Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
975 people call this village in Dorset, South West home.
Bradford Abbas has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 6% of commuters. 20 buildings are listed here, 2 at Grade I. People aged 65 and over make up 29% of residents.
The 3 things Bradford Abbas does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Bradford Abbas’ built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
23% 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 Bradford Abbas.
Over-65s are 29% of the population. Children under 15 make up 14%, below both Dorset’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). At 52.7, the median resident of Bradford Abbas sits in the middle of the age range.
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bradford Abbas | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.4% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 34% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Key Stage 2 results at the 6 primary schools within 3 km: 56% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). There is one school here; it is shown below. 90 pupils attend Bradford Abbas’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford AbbasLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 90 | C− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Short trips to work, under 5 km: 37%, lower than both Dorset’s towns (48%) and England’s towns (45%). 0.8% of people aged 16 to 64 were on unemployment benefits in 2026. There are 0.9 jobs in Bradford Abbas for each resident in work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
80% of households own their home, above both Dorset’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (61%). Social renters account for 9% of households. Private rents average £1,056 a month across the Dorset council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £425,000 | 17 |
| Semi-detached | £270,000 | 16 |
| Terraced | £260,000 | 8 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Per 1,000 residents, 5.1 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded a year. Police recorded 15 crimes inside Bradford Abbas’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 1.4 reports per 1,000, below both Dorset’s towns (9.3) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for 20% of recorded crime.
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 · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
A disability affects 16% of people in Bradford Abbas. This Dorset town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.1 miles away. 83% of Bradford Abbas’ residents described their health as good or very good at the census, higher than both Dorset’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%).
| Census 2021 | Bradford Abbas | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 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.
Of Bradford Abbas’ land, 36% lies in conservation areas, higher than both Dorset’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (7%). Homes from before 1919 make up nearly a quarter of the total. The top grade, Grade I, goes to 2 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford Abbas | 975 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Barwick and Stoford | 1,095 | 1.6 | — | A− | C | B− |
| Yeovil | 50,170 | 2.6 | C+ | B | D | C |
| Sherborne | 10,359 | 3.1 | C+ | D | B | B− |
| Milborne Port | 3,207 | 5.9 | B− | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Ilchester | 2,062 | 6.8 | — | A | C | B |
| Stoke sub Hamdon | 1,360 | 7.4 | — | C+ | C | B |
| Martock | 4,079 | 8.4 | C | B− | C | C+ |
Barwick and Stoford, Ilchester and Stoke sub Hamdon have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 8.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Churchyard Cross 7 Metres North-West of Tower of Church of St Mary.. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Band D council tax in Bradford Abbas is £2,674 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
Bradford Abbas is a built-up area of 975 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.