England · County

Find your town in Dorset

Dorset has 32 towns of 2,500 or more and 91 villages and smaller places. Towns are graded against towns across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on cost of living, safety, schools, health and more.

32graded towns

6grade A− or better

91villages and smaller places

Bournemouthlargest · 196,453

How Dorset compares: its report card →

#1 in DorsetWest ParleyA

#2 in DorsetMerleyA

#3 in DorsetCorfe MullenA⁻

#4 in DorsetLytchett MatraversA⁻

Dorset at a glance

What Dorset is like

The typical Dorset town grades highest on walkability and outdoors against towns across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and lowest on cost of living. Choose a subject to find the towns that do best on it.

The typical town, subject by subjectThe median Dorset town against UK towns · the line marks the typical UK town

How Dorset’s towns grade overall32 graded towns

A6B5C19D2

6 of 32 (19%) grade A− or better, against 25% of UK towns.

Every town ranked by scoreThe full Dorset list, with what drives each grade Compare two townsSide by side, subject by subject

The finder

Find a town that’s…

32 towns · ordered by Dorset rank

West Parley

Town · 3,665 people · #293 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAJobs & incomeAHealthLowestD⁻Cost of living

Merley

Town · 5,489 people · #307 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁺SafetyAJobs & incomeLowestD⁻Cost of living

A⁻

Corfe Mullen

Town · 10,036 people · #459 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAJobs & incomeAHealthLowestD⁻Cost of living

A⁻

Lytchett Matravers

Town · 3,455 people · #497 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestASafetyAHazard riskLowestD⁻Cost of living

A⁻

Verwood

Town · 13,706 people · #508 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestASafetyA⁻HealthLowestDCost of living

Ashley Heath

Town · 7,151 people · #745 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHealthA⁻SafetyLowestD⁻Cost of living

Alderholt

Town · 2,868 people · #786 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHealthAHazard riskLowestD⁻Walkability

B⁻

Ferndown

Town · 13,267 people · #1,020 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHazard riskA⁻SafetyLowestD⁻Cost of living

B⁻

Christchurch

Large town · 48,973 people · #1,029 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestB⁺SchoolsB⁺WalkabilityLowestD⁻Cost of living

B⁻

Upton

Town · 8,401 people · #1,039 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHazard riskB⁺SchoolsLowestDCost of living

C⁺

Wimborne Minster

Town · 16,629 people · #1,210 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻HealthBJobs & incomeLowestD⁻Cost of living

C⁺

Poole

City · 141,009 people · #1,222 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻WalkabilityA⁻SchoolsLowestDCost of living

C⁺

Gillingham

Town · 11,009 people · #1,326 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestB⁺WalkabilityBHealthLowestC⁻Hazard risk

C⁺

Sherborne

Town · 10,359 people · #1,378 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAWalkabilityBSafetyLowestDCost of living

Wareham

Town · 5,876 people · #1,392 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻WalkabilityBHealthLowestD⁻Cost of living

Lyme Regis

Town · 3,741 people · #1,423 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAWalkabilityB⁺HealthLowestD⁻Cost of living

Bournemouth

City · 196,453 people · #1,439 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAWalkabilityASchoolsLowestDCost of living

Dorchester

Large town · 21,358 people · #1,452 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁺WalkabilityB⁻Jobs & incomeLowestDCost of living

Chickerell

Town · 3,973 people · #1,464 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestB⁺SafetyB⁻HealthLowestDCost of living

Blandford Forum

Town · 11,805 people · #1,488 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻WalkabilityB⁻HealthLowestC⁻Cost of living

Beaminster

Town · 2,995 people · #1,502 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻SafetyBHealthLowestDJobs & income

Bearwood

Town · 4,134 people · #1,554 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHazard riskBJobs & incomeLowestDCost of living

C⁻

Shaftesbury

Town · 9,163 people · #1,604 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHazard riskA⁻WalkabilityLowestD⁻Schools

C⁻

Weston

Town · 5,208 people · #1,685 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHazard riskA⁻WalkabilityLowestC⁻Schools

C⁻

Sturminster Newton

Town · 3,565 people · #1,727 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAWalkabilityAHazard riskLowestDSchools

C⁻

Swanage

Town · 9,115 people · #1,742 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁺WalkabilityBSafetyLowestD⁻Cost of living

C⁻

West Moors

Town · 10,432 people · #1,758 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestB⁺SafetyB⁻HealthLowestDCost of living

C⁻

Bridport

Town · 12,294 people · #1,798 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAWalkabilityB⁻HealthLowestDCost of living

Weymouth

Large town · 55,540 people · #1,995 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻WalkabilityCHealthLowestDSchools

Fortuneswell

Town · 4,554 people · #2,009 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAWalkabilityC⁺Cost of livingLowestDHazard risk

A⁻

Pimperne Garrison town

Town · 2,770 people

StrongestA⁺SafetyA⁺HealthLowestDCost of living

Wool Garrison town

Town · 5,044 people

StrongestA⁻WalkabilityB⁺SafetyLowestDSchools

Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked: most residents serve in the forces or are students.

Go deeper

Dorset lists

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

All Dorset rankings →

Villages and small towns

91 smaller places in Dorset

Places of 1,000 to 2,500 people have subject grades on their pages, but no overall grade or rank. The search at the top finds these too.

71 places under 1,000 people

Abbotsbury Ashmore Beacon Hill Bishop's Caundle Bourton Bradford Abbas Briantspuddle Broadmayne Broadwindsor Bryanston Buckhorn Weston Burton Bradstock Cerne Abbas Chalbury Common Cheselbourne Chetnole Chideock Corfe Castle Corscombe Cranborne Durweston East Stour Fontmell Magna Gaunt's Common Harman's Cross Hazelbury Bryan Holt Holton Heath Holwell Iwerne Minster Kington Magna Langton Matravers Leigh Litton Cheney Loders Longburton Morcombelake Mosterton Nether Compton Okeford Fitzpaine Osmington Owermoigne Piddlehinton Piddletrenthide Portesham Post Green Ridge Shroton Sixpenny Handley Spetisbury Stinsford, Lower Bockhampton and Kingston Maurward Stoborough Stone Stour Row Stourpaine Stourton Caundle Studland Sydling St Nicholas Thornford Tolpuddle West Knighton West Lulworth Whitchurch Canonicorum Whitmore Winfrith Newburgh Winterborne Kingston Winterborne St Martin Winterborne Stickland Winterborne Whitechurch Worth Matravers Yetminster

Photos: 0: Mike Faherty · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 1: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 2: John Palmer · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 5: Chris Downer · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 6: Clive Perrin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 10: Bellminsterboy · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 11: John Norris · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 12: Jonathan Hutchins · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 13: Neil Owen · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 14: Derek Harper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 15: Unknown author · Public domain · 16: Colin Vosper · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 17: Ian Greig · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 18: Stephen Williams · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 19: Mr Eugene Birchall · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 20: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 21: Ian S · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 23: Brendan and Ruth McCartney · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 24: Des Blenkinsopp · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 25: Oast House Archive · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 27: David Martin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 28: ITookSomePhotos · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 29: Raimond Spekking · CC BY-SA 4.0

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area. 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.