Gaunt's Common’s story
3 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Gaunt's Common’s built-up area.
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Gaunt's CommonDorset
A village of 336 in Dorset, South West.
Population
336
Census 2021 · Dorset council
Median age
53.1
31% are 65+ · Dorset 25%
Degree level
46%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Gaunt's Common a good place to live?
Gaunt's Common has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Gaunt's Common stand out
The 3 things Gaunt's Common 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%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
3 listed buildings
0 Grade II*; 3.7 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
31% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Gaunt's Common.
Who lives here
More people in Gaunt's Common hold a degree than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 46%
Gaunt's Common sits above both Dorset’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (34%) on this measure. Over-65s are 31% of the population. The median resident of Gaunt's Common is 53.1 years old.
53.1median age
Gaunt's CommonDorsetEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level46%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Gaunt's Common | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 13% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.7% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 46% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Commuters in Gaunt's Common travel far: only 8% go under 5 km, fewer than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 40% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Gaunt's Common below both Dorset’s towns (48%) and England’s towns (45%). 88% of commuters drove to work at the census.
8%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot5%
Train2%
Bicycle1%
8%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
40%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£63K
mean household income, before tax
2.7%
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 Gaunt's Common than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 86%
On this, Gaunt's Common is above both Dorset’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (61%). 8% of households rent privately.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Gaunt's Common£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £765,000 | 8 |
86%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,056
average private rent a month, Dorset council area
£2,653
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
Homes in Gaunt's Common see less burglary and damage than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 0 per 1,000 a year
In the comparison, Gaunt's Common comes below both Dorset’s towns (7.9) and England’s towns (9.4). Violent crime runs at 4 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 0 crimes inside Gaunt's Common’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 0 reports of anti-social behaviour.
4violent 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.
4
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
Health
Just 2.7% of people in Gaunt's Common say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
For Gaunt's Common, that is below both Dorset’s towns (5.3%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Gaunt's Common has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.4 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.
86%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 86%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Gaunt's Common | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.7% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 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
History
Gaunt's Common keeps more of its old housing than Dorset or England’s towns: 27% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Gaunt's Common’s land, 0% lies in conservation areas, below Dorset’s towns (15%) and close to England’s towns (7%). Gaunt's Common has 3 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*.
3listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II3
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
27%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
89
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 Gaunt's Common
12pages on Gaunt's Common
The big questions
Gaunt's Common’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Wimborne MinsterThree Legged CrossVerwoodWest MoorsFerndownMerleyWest ParleyGaunt's Common
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaunt's Common | 336 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wimborne Minster | 16,629 | 3.3 | C+ | D− | B− | A− |
| Three Legged Cross | 1,129 | 3.4 | — | D | C− | B− |
| Verwood | 13,706 | 4.2 | A− | D | A | A− |
| West Moors | 10,432 | 4.2 | C− | D | B+ | B− |
| Ferndown | 13,267 | 4.5 | B− | D− | A− | B+ |
| Merley | 5,489 | 4.7 | A | D− | A+ | A |
| West Parley | 3,665 | 5.5 | A | D− | A | A |
Three Legged Cross has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Gaunt's Common
Who lives in Gaunt's Common?
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 31% of residents were 65 or over and 30% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 16% were under 15.
How many listed buildings are there in Gaunt's Common?
3 on Historic England’s list. That is 3.7 times the typical UK town for its size. 27% of Gaunt's Common’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
How much is council tax in Gaunt's Common?
Band D council tax in Gaunt's Common is £2,653 for 2026–27, more than in 92% 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.
About Gaunt's Common
Village in Dorset, England
Gaunt's Common is a built-up area of 336 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
- 336 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Dorset
- County
- Dorset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006531
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.