; 3% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. The median home sold for £274,950 in the last three years, 5.8 times what households in the North 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 3 things South Molton does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far South Molton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 83 buildings inside South Molton’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade I.
20% 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 South Molton.
For South Molton, that is above both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). People aged 15 to 24 make up 8.5% of the town. The median resident of South Molton is 47.6 years old.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| South Molton | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.1% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Molton Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 242 | C |
| South Molton Community CollegeLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 656 | B |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 20% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
20% of workers worked mainly from home, below both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (31%). For 43% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
South Molton has 83 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 3 Grade I, 1 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £349,000 | 185 |
| Semi-detached | £260,000 | 69 |
| Terraced | £207,000 | 121 |
| Flat or maisonette | £165,000 | 28 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
South Molton sits above both Devon’s towns (5.9%) and England’s towns (5.2%) on this measure. The nearest A&E to South Molton is North Devon District Hospital, 10.7 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
| Census 2021 | South Molton | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.2% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 21% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
That puts South Molton above both Devon’s towns (21.4) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 350 crimes inside South Molton’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 46 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 57% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
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
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near South Molton. Best known first.
CastleCastle Hill4.1 km outside town, to the northwestCastleCastleSham Castle4.1 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
83 listed buildings in South Molton, 3 of them Grade I.
Church of St Mary Magdalene: Photo: Hugh Llewelyn · CC BY-SA 2.0 · South Molton Cemetery Chapels: Photo: Harrias · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kings Arms Public House: Photo: Nigel Mykura · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Medical Hall: Photo: Kmtextor · CC BY-SA 4.0
5 notable people were born in South Molton.
Aaron Buzacott: Unknown photographer, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Molton | 6,226 | — | C− | C | C+ | C+ |
| Chulmleigh | 1,232 | 7.2 | — | C | B | B |
| Landkey | 2,001 | 7.9 | — | C− | A | B+ |
| Witheridge | 1,306 | 9.1 | — | C | C− | B |
| Barnstaple | 31,271 | 10 | D | C | D | C |
| Morchard Bishop | 1,041 | 12 | — | C+ | A+ | B+ |
Chulmleigh, Landkey, Witheridge and Morchard Bishop have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 5.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Church of St Mary Magdalene. 20% of South Molton’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
South Molton has 3 state schools; places are handled by Devon council.
Town in Devon, England
South Molton is a built-up area of 6,226 people, in the North 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
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.