Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A large town of 50,170 in Somerset, South West.
Yeovil grades C+ overall against UK towns: better than 44% of UK towns, and #22 of 49 in Somerset. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): 22% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is safety (D): 49.2 violent and sexual offences and 12.8 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has less crime per resident than 44%. The median home sold for £232,500 in the last three years, 4.5 times what households in the South Somerset council area earn in a year.
ONS publishes one rent for all of Somerset, so this town's Cost Grade uses house prices and council tax only.
The thing Yeovil does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Yeovil is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 131 buildings inside Yeovil’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
11% 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 Yeovil. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustMontacute House1.5 km outside town, to the west · 120K visitors a year (2011)
Historic houseNewton Surmaville500 m outside town, to the southeast
Historic house · National TrustStoke sub Hamdon Priory4.1 km outside town, to the west
MuseumYeovil Railway Centre1.7 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumIlchester Museum5 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Yeovil.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Violence came to 49.2 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Somerset’s towns (27) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 5,263 crimes inside Yeovil’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 966 reports of anti-social behaviour.
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
Three of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huish Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 420 | B |
| Westfield AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,013 | B− |
| Preston CofE Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 419 | A+ |
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.
That puts Yeovil above both Somerset’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%). 18% of workers worked mainly from home at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
82% of Yeovil’s residents described their health as good or very good in 2021, against 82% across Somerset’s towns. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
| Census 2021 | Yeovil | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Half the homes sold went for more than £233K, below both Somerset’s towns (£311K) and England’s towns (£308K). Yeovil is the second cheapest of the 49 towns in Somerset, at £232,500.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £355,000 | 449 |
| Semi-detached | £250,000 | 761 |
| Terraced | £200,000 | 665 |
| Flat or maisonette | £122,500 | 269 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Yeovil has 131 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 3 Grade I, 4 Grade II*. 11% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
On this, Yeovil is below both Somerset’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (34%). Yeovil has a median age of 40. 19% of residents are 65 or over.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Yeovil | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
131 listed buildings in Yeovil, 3 of them Grade I.
Abbey Barn: Photo: Ken Grainger · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hendford Manor: Photo: Sarah Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Pen Mill Hotel: Photo: Robin Webster · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Old Police Station: Photo: Simon Harriyott from Uckfield, England · CC BY 2.0
68 notable people were born in Yeovil.
Heather Stanning: Richard Gillin from St Albans, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Martin Cranie: Jon Candy from Cardiff, Wales, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Vanessa White: See Li, CC BY 2.0 · John Parish: Jas Wood, CC BY 2.0 · Hugh Banton: Smkphotos, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Marlie Packer: Marlie Packer, CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yeovil | 50,170 | — | C+ | B | D | C |
| Barwick and Stoford | 1,095 | 2.1 | — | A− | C | B− |
| Ilchester | 2,062 | 4.7 | — | A | C | B |
| Stoke sub Hamdon | 1,360 | 4.9 | — | C+ | C | B |
| Sherborne | 10,359 | 5.1 | C+ | D | B | B− |
| Martock | 4,079 | 5.9 | C | B− | C | C+ |
| Merriott | 2,068 | 7.2 | — | B− | A | B |
| South Petherton | 3,096 | 7.4 | C | D | C | B |
Barwick and Stoford, Ilchester, Stoke sub Hamdon and Merriott have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
About the middle for its size: 56% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them far smaller, it grades D. Police recorded 5,263 crimes inside Yeovil’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 44% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Its Grade I buildings include Abbey Barn. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Band D council tax in Yeovil is £2,621 for 2026–27, more than in 89% 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.
Large town in Somerset, England
Yeovil is a built-up area of 50,170 people, in the South Somerset 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.