Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 12,294 in Dorset, South West.
Bridport grades C− overall against UK towns: better than 16% of UK towns, and #28 of 30 in Dorset. Its strongest subject is walkability (A): 28% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is cost of living (D): median sale £340,000, 6.5 years of area income; rent £1,056 a month.
The 3 things Bridport does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Bridport is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 474 buildings inside Bridport’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade I.
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 3 old photos and postcards going back to 1865.
Bridport, Vermont, is named after Bridport.
USUS editionBridport, Vermont, settled in 1761, takes its name from this town.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bridport.
That puts Bridport above both Dorset’s towns (25%) and England’s towns (18%). 12% of residents are children under 15. Half the people of Bridport are older than 56.2.
53% women, 47% men
About 87 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.
| Bridport | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 35% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridport Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 267 | C+ |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Bridport has 474 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 3 Grade I, 16 Grade II*. Bridport has 386 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, above both Dorset’s towns (98) and England’s towns (39). Bridport’s listed buildings include Old Holy Trinity Church, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
On this, Bridport is below both Dorset’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £490,000 | 233 |
| Semi-detached | £350,000 | 109 |
| Terraced | £270,000 | 179 |
| Flat or maisonette | £172,500 | 129 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 23% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
58% of commuters travelled under 5 km, above both Dorset’s towns (48%) and England’s towns (45%). The car carried 70% of commuters at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
In the comparison, Bridport comes above both Dorset’s towns (16.7) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 651 crimes inside Bridport’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 263 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 52% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
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
For Bridport, that is above both Dorset’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Bridport is Dorset County Hospital, 13.7 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
| Census 2021 | Bridport | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.2% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bridport. Best known first.
MuseumBridport Museumin town
CastlePowerstock Castle4.5 km outside town, to the northeastArt galleryArt gallerySou'-Sou' West Art Gallery900 m outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionMangerton Mill1.9 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionLangdon Hill4.2 km outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionFurleigh Estate Wine Tours4.2 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
474 listed buildings in Bridport, 3 of them Grade I.
Parish Church of St Mary: Photo: UKgeofan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Town Hall: Photo: Tom Bastin uploaded and; derivative work: MrPanyGoff · CC BY 2.0 · The Castle (Museum and Art Gallery): Photo: Rob Noble · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Priory Works Including Gates: Photo: John Stephen · CC BY-SA 2.0
21 notable people were born in Bridport.
Frederick Weld: Herman John Schmidt, Public domain · Brian Urquhart: Ann Thomas, Public domain · Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham: George Charles Beresford, Public domain · Charles William Bartlett: Charles William Bartlett, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridport | 12,294 | — | C− | D | C+ | B− |
| Bradpole | 1,257 | 1.3 | — | D | A− | C+ |
| Beaminster | 2,995 | 5.4 | C | D | A− | B |
| Charmouth | 1,337 | 6.3 | — | D− | A− | B+ |
| Lyme Regis | 3,741 | 7.9 | C | D− | B− | B+ |
| Uplyme | 1,053 | 8.6 | — | C− | A | A |
| Maiden Newton | 1,128 | 8.8 | — | C | A− | B |
| Misterton | 1,037 | 9.7 | — | B | B− | B− |
Bradpole, Charmouth, Uplyme, Maiden Newton and Misterton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 15.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Old Holy Trinity Church.
Band D council tax in Bridport is £2,842 for 2026–27, more than in 99% 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.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Dorset, England
Bridport is a built-up area of 12,294 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.