Aberdovey’s story
34 listed buildings
Cadw lists them inside Aberdovey’s built-up area.
45% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
AberdoveyGwynedd
Population 538: a village in Gwynedd, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Stuart Wilding · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
538
Census 2021 · Gwynedd council
Median home
£322K
54 sales in 3 years
Median age
60.7
40% are 65+ · Gwynedd 23%
Degree level
40%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
30%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Aberdovey a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Aberdovey is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 45% of homes were built before 1919. Over-65s are two fifths of the population. 30% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
What makes Aberdovey stand out
The 3 things Aberdovey does most differently from other towns.
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
40% are 65 or over
Against 21% across Wales’s towns
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
30% walk, cycle or ride
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (Wales’s towns 16%)
37% of commuters travel under 5 km.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Aberdovey.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Aberdovey than in Gwynedd’s towns or Wales’s towns: 6.3% are under 15
The age that splits Aberdovey in two is 60.7. Two in five residents are 65 or over, higher than both Gwynedd’s towns (23%) and Wales’s towns (21%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are 5.7% of the population.
60.7median age
AberdoveyGwyneddWales
Ages · share of residents
40%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level40%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 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.
| Aberdovey | Gwynedd | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 6.3% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 5.7% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 22% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 40% | 23% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 18% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.4% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 40% | 32% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gwynedd and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
The car carries only 67% of commuters in Aberdovey, fewer than in Gwynedd’s towns and Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Nearly a third of workers worked mainly from home, above both Gwynedd’s towns (20%) and Wales’s towns (24%). Households take home £40K a year before tax, on average. Aberdovey counts 1 jobs per working resident.
30%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving67%
On foot28%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
Train1%
37%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
32%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£40K
mean household income, before tax
3%
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
A home in Aberdovey sells for £322K, more than in Gwynedd’s towns or Wales’s towns
Social housing holds 15% of households, below Gwynedd’s towns (19%) and Wales’s towns (18%) alike. 13% of households are private tenants. The owner-occupied share of households is 71%.
£322Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Aberdovey£322K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £475,000 | 18 |
| Semi-detached | £325,000 | 6 |
| Terraced | £265,000 | 25 |
| Flat or maisonette | £175,000 | 5 |
71%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
13%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£724
average private rent a month, Gwynedd council area
£2,469
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
Homes in Aberdovey see more burglary and damage than in Gwynedd’s towns or Wales’s towns: 15.5 per 1,000 a year
Each year, 49.6 violent crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 49 crimes and 30 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Aberdovey’s built-up area. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 44.6 reports per 1,000, higher than both Gwynedd’s towns (15.7) and Wales’s towns (10.4). 61% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
49.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual30
Damage & arson9
Public order7
Other theft1
Weapons1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Burglary0
Anti-social30
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.
49.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
15.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
44.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
49
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 Aberdovey live with a disability than in Gwynedd’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 16%
Aberdovey has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3 miles away. 4.3% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, lower than both Gwynedd’s towns (5.5%) and Wales’s towns (7.1%). Asked at the census, just over four in five residents of Aberdovey said they were in good or very good health. The nearest A&E to Aberdovey is Bronglais General Hospital, 8.9 miles away.
82%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Aberdovey | Gwynedd | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 80% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.3% | 5.5% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 20% | 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 · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy among them, do allow for age.
History
More buildings in Aberdovey are listed than in Gwynedd’s towns or Wales’s towns: 632 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Cadw’s list names 34 listed buildings in Aberdovey, every one Grade II. Conservation areas cover 31% of the town’s land, higher than both Gwynedd’s towns (4%) and Wales’s towns (0%).
34listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II34
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
45%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
632
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 Aberdovey
13pages on Aberdovey
The big questions
Aberdovey’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
TywynBorthBow StreetPenrhyn-cochMachynllethAberystwythLlanbadarn FawrAberdovey
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdovey | 538 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tywyn | 3,134 | 3.3 | B− | B+ | B− | C+ |
| Borth | 1,115 | 4 | — | C+ | C | C+ |
| Bow Street | 1,101 | 6.9 | — | B− | B− | C+ |
| Penrhyn-coch | 1,378 | 7.6 | — | B− | A | B |
| Machynlleth | 2,161 | 9 | — | A− | C | C |
| Aberystwyth | 14,646 | 9.1 | C | B | D | C− |
| Llanbadarn Fawr | 1,766 | 9.4 | — | B− | C− | C |
Borth, Bow Street, Penrhyn-coch, Machynlleth and Llanbadarn Fawr have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Aberdovey
How many listed buildings are there in Aberdovey?
34 on Cadw’s list. That is 25.9 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Aberdovey expensive to live in?
By type: flats £175,000, terraced houses £265,000, semi-detached houses £325,000 and detached houses £475,000. Private rents in the Gwynedd council area averaged £724 a month in August 2026.
About Aberdovey
Village in Gwynedd, Wales
Aberdovey is a built-up area of 538 people, in the Gwynedd 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
- 538 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Gwynedd
- County
- Gwynedd
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000215
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.