St Ishmael's’s story
St Ishmael's: 35% of homes built before 1919
35% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
St Ishmael'sDyfed
A village of 456 in Dyfed, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Dara Jasumani · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
456
Census 2021 · Pembrokeshire council
Median home
£260K
13 sales in 3 years
Median age
55.4
34% are 65+ · Dyfed 24%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
3%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is St Ishmael's a good place to live?
St Ishmael's has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes St Ishmael's stand out
The 3 things St Ishmael's does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
3% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (Wales’s towns 16%)
Homes built before 1919
History
35% of homes built before 1919
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
34% are 65 or over
Against 21% across Wales’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in St Ishmael's.
Who lives here
Older residents shape St Ishmael's: 34% are 65 or over, above Dyfed’s towns and Wales’s towns
8% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below both Dyfed’s towns (12%) and Wales’s towns (12%). Under-15s account for 13% of the population. Ages in St Ishmael's split evenly at 55.4: half are older, half younger.
55.4median age
St Ishmael'sDyfedWales
Ages · share of residents
34%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| St Ishmael's | Dyfed | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 22% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 34% | 24% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 19% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 30% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dyfed and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
1 state school in St Ishmael's
It is listed below. 105 pupils attend St Ishmael's’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastlands County PrimaryLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 105 | – |
Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.The Schools page →
Work & commute
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in St Ishmael's than in Dyfed’s towns or Wales’s towns: 3%
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.
There are 0.5 jobs in St Ishmael's for each resident in work. The car took 95% of commuters, above both Dyfed’s towns (83%) and Wales’s towns (81%). A fifth of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Work in town: 4% of resident commuters.
3%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving95%
On foot1%
Bus1%
20%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
24%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£45K
mean household income, before tax
2.5%
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
Buying in St Ishmael's costs more than in both Dyfed’s towns and Wales’s towns: the median sale is £260K
Social housing holds 13% of households, lower than both Dyfed’s towns (17%) and Wales’s towns (18%). The owner-occupied share of households is 73%. Private rents average £694 a month across the Pembrokeshire council area.
£260Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
St Ishmael's£260K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £280,000 | 9 |
73%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
14%
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 more often in St Ishmael's than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 52.6 per 1,000 residents a year
Property crime (burglary and damage) runs at 6.6 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 36 crimes inside St Ishmael's’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 1 reports of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2.5 reports per 1,000, lower than both Dyfed’s towns (6.7) and Wales’s towns (10.4). Three quarters of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
52.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual27
Other theft3
Damage & arson2
Other crime2
Public order1
Weapons1
Shoplifting0
Burglary0
Anti-social1
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.
52.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
36
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
Fewer people in St Ishmael's live with a disability than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 19%
5.9% of residents report bad or very bad health. The nearest A&E to St Ishmael's is Withybush General Hospital, 9.7 miles away. The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 4.5 miles away.
77%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 77%Fair 17%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | St Ishmael's | Dyfed | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 77% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.9% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 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 · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy.
History
St Ishmael's keeps more of its old housing than Dyfed’s towns or Wales’s towns: 35% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
One scheduled monument lies in St Ishmael's. Cadw’s list has no building inside the town’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
1
scheduled monument
0
registered parks and gardens
35%
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
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Stack Rock Fort and 4 more in and around St Ishmael's
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near St Ishmael's. Best known first.
FortStack Rock Fort3.4 km outside town, to the southeast
FortWest Blockhouse Fort3.8 km outside town, to the south
CastleTower House4.9 km outside town, to the southeast
FortChapel Bay Fort4 km outside town, to the southeastCastleCastleDale Fort2.1 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Stack Rock Fort: David Merrett from Daventry, England, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- West Blockhouse Fort: Peter Barr, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tower House: Rob Farrow, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chapel Bay Fort: Colin Bell, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about St Ishmael's
13pages on St Ishmael's
The big questions
Safety52.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £260K · rent £694 a monthHousing4 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state school (no results published in Wales)HealthWork & commute50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards1.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
St Ishmael's’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Milford HavenJohnstonNeylandMerlin's BridgePembroke DockHaverfordwestPembrokeSt Ishmael's
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Ishmael's | 456 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Milford Haven | 14,251 | 4.4 | D | A− | D− | D |
| Johnston | 1,766 | 6.6 | — | B+ | D | C |
| Neyland | 3,250 | 8 | C− | A− | C− | C |
| Merlin's Bridge | 2,220 | 8.4 | — | B+ | C− | C− |
| Pembroke Dock | 9,659 | 8.7 | D | A− | D− | D− |
| Haverfordwest | 12,088 | 8.8 | C− | B+ | D− | C− |
| Pembroke | 7,963 | 10 | D | B+ | D | D |
Johnston and Merlin's Bridge have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about St Ishmael's
How much is council tax in St Ishmael's?
Band D council tax in St Ishmael's 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 St Ishmael's
Village in Dyfed, Wales
St Ishmael's is a built-up area of 456 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
- 456 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Pembrokeshire
- County
- Dyfed
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000385
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.