Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Dorset, South West has a population of 9,163. It skews older: 24% of residents are 65 or over.
Some subjects shine; others lag. Pupils here do less well than most: primary results beat 5% of towns in England; secondary results beat 7% of towns in England. It lags on cost of living as well — homes sell for a median £282,000, about 5.4 times local household income. On walkability it is strong — a fifth of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. The overall grade comes out at C−, better than 25% of UK towns. Its place in the ranking is #23 of 30 in Dorset. Its other grades sit near the middle: C+ for safety and B for health.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy, ONS.
The 3 things Shaftesbury does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Shaftesbury is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 271 buildings inside Shaftesbury’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I, and 6 scheduled monuments.
16% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1905.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Shaftesbury.
Some 1,316 pupils attend Shaftesbury’s two primaries and one secondary. Of its 3 schools, two are shown below, each with the reason. 48% of pupils at the town’s 2 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaftesbury Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 333 | D |
| Shaftesbury SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 782 | D |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list names 271 listed buildings in Shaftesbury: 2 Grade I, 4 Grade II*. Its listed buildings include Park Wall, Grade I. Of the town’s land, 24% lies in conservation areas, higher than both Dorset’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Half of the 569 standard sales inside Shaftesbury’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £282,000. Council and housing-body homes hold 16% of households. 19% rent privately, lower than both Dorset’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £425,000 | 179 |
| Semi-detached | £280,837 | 132 |
| Terraced | £230,000 | 199 |
| Flat or maisonette | £143,000 | 59 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 20% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For every resident in work, Shaftesbury has 0.9 jobs. 33% of commuters who live in Shaftesbury also work there. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 40%, lower than both Dorset’s towns (48%) and England’s towns (45%). By car: that was how 78% of commuters travelled at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Typical age in Shaftesbury: 44.2, the median. People 65 and over make up 24% of the town, between Dorset’s towns (25%) and England’s towns (18%). Children under 15 make up 17% of residents.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 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.
| Shaftesbury | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.2% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Seeing a GP means leaving Shaftesbury: the nearest practice is 4.2 miles away. Life expectancy here is 85.1 for women and 80.6 for men (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Shaftesbury is Salisbury District Hospital, 17.4 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Shaftesbury | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
There were 16.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Dorset’s towns (8.8) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Police recorded 484 crimes inside Shaftesbury’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 176 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences made up 41% of the total.
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.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Shaftesbury. Best known first.
Abbey or prioryShaftsbury Abbey Museumin townMuseumMuseumGold Hillin townPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustFontmell and Melbury Downs SAC3.3 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
271 listed buildings in Shaftesbury, 2 of them Grade I.
The Remains of Shaftesbury Abbey: Photo: Paul Hermans · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Park Wall: Photo: Elisa.rolle · CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Grosvenor Arms Hotel: Photo: Jonathan Hutchins · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Town Hall: Photo: Ian Roberts · CC BY-SA 2.0
13 notable people were born in Shaftesbury.
Robert Newton: Trailer screenshot, Public domain · John A. Peacock: Steve Torchinsky, CC BY-SA 4.0 · James Granger: Charles Bretherton, Public domain · Thomas Horder, 1st Baron Horder: The original uploader was Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) at English Wikipedia., Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaftesbury | 9,163 | — | C− | C− | C+ | B |
| Motcombe | 1,366 | 2.1 | — | D− | A+ | A |
| Gillingham | 11,009 | 4.6 | C+ | C− | B | B |
| Tisbury | 2,274 | 6 | — | B | C+ | A |
| Marnhull | 1,466 | 6.1 | — | D | A− | B |
| Mere | 2,808 | 6.7 | A− | B | B | A− |
| Child Okeford | 1,159 | 6.8 | — | D | A | A |
| Sturminster Newton | 3,565 | 7.2 | C− | C− | C+ | B− |
Motcombe, Tisbury, Marnhull and Child Okeford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Shaftesbury has 3 state schools; places are handled by Dorset council.
That is 12.1 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include The Remains of Shaftesbury Abbey. It also has 6 scheduled monuments.
Band D council tax in Shaftesbury is £2,873 for 2026–27, more than in almost all 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.
Town in Dorset, England
Shaftesbury is a built-up area of 9,163 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.