Beacon Hill’s story
No listed buildings inside Beacon Hill’s built-up area
18% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Beacon HillDorset
330 residents make their home in this village in Dorset, South West. Mortgage-free owners make up 53% of households.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Mike Faherty · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
330
Census 2021 · Dorset council
Median home
£395K
13 sales in 3 years
Median age
59.6
39% are 65+ · Dorset 25%
Degree level
26%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Beacon Hill a good place to live?
There are no grades for Beacon Hill: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 8% of commuters. Over-65s are nearly two fifths of the population.
What makes Beacon Hill stand out
The 3 things Beacon Hill does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
8% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
39% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Own outright
Housing
53% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Beacon Hill.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Beacon Hill: 39% are 65 or over, above Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
Beacon Hill has a median age of 59.6 years. 7.9% are under 15, below Dorset’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. In addition, the share aged 15 to 24 is 7.6%.
59.6median age
Beacon HillDorsetEngland
Ages · share of residents
39%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications20%
Apprenticeship12%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level26%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Beacon Hill | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 7.9% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 12% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 39% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 12% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Under 5 km to work: 7% in Beacon Hill, fewer than in Dorset’s towns and across England’s towns
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.
1.6% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, below Dorset’s towns (2.3%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. At the census, just over nine in ten commuters went by car. Work in town: 1% of resident commuters. Households take home £63K a year before tax, on average.
8%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
On foot6%
Bus1%
Underground, tram1%
7%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
32%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£63K
mean household income, before tax
1.6%
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
More households own their home in Beacon Hill than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 81%
18% rent privately, below both Dorset’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%). Social renters account for 1% of households. Private rents average £1,056 a month across the Dorset council area.
£395Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Beacon Hill£395K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £400,000 | 6 |
81%
of households own their home · England 61%
18%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,056
average private rent a month, Dorset council area
£2,709
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
Crime recorded by police in Beacon Hill
Police recorded 0 crimes inside Beacon Hill’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 0 reports of anti-social behaviour.
0violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual0
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social0
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.
0
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
0
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · Violence and sexual offences were 0% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking, so it runs higher than U.S. “violent crime”.
Health
Disability is more common in Beacon Hill than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 21% of residents
78% of Beacon Hill’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, lower than both Dorset’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%). This Dorset town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.8 miles away. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 5.8% of the town.
78%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Beacon Hill | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.8% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 19% | 17% |
83.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.5
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
No listed buildings in Beacon Hill
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Beacon Hill’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
18%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
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 Beacon Hill
13pages on Beacon Hill
The big questions
Safety0 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £395K · rent £1,056 a monthHousing3 sold in 12 months · busiest street Henbury House GardensSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 83.4 (men), 86.5 (women)Work & commute51% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Beacon Hill’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Lytchett MatraversCorfe MullenUptonSturminster MarshallMerleySandfordPooleBeacon Hill
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon Hill | 330 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lytchett Matravers | 3,455 | 1 | A− | D− | A | A− |
| Corfe Mullen | 10,036 | 1.7 | A− | D− | A | A |
| Upton | 8,401 | 2.4 | B− | D | B | C+ |
| Sturminster Marshall | 1,504 | 2.4 | — | D− | A− | A |
| Merley | 5,489 | 4.2 | A | D− | A+ | A |
| Sandford | 2,004 | 4.4 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Poole | 141,009 | 4.7 | C+ | D | C | C+ |
Sturminster Marshall and Sandford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Beacon Hill
How much is council tax in Beacon Hill?
Band D council tax in Beacon Hill is £2,709 for 2026–27, more than in 96% 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.
Is Beacon Hill expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £395,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
About Beacon Hill
Village in Dorset, England
Beacon Hill is a built-up area of 330 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
- Population
- 330 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Dorset
- County
- Dorset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006670
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.