Torquay grades D− overall against UK towns: better than 4% of UK towns, and #45 of 47 in Devon. Its strongest subject is walkability (A): 26% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is safety (D−): 62.6 violent and sexual offences and 20.2 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has less crime per resident than 10%. The median home sold for £220,000 in the last three years, 5.1 times what households in the Torbay council area earn in a year.
Devon And Cornwall Police published 33 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Torquay is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Torquay.
Safety
Torquay has more crime per resident than 97% of UK towns
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Violence came to 62.6 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Devon’s towns (21.4) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 6,403 crimes inside Torquay’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 1,071 reports of anti-social behaviour. For its size, Torquay records more crime per resident than 90% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more.
62.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearD−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 10% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3,258
Damage & arson603
Shoplifting601
Other theft505
Public order411
Drugs258
Vehicle crime188
Burglary182
Anti-social1,071
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.
62.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
20.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
25.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 17 schools →
History
369 listed buildings, 5 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Torquay has 369 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 5 Grade I, 11 Grade II*. Torquay’s listed buildings include Parish Church of All Saints, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 41% of the total, above both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (16%).
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
Disability is more common in Torquay than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns: 25% of residents
In the comparison, Torquay comes above both Devon’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (17%). Women here live to 82.5 on average and men to 77.2 (2019–23). 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.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Who lives here
Torquay has fewer young adults than Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 9.5% are 15 to 24
For Torquay, that is below both Devon’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). People 65 and over make up 24% of the town. Half the people of Torquay are older than 46.9.
46.9median age
TorquayDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
24%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications20%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level25%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenEnglandMen
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Agatha Christie: Joop van Bilsen for Anefo, CC0 · Richard Francis Burton: Rischgitz/Stringer, Public domain · Ollie Watkins: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Penny Mordaunt: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, CC BY 2.0 · Roger Deakins: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0
Marldon, Shaldon, Abbotskerswell, Ipplepen and Bishopsteignton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Torquay
Is Torquay safe?
Police recorded 6,403 crimes inside Torquay’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 51% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
How many listed buildings are there in Torquay?
That is 2.9 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include The Spanish Barn, Torre Abbey. It also has 3 scheduled monuments. 41% of Torquay’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Does Torquay flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Is Torquay expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £220,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £149,500, terraced houses £223,000, semi-detached houses £269,000 and detached houses £420,000. Household incomes are lower than in 93% of UK towns, so cost of living grades D.
About Torquay
Large town in Devon, England
Torquay is a built-up area of 52,034 people, in the Torbay 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
52,034 (Census 2021)
Council
Torbay
County
Devon
Region
South West
Area
4.8 sq mi (12.4 km²)
ONS code
E63006890
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.
