Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 3,665 people live in this town, in Dorset, South West.
On health it is strong — life expectancy 81.8 for men, 86 for women. Taken together, its subjects give West Parley an A overall, better than 86% of UK towns. In the ranking it comes #1 of 30 in Dorset. Add safety to its strengths — 9.1 violent and sexual offences and 7.8 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Buying in is costly (D−): homes sell for a median £460,000, about 8.8 times local household income. It is hard to get around without a car: 8% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021.
The 3 things West Parley 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 West Parley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 4 buildings inside West Parley’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*, and 4 scheduled monuments.
2% 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 West Parley.
The age that splits West Parley in two is 57.7. Children under 15 make up 11% of residents. In addition, people aged 15 to 24 make up 7.3% of the town, below Dorset’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike.
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| West Parley | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 38% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.5% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The one school in town appears below. Secondary results at the 7 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 56.1, with 67% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Its one primary school teaches 313 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parley First SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 313 | – |
Private renters make up 8% of households, lower than both Dorset’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%). The social rented sector houses 1% of households. West Parley is the second most expensive of the 32 towns in Dorset, at £460,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £553,750 | 146 |
| Semi-detached | £390,969 | 12 |
| Terraced | £360,000 | 29 |
| Flat or maisonette | £227,500 | 26 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Men in West Parley can expect to live to 81.8, women to 86 (2019–23). This Dorset town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.1 miles away. 18% of residents have a disability, about level with England’s towns (17%) and below Dorset’s towns (19%).
| Census 2021 | West Parley | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.9% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 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 12 months to August 2026 brought 64 recorded crimes inside West Parley’s built-up area, and 45 reports of anti-social behaviour. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, West Parley has less crime per resident than 95% of them. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 44% of recorded crime.
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 Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For 30% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.6% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below Dorset’s towns (2.4%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. About 4% of its commuters stay in West Parley for work. Average household income comes to £57K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
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 2% of the total, below both Dorset’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (16%). Listed buildings per head: 11 for every 10,000 residents of West Parley.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near West Parley. Best known first.
MuseumBournemouth Aviation Museum1.8 km outside town, to the southeast
Theme parkAdventure Wonderland1.6 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumMuseum Of Design In Plastics3.5 km outside town, to the southPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Parley | 3,665 | — | A | D− | A | A |
| Ferndown | 13,267 | 1.1 | B− | D− | A− | B+ |
| West Moors | 10,432 | 2.1 | C− | D | B+ | B− |
| Bearwood | 4,134 | 2.5 | C | D | C+ | C |
| Bournemouth | 196,453 | 3.5 | C | D | D | C− |
| Merley | 5,489 | 3.6 | A | D− | A+ | A |
| Wimborne Minster | 16,629 | 3.9 | C+ | D− | B− | A− |
| Ashley Heath | 7,151 | 4 | B | D− | A− | A |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Band D council tax in West Parley is £2,681 for 2026–27, more than in 94% 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.
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 95% of towns in England. Primary results are closer to the middle, beating 65%. One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Dorset council.
Town in Dorset, England
West Parley is a built-up area of 3,665 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.