Holton Heath’s story
5 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Holton Heath’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Holton HeathDorset
Mortgage-free owners make up 52% of households. A village of 270 in Dorset, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Mike Faherty · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
270
Census 2021 · Dorset council
Median home
£389K
16 sales in 3 years
Median age
54.6
26% are 65+ · Dorset 25%
Degree level
32%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Holton Heath a good place to live?
There are no grades for Holton Heath: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 11% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 5 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I.
What makes Holton Heath stand out
The 3 things Holton Heath does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
11% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
33% of commuters travel under 5 km.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 7.6 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Own outright
Housing
52% 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 Holton Heath.
Work & commute
3.8% of 16 to 64s in Holton Heath claim unemployment benefits, more than in Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households had £47K a year before tax, below both Dorset’s towns (£52K) and England’s towns (£55K). Of the commuters living in Holton Heath, 8% work in the town itself. Jobs per working resident: 11.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving83%
On foot6%
Bus2%
Bicycle2%
Train1%
33%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
22%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£47K
mean household income, before tax
3.8%
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 Holton Heath than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 84%
3% of households rent from a council or housing body. Private renters make up just over one in ten households, below both Dorset’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%). 16 standard sales inside Holton Heath’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £389,000.
£389Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Holton Heath£389K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £515,000 | 7 |
| Semi-detached | £375,000 | 5 |
84%
of households own their home · England 61%
12%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,056
average private rent a month, Dorset council area
£2,668
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 Holton Heath see more burglary and damage than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 65.4 per 1,000 a year
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 58 reports per 1,000, higher than both Dorset’s towns (9.3) and England’s towns (7.8). Each year, 69.3 violent crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents. Holton Heath logged 38 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 23 complaints of anti-social conduct. 45% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
69.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual17
Burglary10
Damage & arson3
Public order3
Vehicle crime3
Other theft1
Drugs1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social23
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.
69.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
65.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
58
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
38
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Just 2.6% of people in Holton Heath say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
Holton Heath has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1 miles away. At the census, 17% of people here had a disability, below Dorset’s towns (19%) and close to England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Holton Heath is Poole Hospital, 4.9 miles away.
83%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Holton Heath | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 19% | 17% |
82
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.5
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
More buildings in Holton Heath are listed than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 185 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 11% of the total. Holton Heath has one scheduled monument.
5listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II5
1
scheduled monument
0
registered parks and gardens
11%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
185
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Children make up only 10% of Holton Heath, fewer than in Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
Just over a quarter of residents are 65 or over, about level with Dorset’s towns (25%) and above England’s towns (18%). The middle age in Holton Heath is 54.6.
54.6median age
Holton HeathDorsetEngland
Ages · share of residents
26%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level32%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Holton Heath | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 10% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.2% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 13% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 43% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 32% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Poole Museum and 5 more in and around Holton Heath
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Holton Heath. Best known first.
MuseumPoole Museum4.8 km outside town, to the east
Museum · English HeritageScaplens Court Museum4.8 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumWareham Town Museum3.5 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionFarmer Palmer’s Farm Park500 m outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionPoole Harbour Canoe Club2.3 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttractionPoole Quay (Ferries for Brownsea Island)5 km outside town, to the eastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Poole Museum: Simon Cobb, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scaplens Court Museum: Roy Hughes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Holton Heath
13pages on Holton Heath
The big questions
Safety69.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £389K · rent £1,056 a monthHousing2 sold in 12 months · busiest street Organford RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82 (men), 85.5 (women)Work & commute40% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Holton Heath’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
SandfordWarehamLytchett MatraversUptonCorfe MullenSturminster MarshallPooleHolton Heath
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holton Heath | 270 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sandford | 2,004 | 1.2 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Wareham | 5,876 | 2.3 | C | D− | B− | B |
| Lytchett Matravers | 3,455 | 2.6 | A− | D− | A | A− |
| Upton | 8,401 | 2.7 | B− | D | B | C+ |
| Corfe Mullen | 10,036 | 4.5 | A− | D− | A | A |
| Sturminster Marshall | 1,504 | 5.3 | — | D− | A− | A |
| Poole | 141,009 | 5.5 | C+ | D | C | C+ |
Sandford and Sturminster Marshall have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Holton Heath
How many listed buildings are there in Holton Heath?
That is 7.6 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
How much is council tax in Holton Heath?
Band D council tax in Holton Heath is £2,668 for 2026–27, more than in 93% 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 Holton Heath expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £389,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £375,000 and detached houses £515,000. Private rents in the Dorset council area averaged £1,056 a month in August 2026.
About Holton Heath
Village in Dorset, England
Holton Heath is a built-up area of 270 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
- 270 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Dorset
- County
- Dorset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi (1 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006729
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.