Ridge’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Ridge’s built-up area.
31% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
RidgeDorset
A village of 305 in Dorset, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Derek Harper · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
305
Census 2021 · Dorset council
Median home
£650K
15 sales in 3 years
Median age
60
43% are 65+ · Dorset 25%
Degree level
48%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Ridge a good place to live?
Ridge has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Ridge stand out
The 3 things Ridge 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%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
43% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.3 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Corfe Castle and 6 more in and around Ridge
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Ridge. Best known first.
Castle · National TrustCorfe Castle4.5 km outside town, to the southeast · 190K visitors a year (2010)
MuseumPurbeck Mining Museum3.8 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumWareham Town Museum1.2 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumBlue Pool2.8 km outside town, to the southTheme parkTheme parkDorset Adventure Park4.1 km outside town, to the southeastGardenGardenCorfe Castle Model Village4.7 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Corfe Castle: Albany E. Howarth, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Purbeck Mining Museum: John Rowley, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ridge.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Ridge than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 6.6% are under 15
8% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below both Dorset’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). People 65 and over make up 43% of the town. Typical age in Ridge: 60, the median. Among adults, 48% have a degree.
60median age
RidgeDorsetEngland
Ages · share of residents
43%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications9%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar11%
Degree level48%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Ridge | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 6.6% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 10% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 43% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 8.8% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 11% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 48% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Ridge walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 11%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 42% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 87% of commuters, above both Dorset’s towns (76%) and England’s towns (70%). 18% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Also worth knowing: about 3% of its commuters stay in Ridge for work. Working from home was the norm for 42% of workers at the census.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot5%
Train4%
Bicycle1%
18%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
42%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£51K
mean household income, before tax
2%
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
Buying in Ridge costs more than in both Dorset’s towns and England’s towns: the median sale is £650K
6% of households are private tenants. Owners make up 94% of households, higher than both Dorset’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,056 a month across the Dorset council area.
£650Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Ridge£650K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £650,000 | 13 |
94%
of households own their home · England 61%
6%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,056
average private rent a month, Dorset council area
£2,685
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
Violent crime runs low in Ridge: 4.4 per 1,000 residents a year, under Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
Violence and sexual offences made up 30% of the total. Each year, 5.5 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded per 1,000 residents. Ridge logged 10 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 1 complaints of anti-social conduct. There were 1.1 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both Dorset’s towns (9.3) and England’s towns (7.8).
4.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Other theft6
Violence & sexual3
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Anti-social1
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.
4.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
10
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
Bad health is less common in Ridge than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 4.3% of residents
Ridge has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.3 miles away. At the census, 83% of people in Ridge called their health good or very good, higher than both Dorset’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%). The nearest A&E to Ridge is Poole Hospital, 6.1 miles away.
83%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Ridge | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.3% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 19% | 17% |
81.1
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
Old homes shape Ridge: 31% were built before 1919, more than in both Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Listed buildings per head: 33 for every 10,000 residents of Ridge. This Dorset town has 1 listed building on Historic England’s list, all Grade II.
1listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
31%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
33
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 Ridge
13pages on Ridge
The big questions
Safety4.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £650K · rent £1,056 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 months · busiest street Barnhill RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 81.1 (men), 85.2 (women)Work & commute56% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Ridge’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WarehamSandfordUptonLytchett MatraversWoolPooleSwanageRidge
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridge | 305 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wareham | 5,876 | 1.6 | C | D− | B− | B |
| Sandford | 2,004 | 2 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Upton | 8,401 | 4.9 | B− | D | B | C+ |
| Lytchett Matravers | 3,455 | 5.6 | A− | D− | A | A− |
| Wool | 5,044 | 6 | C | C− | B+ | C+ |
| Poole | 141,009 | 6.9 | C+ | D | C | C+ |
| Swanage | 9,115 | 7.1 | C− | D− | B | B− |
Sandford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Ridge
Who lives in Ridge?
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 43% of residents were 65 or over and 32% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 6.6% were under 15.
How much is council tax in Ridge?
Band D council tax in Ridge is £2,685 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.
About Ridge
Village in Dorset, England
Ridge is a built-up area of 305 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
- 305 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Dorset
- County
- Dorset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006766
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.