Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
996 people live in this village in Oxfordshire, South East.
There are no grades for Dorchester: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. 101 buildings are listed here, 2 at Grade I. The median sale price is £643,000.
The 3 things Dorchester does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Dorchester’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
28% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Dorchester. Best known first.
MuseumDorchester Abbey Museumin town
CastleWallingford Castle5 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumPendon Museum3.3 km outside town, to the west
MuseumWallingford Museum4.9 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumAston Martin Heritage Trust2.2 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumBenson Veteran Cycle Museum4.6 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Dorchester.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 53% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
15% of commuters left the car at home at the census, walking, cycling or taking public transport. Working mainly from home: 53% of workers, above Oxfordshire’s towns (37%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. The average household earns £70K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Key Stage 2 results at the 6 primary schools within 3 km: 56% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The one school in town appears below. Its one primary school teaches 76 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester St Birinus Church of England SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 76 | D |
Social housing holds 3% of households, below Oxfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Just over one in ten households rent privately. Private rents average £1,402 a month across the South Oxfordshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £800,000 | 29 |
| Semi-detached | £475,000 | 9 |
| Terraced | £469,500 | 12 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 30% of recorded crime. Burglary and damage came to 5 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Oxfordshire’s towns (6.8) and England’s towns (9.4). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 10 crimes and 3 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Dorchester’s built-up area.
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.
At the census, 3.6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, near Oxfordshire’s towns (3.5%) and lower than England’s towns (5.2%). There is no GP practice in Dorchester: the nearest is 1.4 miles off. The nearest A&E to Dorchester is John Radcliffe Hospital, 8.6 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Dorchester | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as 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.
28% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Oxfordshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (16%). Dorchester’s listed buildings include the Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul, Grade I. Grade II* covers 5 of them, Grade I 2.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
58% of adults hold a degree, higher than both Oxfordshire’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (34%). People aged 15 to 24 are 8.5% of the population. Ages in Dorchester split evenly at 55.3: half are older, half younger. Under 15: 13% of residents.
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Dorchester | Oxfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 33% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 8.2% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.9% | 4.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 58% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Oxfordshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester | 996 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Berinsfield | 2,773 | 1.4 | C+ | A− | C+ | C |
| Brightwell-cum-Sotwell | 1,244 | 2 | — | C | A− | A− |
| Benson | 5,236 | 3.3 | A | C+ | A− | A+ |
| Wallingford | 8,455 | 3.3 | A− | B− | B− | B+ |
| Crowmarsh Gifford | 1,329 | 4.1 | — | C+ | B− | A |
| Chalgrove | 2,807 | 4.1 | B+ | B | B+ | A |
| Didcot | 34,600 | 4.4 | A | B+ | C+ | B |
Brightwell-cum-Sotwell and Crowmarsh Gifford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
By type: terraced houses £469,500, semi-detached houses £475,000 and detached houses £800,000.
That is 41.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Band D council tax in Dorchester is £2,579 for 2026–27, more than in 82% 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 Oxfordshire, England
Dorchester is a built-up area of 996 people, in the South Oxfordshire 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.