Fairbourne’s story
Fairbourne: 43% of homes built before 1919
43% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
FairbourneGwynedd
A village of 681 in Gwynedd, Wales.
5 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: OLU · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
681
Census 2021 · Gwynedd council
Median home
£150K
63 sales in 3 years
Median age
60.4
42% are 65+ · Gwynedd 23%
Degree level
27%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
26%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Fairbourne a good place to live?
Fairbourne has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Fairbourne stand out
The 3 things Fairbourne 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
42% are 65 or over
Against 21% across Wales’s towns
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
£150K median home
46% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fairbourne.
Who lives here
Few people in Fairbourne are 15 to 24: 6.8%, fewer than in Gwynedd’s towns and Wales’s towns
On this, Fairbourne is below both Gwynedd’s towns (13%) and Wales’s towns (12%). Those 65 and older account for 42% of residents. Fairbourne has a median age of 60.4.
60.4median age
FairbourneGwyneddWales
Ages · share of residents
42%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications25%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar11%
Degree level27%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Fairbourne | Gwynedd | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.4% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 6.8% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 22% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 42% | 23% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 18% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.3% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 11% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 32% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gwynedd and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fairbourne gets to work on foot, by bike and by public transport more than Gwynedd’s towns or Wales’s towns: 26% of commuters
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 18% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
In the comparison, Fairbourne comes above both Gwynedd’s towns (19%) and Wales’s towns (16%). 29% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work.
26%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving72%
On foot19%
Train3%
Bicycle3%
Bus1%
29%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
18%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£40K
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
Most households in Fairbourne own their home: 77%, more than in Gwynedd’s towns or across Wales’s towns
For Fairbourne, that is above both Gwynedd’s towns (63%) and Wales’s towns (65%). 5% of households live in social housing.
£150Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Fairbourne£150K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £162,500 | 27 |
| Semi-detached | £120,000 | 23 |
| Terraced | £135,000 | 13 |
77%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
£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
Violent crime runs low in Fairbourne: 14.3 per 1,000 residents a year, under Gwynedd’s towns and Wales’s towns
Fairbourne sits below both Gwynedd’s towns (31.9) and Wales’s towns (33.8) on this measure. Police recorded 15 crimes inside Fairbourne’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 3 reports of anti-social behaviour. Burglary and damage come to 7.4 per 1,000 residents a year.
14.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual7
Damage & arson4
Other theft3
Burglary1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social3
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.
14.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
15
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
Fewer people in Fairbourne say their health is good than in Gwynedd’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 68%
That puts Fairbourne below both Gwynedd’s towns (80%) and Wales’s towns (78%). Fairbourne has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy.
68%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 68%Fair 23%Bad or very bad 9%
| Census 2021 | Fairbourne | Gwynedd | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 68% | 80% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.7% | 5.5% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 29% | 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
History
0 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Fairbourne has 0 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Cadw’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 43% of its homes were built before 1919.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
1
scheduled monument
0
registered parks and gardens
43%
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 →Fairbourne Railway and 3 more in and around Fairbourne
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Fairbourne. Best known first.
Heritage railwayFairbourne Railwayin town
MuseumSailors' Institute2 km outside town, to the north
MuseumThe Round House1.9 km outside town, to the north
MuseumTŷ Gwyn and the Maritime Museum1.9 km outside town, to the northPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Fairbourne Railway: Dorothea Witter-Rieder, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sailors' Institute: Mark Percy, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Round House: Probinaries, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tŷ Gwyn and the Maritime Museum: Probinaries, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fairbourne
13pages on Fairbourne
The big questions
Safety14.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £150K · rent £724 a monthHousing19 sold in 12 months · busiest street Glan Y MorSchoolsHealthWork & commute56% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards12.8% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Fairbourne’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BarmouthDolgellauTywynMachynllethHarlechFairbourne
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbourne | 681 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Barmouth | 1,986 | 1.9 | — | B+ | D | B− |
| Dolgellau | 2,599 | 7.6 | B− | A− | C | B− |
| Tywyn | 3,134 | 8 | B− | B+ | B− | C+ |
| Machynlleth | 2,161 | 11 | — | A− | C | C |
| Harlech | 1,261 | 12 | — | B+ | C+ | B− |
Barmouth, Machynlleth and Harlech have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Fairbourne
Is Fairbourne expensive to live in?
By type: terraced houses £135,000, semi-detached houses £120,000 and detached houses £162,500. Private rents in the Gwynedd council area averaged £724 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Fairbourne?
Band D council tax in Fairbourne is £2,469 for 2026–27, more than in 56% of UK towns (the Gwynedd council average, with police and community councils). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Fairbourne
Village in Gwynedd, Wales
Fairbourne is a built-up area of 681 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
- 681 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Gwynedd
- County
- Gwynedd
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000200
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.