Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 385 in Herefordshire, West Midlands.
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Dorstone has none; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 7% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 58% of homes were built before 1919. Three in five households own their home with no mortgage.
The 3 things Dorstone does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Dorstone’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
58% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Dorstone.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 49% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 93% of commuters went by car. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below Herefordshire’s towns (3%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. The census counted 49% of workers working mainly from home. 6% of commuters who live in Dorstone also work there.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds 1% of households, lower than both Herefordshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Renting privately is how 15% of households live. Behind the median of £442,500: 10 standard sales inside Dorstone’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £577,500 | 6 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence accounts for 2.6 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Over the year to August 2026, 3 offences were reported in Dorstone. Of all the crimes, 67% were violence and sexual offences.
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.
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.
Dorstone has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 7.6 miles away. 83% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above Herefordshire’s towns (80%) and close to England’s towns (82%). The nearest A&E to Dorstone is The County Hospital, 12.6 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Dorstone | Herefordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.9% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. Listed buildings per head: 286 for every 10,000 residents of Dorstone. The town has 11 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
31% of residents are 65 or over, higher than both Herefordshire’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 8.8% of residents. Dorstone has a median age of 55.2. Degrees are held by two in five adults.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Dorstone | Herefordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.8% | 9.7% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 35% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.8% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 40% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Herefordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorstone | 385 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hay-on-Wye | 2,065 | 5.3 | — | C | B− | B− |
| Kingstone | 1,500 | 7.8 | — | B | C | B+ |
| Weobley | 1,273 | 8.2 | — | C | C+ | B− |
| Credenhill | 2,334 | 8.6 | — | C+ | A− | B− |
| Clehonger | 1,218 | 8.9 | — | B− | B | B |
| Kington | 2,423 | 9.4 | — | B+ | C | C+ |
| Ewyas Harold | 1,037 | 9.6 | — | B− | A− | B |
Hay-on-Wye, Kingstone, Weobley, Credenhill, Clehonger, Kington and Ewyas Harold have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 11.7 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £442,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. Private rents in the Herefordshire, County of council area averaged £821 a month in August 2026.
Band D council tax in Dorstone is £2,515 for 2026–27, more than in 68% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Village in Herefordshire, England
Dorstone is a built-up area of 385 people, in the Herefordshire 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
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) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), 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.