Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 214 in Dorset, South West.
Abbotsbury has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Abbotsbury does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Abbotsbury’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
46% 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 Abbotsbury.
People aged 15 to 24 make up 8% of the town, below Dorset’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Those 65 and older account for just over a third of residents. The median resident of Abbotsbury is 56.1 years old.
57% women, 43% men
About 75 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.
| Abbotsbury | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 7% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 36% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 34% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.6% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households had £50K a year before tax, close to Dorset’s towns (£52K) and below England’s towns (£55K). Nearly a fifth of commuters left the car at home at the census, walking, cycling or taking public transport. The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.7%.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Private tenants account for a quarter of households. 37% of households own their home, lower than both Dorset’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (61%). That is the middle of 4 standard sales inside Abbotsbury’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence came to 15.6 per 1,000 residents a year, below Dorset’s towns (16.8) and England’s towns (22) alike. Over the year to August 2026, 8 offences were reported in Abbotsbury.
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
Self-reported good health: nearly four fifths of Abbotsbury’s residents. There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 6.8 miles off. The nearest A&E to Abbotsbury is Dorset County Hospital, 7.3 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Abbotsbury | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.6% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
The pre-1919 share of homes is 46%. Abbotsbury’s listed buildings include North Wall of Abbey Church of St Peter, Grade I. Scaled to its population, Abbotsbury has 3,645 listed buildings per 10,000 people, higher than both Dorset’s towns (100) and England’s towns (39). At the top of the list, 5 are Grade I and 4 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Abbotsbury. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · English HeritageAbbotsbury Abbeyin town
MuseumAbbotsbury Subtropical Gardens700 m outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionAbbotsbury Children's Farmin townHistoric siteHistoric site · English HeritageKingston Russell Stone Circle2.3 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionAbbotsbury Swannery1 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbotsbury | 214 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chickerell | 3,973 | 5.2 | C | D | B+ | B− |
| Weymouth | 55,540 | 6.6 | D | C− | C− | C |
| Dorchester | 21,358 | 7.4 | C | D | C+ | C+ |
| Charminster | 1,732 | 7.6 | — | D | A− | B+ |
| Maiden Newton | 1,128 | 7.8 | — | C | A− | B |
| Bradpole | 1,257 | 8.4 | — | D | A− | C+ |
| Bridport | 12,294 | 8.4 | C− | D | C+ | B− |
Charminster, Maiden Newton and Bradpole have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 149.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include North Wall of Abbey Church of St Peter. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Band D council tax in Abbotsbury is £2,676 for 2026–27, more than in 94% 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 Dorset, England
Abbotsbury is a built-up area of 214 people, in the Dorset 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.