Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 579 in Dorset, South West.
Cranborne has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Cranborne does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Cranborne’s built-up area.
47% 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 Cranborne.
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.
That puts Cranborne below both Dorset’s towns (48%) and England’s towns (45%). 16% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cranborne Church of England First SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 73 | – |
| Cranborne Middle SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 265 | C− |
On this, Cranborne is below both Dorset’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (61%). Social housing holds 24% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £411,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
In the comparison, Cranborne comes below both Dorset’s towns (16.8) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 6 crimes inside Cranborne’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 2 reports of anti-social behaviour. Homes see 11.5 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year.
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
81% of Cranborne’s residents described their health as good or very good in 2021, against 81% across Dorset’s towns. 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 | Cranborne | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
For Cranborne, that is above both Dorset’s towns (100) and England’s towns (39). Cranborne’s listed buildings include Church of St Mary and St Bartholomew, Grade I. Cranborne has 24 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 2 Grade I, 3 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
11% of residents are 15 to 24 and 25% are 65 or over, against 11% and 25% across Dorset’s towns. 31% of residents 16 and over have a degree-level qualification (Dorset 31%, England 34%).
53% women, 47% men
About 88 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.
| Cranborne | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.1% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Cranborne. Best known first.
Historic houseCranborne Manorin town
Historic houseEdmondsham House1.4 km outside town, to the south
Historic houseSt Giles House, Wimborne St Giles2.6 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumBugad Classic Bikes1.6 km outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionDorset Heavy Horse Centre2.7 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranborne | 579 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Verwood | 13,706 | 3.6 | A− | D | A | A− |
| Alderholt | 2,868 | 3.8 | B | D | A− | A |
| Sandleheath | 1,546 | 4.8 | — | D | A | A− |
| Three Legged Cross | 1,129 | 4.9 | — | D | C− | B− |
| Fordingbridge | 4,947 | 5.6 | C+ | C− | C | B+ |
| Ashley Heath | 7,151 | 6.9 | B | D− | A− | A |
| West Moors | 10,432 | 7.2 | C− | D | B+ | B− |
Sandleheath and Three Legged Cross have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 17 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Church of St Mary and St Bartholomew.
Band D council tax in Cranborne is £2,681 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.
Private rents in the Dorset council area averaged £1,056 a month in August 2026.
Village in Dorset, England
Cranborne is a built-up area of 579 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.