Solva’s story
10 listed buildings
Cadw lists them inside Solva’s built-up area.
35% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
SolvaDyfed
A village of 654 in Dyfed, Wales.
5 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: TR001 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
654
Census 2021 · Pembrokeshire council
Median home
£340K
23 sales in 3 years
Median age
53.2
33% are 65+ · Dyfed 24%
Degree level
39%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Solva a good place to live?
Solva has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Solva stand out
The 3 things Solva does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 6.3 times the typical UK town for its size
Cadw’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
33% are 65 or over
Against 21% across Wales’s towns
Degree level, 16+
Education
39% have a degree
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (Wales’s towns 31%)
Dyfed 30%.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Solva.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Solva: 33% are 65 or over, above Dyfed’s towns and Wales’s towns
In the comparison, Solva comes above both Dyfed’s towns (24%) and Wales’s towns (21%). Under-15s account for 12% of the population. Solva has a median age of 53.2.
53.2median age
SolvaDyfedWales
Ages · share of residents
33%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level39%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Solva | Dyfed | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 22% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 33% | 24% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 19% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 39% | 30% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dyfed and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fewer people aged 16 to 64 in Solva claim unemployment benefits than in Dyfed’s towns or Wales’s towns: 1.8%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For Solva, that is below both Dyfed’s towns (3.2%) and Wales’s towns (3%). The average household earns £46K a year before tax.
14%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving82%
On foot10%
Bus4%
38%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
27%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£46K
mean household income, before tax
1.8%
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
Homes in Solva cost more than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns, with a median sale of £340K
Solva sits above both Dyfed’s towns (£196K) and Wales’s towns (£195K) on this measure. 11% of households rent privately.
£340Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Solva£340K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £480,000 | 9 |
| Semi-detached | £302,500 | 6 |
| Terraced | £310,000 | 7 |
62%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
11%
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 Solva than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 18.9 per 1,000 residents a year
That puts Solva below both Dyfed’s towns (39.4) and Wales’s towns (33.8). Burglary and damage come to 4.6 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 12 crimes inside Solva’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 0 reports of anti-social behaviour.
18.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual7
Damage & arson1
Public order1
Other theft1
Burglary1
Robbery1
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
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.
18.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
12
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
More people in Solva live with a disability than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 26%
On this, Solva is above both Dyfed’s towns (23%) and Wales’s towns (22%). The nearest A&E to Solva is Withybush General Hospital, 10.8 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy.
79%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 79%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 8%
| Census 2021 | Solva | Dyfed | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 77% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.5% | 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
History
More of the land in Solva is conservation area than in Dyfed’s towns or Wales’s towns: 25%
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Solva has 153 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, above both Dyfed’s towns (36) and Wales’s towns (18). Solva has 10 listed buildings on Cadw’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. Homes from before 1919 make up 35% of the total.
10listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II10
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
35%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
153
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →St Davids Cathedral and 3 more in and around Solva
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Solva. Best known first.
CathedralSt Davids Cathedral4.1 km outside town, to the west
Historic house · CadwSt Davids Bishop's Palace4.3 km outside town, to the west
FortPointz Castle2.7 km outside town, to the eastCathedralCathedralTreasury of the Cathedral4.1 km outside town, to the westPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- St Davids Cathedral: Alan Thomas, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Davids Bishop's Palace: Robert Edwards, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pointz Castle: Jeremy Bolwell, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Solva
13pages on Solva
The big questions
Solva’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
St DavidsHaverfordwestCrundaleMerlin's BridgeJohnstonSolva
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solva | 654 | — | — | — | — | — |
| St Davids | 1,345 | 2.8 | — | C | B | B+ |
| Haverfordwest | 12,088 | 11 | C− | B+ | D− | C− |
| Crundale | 1,065 | 11 | — | B− | A | B− |
| Merlin's Bridge | 2,220 | 11 | — | B+ | C− | C− |
| Johnston | 1,766 | 12 | — | B+ | D | C |
St Davids, Crundale, Merlin's Bridge and Johnston have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Solva
How many listed buildings are there in Solva?
10 on Cadw’s list. That is 6.3 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Solva?
Band D council tax in Solva 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.
About Solva
Village in Dyfed, Wales
Solva is a built-up area of 654 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
- 654 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Pembrokeshire
- County
- Dyfed
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000295
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.