Woolacombe’s story
2 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Woolacombe’s built-up area.
25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
WoolacombeDevon
A village in Devon, South West, home to 699 people.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Gary Rogers · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
699
Census 2021 · North Devon council
Median home
£510K
41 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.6
29% are 65+ · Devon 24%
Degree level
35%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
37%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Woolacombe a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Woolacombe has none; the figures on this page are still real. The median home sold for £510,000. People aged 65 and over make up 29% of residents. Pre-1919 homes make up 25% of the housing.
What makes Woolacombe stand out
The 3 things Woolacombe does most differently from other towns.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.8 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
29% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Woolacombe.
Who lives here
Woolacombe has fewer young adults than Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 7.5% are 15 to 24
Degrees are held by 35% of adults, above Devon’s towns (30%) and close to England’s towns (34%). People 65 and over make up 29% of the town. The median resident of Woolacombe is 48.6 years old.
48.6median age
WoolacombeDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
29%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level35%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Woolacombe | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 35% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Woolacombe
62% of pupils at the one primary school within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). There is one school here; it is shown below. 216 pupils attend Woolacombe’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woolacombe SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 216 | B− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Woolacombe gets to work on foot, by bike and by public transport more than Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 37% of commuters
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
39% of commuters travelled under 5 km, lower than both Devon’s towns (51%) and England’s towns (45%). Driving is how 62% of commuters got to work at the census. Of the commuters living in Woolacombe, 31% work in the town itself. The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.9%.
37%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving62%
On foot35%
Bicycle2%
39%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
24%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£61K
mean household income, before tax
1.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Most households in Woolacombe own their home: 72%, more than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns
Social housing holds 5% of households, below Devon’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The private rented sector houses 23% of households. Private rents average £846 a month across the North Devon council area.
£510Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Woolacombe£510K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £945,000 | 14 |
| Flat or maisonette | £320,250 | 26 |
72%
of households own their home · England 61%
23%
rent privately · England 21%
£846
average private rent a month, North Devon council area
£2,603
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violent crime runs high in Woolacombe: 36.3 per 1,000 residents a year, above Devon’s towns and England’s towns
Burglary and damage add up to 12.4 per 1,000 residents each year. Woolacombe logged 40 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 6 complaints of anti-social conduct. Also worth knowing: there were 14.1 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Devon’s towns (5.7) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Of all the crimes, 55% were violence and sexual offences.
36.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual22
Damage & arson6
Other theft6
Burglary4
Public order2
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social6
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.
36.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
14.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
40
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Disability is less common in Woolacombe, 13% of residents, than in Devon’s towns and England’s towns
Woolacombe has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 4 miles away. 87% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above Devon’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. At the census, 3.7% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. The nearest A&E to Woolacombe is North Devon District Hospital, 8.7 miles away.
87%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Woolacombe | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 21% | 17% |
83
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
90.5
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Among Woolacombe’s 2 listed buildings: the Church of St Sabinus (Wollacombe Church), Grade II*
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list names 2 listed buildings in Woolacombe: 1 Grade II*. Per 10,000 residents, Woolacombe counts 29 listed buildings, below Devon’s towns (105) and England’s towns (39) alike.
2listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II1
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Sabinus (Wollacombe Church) Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
25%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
29
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Woolacombe
13pages on Woolacombe
The big questions
Safety36.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £510K · rent £846 a monthHousing13 sold in 12 months · busiest street The EsplanadeSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 83 (men), 90.5 (women)Work & commute59% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards3.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Woolacombe’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
IlfracombeBrauntonChambercombeChivenor and WraftonFremingtonCombe MartinAppledoreWoolacombe
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woolacombe | 699 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ilfracombe | 9,199 | 4.2 | D | C+ | D | D |
| Braunton | 6,610 | 4.8 | B | D | B+ | B |
| Chambercombe | 1,502 | 4.9 | — | C− | B+ | C− |
| Chivenor and Wrafton | 1,953 | 6.1 | — | C− | B+ | B− |
| Fremington | 5,229 | 7.7 | B− | D | A− | B− |
| Combe Martin | 2,707 | 7.8 | C | D | B− | B |
| Appledore | 1,711 | 8.2 | — | D− | B | C+ |
Chambercombe, Chivenor and Wrafton and Appledore have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Woolacombe
How many listed buildings are there in Woolacombe?
2 on Historic England’s list, 1 of them Grade II*.
Is Woolacombe expensive to live in?
By type: flats £320,250 and detached houses £945,000.
About Woolacombe
Village in Devon, England
Woolacombe is a built-up area of 699 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
- Population
- 699 (Census 2021)
- Council
- North Devon
- County
- Devon
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005731
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.