Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In Dorset, South West, this village has 805 residents.
Okeford Fitzpaine has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 7% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 46 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. Over-65s are 26% of the population.
The 3 things Okeford Fitzpaine does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 46 buildings inside Okeford Fitzpaine’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
30% 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 Okeford Fitzpaine.
Degrees are held by 30% of adults, lower than both Dorset’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (34%). The 15-to-24 age group makes up 9% of residents. Line up the people of Okeford Fitzpaine by age and the one in the middle is 51.8.
53% women, 47% men
About 89 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.
| Okeford Fitzpaine | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.4% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · 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.
Working mainly from home: nearly a quarter of workers, below Dorset’s towns (28%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. By car: that was how nine in ten commuters travelled at the census. 2% of commuters who live in Okeford Fitzpaine also work there. Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.7% of 16 to 64s in 2026.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Owners make up 70% of households, above both Dorset’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (61%). Half of the 45 standard sales inside Okeford Fitzpaine’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £376,500. Private rents average £1,056 a month across the Dorset council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £435,000 | 23 |
| Semi-detached | £325,000 | 15 |
| Terraced | £320,000 | 7 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 70% of recorded crime. 27 crimes and 3 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Okeford Fitzpaine’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. The violent crime rate is 22.4 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 · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
The nearest A&E to Okeford Fitzpaine is Dorset County Hospital, 14.8 miles away. This Dorset town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.3 miles away. At the census, 83% of people in Okeford Fitzpaine called their health good or very good, higher than Dorset’s towns (81%) and near England’s towns (82%).
| Census 2021 | Okeford Fitzpaine | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.3% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 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.
Conservation areas cover 30% of Okeford Fitzpaine’s land, above both Dorset’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (7%). Grade II* covers 1 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Okeford Fitzpaine. Best known first.
Historic house · English HeritageFiddleford Manor2.1 km outside town, to the north
Fort · National TrustHod Hill4.7 km outside town, to the eastCastleCastleSturminster Castle2.6 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumSturminster Museum3 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okeford Fitzpaine | 805 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shillingstone | 1,165 | 1.5 | — | D− | B− | A− |
| Child Okeford | 1,159 | 2.1 | — | D | A | A |
| Sturminster Newton | 3,565 | 2.4 | C− | C− | C+ | B− |
| Marnhull | 1,466 | 5.2 | — | D | A− | B |
| Stalbridge | 2,367 | 5.8 | — | C− | A− | B− |
| Blandford Forum | 11,805 | 5.9 | C | C− | C+ | B− |
| Henstridge | 1,579 | 7.2 | — | B | C− | B |
Shillingstone, Child Okeford, Marnhull, Stalbridge and Henstridge have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 23.4 times the typical UK town for its size. 30% of Okeford Fitzpaine’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 26% of residents were 65 or over and 34% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 12% were under 15.
Band D council tax in Okeford Fitzpaine is £2,691 for 2026–27, more than in 95% 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.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £376,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £320,000, semi-detached houses £325,000 and detached houses £435,000.
Village in Dorset, England
Okeford Fitzpaine is a built-up area of 805 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.