Upton’s story
4 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Upton’s built-up area.
4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
UptonDorset
A town of 8,401 in Dorset, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
8,401
Census 2021 · Dorset council
Median home
£318K
374 sales in 3 years
Median age
44.8
23% are 65+ · Dorset 25%
Degree level
24%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · England 27%
TownGrade
B−
#10 of 30 in Dorset
Is Upton a good place to live?
Upton grades B− overall against UK towns: better than 51% of UK towns, and #10 of 30 in Dorset. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is cost of living (D): median sale £317,500, 6.1 years of area income; rent £1,082 a month.
What makes Upton stand out
The 3 things Upton does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
14% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
46% of commuters travel under 5 km.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Dorset 31%.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
23% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How Upton grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Upton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Cost of livingDOpen →Hazard riskAOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 44% of towns in England; secondary results beat 87% of towns in EnglandB+Open →HealthLife expectancy 79.7 for men, 84.7 for womenC+Open →Safety19.4 violent and sexual offences and 10.6 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026BOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £51,304; 2.5% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsB−Open →WalkabilityB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryD−Open →Outdoors84% live within 400 m of a park; 18% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeA+Open →Civic life1.2 local charities per 1,000 residents; 94% live within 1 km of a libraryBOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Upton.
History
4 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Upton has 4 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 4% of its homes were built before 1919.
4listed buildingsD−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II4
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
4%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
5
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
SchoolsB+
Results at Upton’s schools beat 69% of towns in England
One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
B+School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upton Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 351 | C− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 2 schools →
HousingCost of living grade D
Upton is a town of owners: 75% of households own their home, above Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
For Upton, that is above both Dorset’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (61%). Social housing holds 8% of households.
£318Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Upton£318K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £402,500 | 122 |
| Semi-detached | £321,000 | 105 |
| Terraced | £288,500 | 97 |
| Flat or maisonette | £195,000 | 50 |
75%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,082
average private rent a month, Dorset council area
£2,770
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Who lives here
Fewer people in Upton hold a degree than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 24%
Upton sits below both Dorset’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (34%) on this measure. 9.5% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Upton has a median age of 44.8.
44.8median age
UptonDorsetEngland
Ages · share of residents
23%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar20%
Degree level24%
Women and men · all 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.
| Upton | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.5% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Health
82% of residents say their health is good or very good
82% of Upton’s residents described their health as good or very good in 2021, against 81% across Dorset’s towns. 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.
82%good or very good healthC+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Upton | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.8% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 19% | 17% |
79.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.7
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Safety
Upton records 10.6 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, against 7.8 in Dorset’s towns and 9.4 in England’s towns
Police recorded 285 crimes inside Upton’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 86 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 46% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
19.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 59% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual130
Vehicle crime38
Damage & arson33
Other theft25
Burglary22
Shoplifting12
Public order8
Drugs5
Anti-social86
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.
19.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
285
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Fewer commuters in Upton walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 14%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Upton below both Dorset’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (27%). 84% of commuters drove to work at the census.
14%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving84%
On foot6%
Bicycle4%
Bus3%
Train1%
24%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£51K
mean household income, before tax
2.5%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B−
Walkability: more walkable than 50% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Poole Museum and 7 more in and around Upton
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Upton. Best known first.
MuseumPoole Museum2.6 km outside town, to the southeast
Water parkSplashdown Water Park4.6 km outside town, to the east
Museum · English HeritageScaplens Court Museum2.6 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionPoole Harbour Canoe Club1.5 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumPoole Waterfront Museum2.6 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionPoole Quay (Ferries for Brownsea Island)2.8 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 (3)
- Poole Museum: Simon Cobb, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Splashdown Water Park: Chris Downer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scaplens Court Museum: Roy Hughes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Upton
14pages on Upton
The big questions
SafetyB19.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingDMedian home £318K · rent £1,082 a monthHousing107 sold in 12 months · busiest street Blandford RoadSchoolsB+2 state schoolsHealthC+Life expectancy 79.7 (men), 84.7 (women)Work & commuteB−44% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Upton’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Corfe MullenLytchett MatraversPooleSandfordMerleyBearwoodSturminster MarshallUpton
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upton | 8,401 | — | B− | D | B | C+ |
| Corfe Mullen | 10,036 | 2.4 | A− | D− | A | A |
| Lytchett Matravers | 3,455 | 2.7 | A− | D− | A | A− |
| Poole | 141,009 | 2.9 | C+ | D | C | C+ |
| Sandford | 2,004 | 3.7 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Merley | 5,489 | 4.2 | A | D− | A+ | A |
| Bearwood | 4,134 | 4.7 | C | D | C+ | C |
| Sturminster Marshall | 1,504 | 4.7 | — | D− | A− | A |
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 Upton
How much is council tax in Upton?
Band D council tax in Upton is £2,770 for 2026–27, more than in 99% 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.
Does Upton flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Upton
Town in Dorset, England
Upton is a built-up area of 8,401 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
- 8,401 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Dorset (mostly)
- County
- Dorset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006709
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.