Waterston’s story
Old homes in Waterston: 36% built before 1919
36% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
WaterstonDyfed
A village of 274 in Dyfed, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jennifer Luther Thomas · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
274
Census 2021 · Pembrokeshire council
Median age
52.6
26% are 65+ · Dyfed 24%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Waterston a good place to live?
Waterston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Waterston stand out
The 3 things Waterston does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (Wales’s towns 16%)
Homes built before 1919
History
36% 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
26% are 65 or over
Against 21% across Wales’s towns
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Pembroke Castle and 5 more in and around Waterston
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Waterston. Best known first.
CastlePembroke Castle4.9 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumMilford Haven Museum2.6 km outside town, to the west
Abbey or prioryPill Priory2.9 km outside town, to the west
CastleDefensible Barracks2.2 km outside town, to the southeast
FortFort Popton3.4 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumPembroke Dock Heritage Centre2.2 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 (6)
- Pembroke Castle: Monkeyrustler at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Milford Haven Museum: Deborah Tilley, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pill Priory: Pillpriory, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Defensible Barracks: Gordon Hatton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Popton: Shaun Butler, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre: Jaggery, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Waterston.
Who lives here
Children make up only 6.6% of Waterston, fewer than in both Dyfed’s towns and Wales’s towns
Residents of Waterston have a median age of 52.6. Retirement age and beyond: 26% of residents are 65 or older. Add to that, the 15-to-24 age group: 13%, higher than both Dyfed’s towns (12%) and Wales’s towns (12%).
52.6median age
WaterstonDyfedWales
Ages · share of residents
26%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship9%
A levels or similar21%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Waterston | Dyfed | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 6.6% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 22% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 36% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 26% | 24% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 19% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 9.1% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 30% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dyfed and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Waterston is a driving town: 92% of commuters go by car, above Dyfed’s towns and Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 16% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
3.8% of people aged 16 to 64 were on unemployment benefits in 2026. At the census, 7% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, lower than both Dyfed’s towns (15%) and Wales’s towns (16%). For 47% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
On foot3%
Bus2%
Bicycle2%
47%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
16%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£43K
mean household income, before tax
3.8%
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
Waterston is a town of owners: 80% of households own their home, above Dyfed’s towns and Wales’s towns
10% live in social housing, lower than both Dyfed’s towns (17%) and Wales’s towns (18%). Private rents average £694 a month across the Pembrokeshire council area. That is the middle of 5 standard sales inside Waterston’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Waterston£0K
Typical UK town£277K
80%
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
Burglary and damage are rarer in Waterston than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 5.5 per 1,000 residents a year
Waterston logged 9 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 1 complaints of anti-social conduct. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2.7 reports per 1,000, below Dyfed’s towns (6.7) and Wales’s towns (10.4) alike. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 78% of recorded crime.
32.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual7
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
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.
32.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
9
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
Bad health is more common in Waterston than in Dyfed’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 8.8% of residents
The nearest A&E to Waterston is Withybush General Hospital, 7 miles away. Seeing a GP means leaving Waterston: the nearest practice is 1.7 miles away. 78% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, close to both Dyfed’s towns (77%) and Wales’s towns (78%).
78%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 9%
| Census 2021 | Waterston | Dyfed | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 77% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.8% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 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 · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy among them.
History
Waterston keeps more of its old housing than Dyfed’s towns or Wales’s towns: 36% built before 1919
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 Waterston’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
36%
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 Waterston
12pages on Waterston
The big questions
Waterston’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
NeylandMilford HavenPembroke DockJohnstonPembrokeMerlin's BridgeHaverfordwestWaterston
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterston | 274 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Neyland | 3,250 | 1.4 | C− | A− | C− | C |
| Milford Haven | 14,251 | 2.2 | D | A− | D− | D |
| Pembroke Dock | 9,659 | 2.4 | D | A− | D− | D− |
| Johnston | 1,766 | 3.1 | — | B+ | D | C |
| Pembroke | 7,963 | 3.9 | D | B+ | D | D |
| Merlin's Bridge | 2,220 | 5.3 | — | B+ | C− | C− |
| Haverfordwest | 12,088 | 6.2 | C− | B+ | D− | C− |
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 Waterston
How much is council tax in Waterston?
Band D council tax in Waterston 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 Waterston
Village in Dyfed, Wales
Waterston is a built-up area of 274 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
- 274 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Pembrokeshire
- County
- Dyfed
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000408
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.