Freshwater East’s story
No listed buildings inside Freshwater East’s built-up area
17% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Freshwater EastDyfed
Some 251 people live in this village, in Dyfed, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Sid Howells · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
251
Census 2021 · Pembrokeshire council
Median home
£98K
31 sales in 3 years
Median age
59.2
38% are 65+ · Dyfed 24%
Degree level
47%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Freshwater East a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Freshwater East is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. The median sale price is £98,000. 6% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Over-65s are 38% of the population.
What makes Freshwater East stand out
The 3 things Freshwater East does most differently from other towns.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
65% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (Wales’s towns 16%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
38% are 65 or over
Against 21% across Wales’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Freshwater East.
Who lives here
Freshwater East has fewer young adults than Dyfed’s towns or Wales’s towns: 4.4% are 15 to 24
59.2median age
Degrees are held by 47% of adults, above both Dyfed’s towns (30%) and Wales’s towns (31%). People 65 and over make up 38% of the town. At 59.2, the median resident of Freshwater East sits in the middle of the age range. One measure of family life: 7.2% of residents are under 15.
Freshwater EastDyfedWales
Ages · share of residents
38%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level47%
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
About 115 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Freshwater East | Dyfed | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 7.2% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 4.4% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 11% | 22% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 40% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 38% | 24% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 19% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 47% | 30% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dyfed and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Only 14% of Freshwater East’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in Dyfed’s towns and across Wales’s towns
6%walk, cycle or ride
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.
By car: that was how 94% of commuters travelled at the census. Working mainly from home: 42% of workers, above both Dyfed’s towns (20%) and Wales’s towns (24%). Also worth knowing: households take home £46K a year before tax, on average.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving94%
On foot5%
Train2%
14%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
42%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£46K
mean household income, before tax
1.7%
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
More households own their home in Freshwater East than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 89%
£98Kmedian sale
Social housing holds 1% of households, below both Dyfed’s towns (17%) and Wales’s towns (18%). Private renters make up 10% of households. That is the middle of 31 standard sales inside Freshwater East’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Freshwater East£98K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £565,000 | 8 |
| Terraced | £83,000 | 17 |
| Flat or maisonette | £99,975 | 5 |
89%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
10%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£694
average private rent a month, Pembrokeshire council area
£2,166
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
Violence is recorded less often in Freshwater East than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 10.5 per 1,000 residents a year
10.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences made up half of the total. Burglary and damage came to 4.5 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Dyfed’s towns (11) and Wales’s towns (10.7). Police recorded 6 crimes inside Freshwater East’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3
Damage & arson1
Public order1
Other theft1
Shoplifting0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social0
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.
10.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
6
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
More people in Freshwater East live with a disability than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 26%
77%good or very good health
At the census, 8.4% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, higher than both Dyfed’s towns (7.4%) and Wales’s towns (7.1%). There is no GP practice in Freshwater East: the nearest is 4.3 miles off. The nearest A&E to Freshwater East is Withybush General Hospital, 12.1 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 77%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 8%
| Census 2021 | Freshwater East | Dyfed | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 77% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.4% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 26% | 23% | 22% |
Welsh towns’ Health Grades use ONS’s small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns’ also use OHID’s small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy.
History
Most of Freshwater East is newer: only 17% of homes were built before 1919, below Dyfed’s towns and Wales’s towns
0listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Cadw’s list has no building inside Freshwater East’s built-up area.
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
17%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Freshwater East
13pages on Freshwater East
The big questions
Safety10.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £98K · rent £694 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 months · busiest street Trewent ParkSchoolsHealthWork & commute57% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.5% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Pembroke Castle and 3 more in and around Freshwater East
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Freshwater East. Best known first.
CastlePembroke Castle4.6 km outside town, to the northwest
CastleManorbier Castle4 km outside town, to the east
Historic house · CadwLamphey Bishop's Palace2.4 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumPembroke Museum4.4 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Pembroke Castle: Monkeyrustler at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Manorbier Castle: Tony Grant, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lamphey Bishop's Palace: Vale Holidays, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Freshwater East
Village in Dyfed, Wales
Freshwater East is a built-up area of 251 people, in the Pembrokeshire 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
- 251 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Pembrokeshire
- County
- Dyfed
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000472
Freshwater East’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
PembrokePembroke DockNeylandTenbyWoodenSaundersfootMilford HavenFreshwater East
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater East | 251 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pembroke | 7,963 | 2.9 | D | B+ | D | D |
| Pembroke Dock | 9,659 | 4.4 | D | A− | D− | D− |
| Neyland | 3,250 | 5.7 | C− | A− | C− | C |
| Tenby | 4,092 | 6.9 | D | B− | D | C |
| Wooden | 1,300 | 7.6 | — | C+ | B | C |
| Saundersfoot | 2,515 | 8.2 | D | C | C | C+ |
| Milford Haven | 14,251 | 8.6 | D | A− | D− | D |
Wooden has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Freshwater East
Is Freshwater East expensive to live in?
By type: flats £99,975, terraced houses £83,000 and detached houses £565,000. Private rents in the Pembrokeshire council area averaged £694 a month in August 2026.
Who lives in Freshwater East?
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 38% of residents were 65 or over and 40% were 45 to 64, against 21% and 26% across Wales’s towns; 7.2% were under 15.
How much is council tax in Freshwater East?
Band D council tax in Freshwater East is £2,166 for 2026–27, less than in 83% of UK towns (the Pembrokeshire council average, with police and community councils). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
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) · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, 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.