Devizes grades B− overall against UK towns: better than 51% of UK towns, and #22 of 30 in Wiltshire. Its strongest subject is walkability (A): 23% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is schools (C−): primary results beat 17% of towns in England; secondary results beat 36% of towns in England. The median home sold for £277,500 in the last three years, 4.6 times what households in the Wiltshire council area earn in a year.

StrongestAWalkability AHazard risk A⁻Cost of livingWeakestC⁻Schools C⁻Safety

What makes Devizes stand out

The 2 things Devizes does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Listed buildings per 10,000 residents

History

5 Grade I, including Brownstone House; 7.1 times the typical UK town for its size

Historic England’s list, October 2026.

Residents 65 and over

Who lives here

23% are 65 or over

Against 18% across England’s towns

How Devizes grades

Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Devizes is from typical. American towns are graded separately.

How grading works

WalkabilityAOpen →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →Cost of livingrent £1,082 a monthA⁻Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 17% of towns in England; secondary results beat 36% of towns in EnglandC⁻Open →SafetyC⁻Open →Jobs & incomeCOpen →HealthLife expectancy 79.8 for men, 84.2 for womenC⁺Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

HistoryA⁻Open →Outdoors91% live within 400 m of a park; 38% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeA⁻Open →Civic life5 local charities per 1,000 residents; 47% live within 1 km of a libraryAOpen →

How TownRatings grades towns →

A View of Devizes Market Square, Wiltshire, c. 1750 · Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domain

Devizes’s story

Devizes in pictures

Historic England lists 336 buildings inside Devizes’s built-up area, 5 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.

14% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.

The archive holds 4 old photos and postcards going back to 1750 and a map from c. 1919.

c. 1870Shinner & Mead, Monday Market Street, Devizes, Wiltshire. 1870
c. 1900Devizes station 1900
c. 1902Devizes Cottage Hospital (1a)

Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Devizes.

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C

Benefit claims run higher in Devizes, 3.3% of 16 to 64s, than in Wiltshire’s towns or across England’s towns

The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 29% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.

On this, Devizes is above both Wiltshire’s towns (2.1%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Household income averages £53K a year before tax.

23%walk, cycle or ride

How commuters got to work · March 2021

Driving74%

On foot18%

Bicycle4%

Bus2%

48%

of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%

29%

worked mainly from home in March 2021

£53K

mean household income, before tax

3.3%

of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)

Walkability: more walkable than 86% of UK towns

Full pageDevizes’ work & commute pageOpen the page

Jobs based here9,950 jobs based here · Manufacturing is the biggest, 17%Commute map23% walk, cycle or ride Household income£53K a year · Mean household income Getting to work48% go under 5 km · Short trips to work

ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL

SchoolsC⁻

Results at Devizes’s schools trail 78% of towns in England

Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

C⁻School Grade

School	Level	Pupils	Letter
Wansdyke SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary	Primary	237	C⁺
Devizes SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary	Secondary	947	C⁺

Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 8 schools →

History

336 listed buildings, 5 of them Grade I

The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.

Devizes has 336 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 5 Grade I, 43 Grade II*. For its size, Devizes has 172 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above both Wiltshire’s towns (119) and England’s towns (39). Devizes’s listed buildings include Brownstone House, Grade I.

336listed buildingsA⁻History Grade

Listed buildings by grade · Historic England

Grade I5

Grade II*43

Grade II288

Among them · Grade I

Brownstone House Grade I
Church of St John the Baptist Grade I
Church of St Mary Grade I
Forecourt Wall of Brownstone House Grade I

scheduled monument

registered parks and gardens

14%

of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%

172

listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24

Full pageDevizes’ history pageOpen the page

Listed buildings336 listed buildings Homes by age14% built before 1919 · Older homes Vs. the neighboursAhead of 3 of its 7 graded neighbours Questions“How many listed buildings are there in Devizes?”

Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL

HousingCost of living grade A⁻

Social housing is more common in Devizes than in Wiltshire’s towns or across England’s towns, at 22% of households

In the comparison, Devizes comes above both Wiltshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). 14% of households rent privately.

£278Kmedian sale

Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026

Devizes£278K

Typical UK town£277K

By type	Median	Sales
Detached	£435,000	236
Semi-detached	£290,000	208
Terraced	£249,950	298
Flat or maisonette	£148,000	181

61%

of households own their home · England 61%

14%

rent privately · England 21%

£1,082

average private rent a month, Wiltshire council area

£2,583

council tax, Band D, 2026–27

Full pageDevizes’ housing & cost pageOpen the page

House pricesMedian sale £277,500 Renting£1,082 a month · Average private rent Council tax£2,583 Band D · Council tax, 2026–27 Owners and renters61% own their home

HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL

Safety

Devizes records more violent crime per resident than Wiltshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 35.8 per 1,000 a year

For Devizes, that is above both Wiltshire’s towns (17.9) and England’s towns (22). Homes see 12.4 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 1,334 crimes inside Devizes’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 461 reports of anti-social behaviour.

35.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC⁻Safety Grade

Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 43% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.

More crimeLess crime

Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026

Violence & sexual706

Shoplifting153

Damage & arson151

Public order105

Other theft85

Drugs33

Burglary26

Other crime25

Anti-social461

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.

35.8

violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026

12.4

burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026

22.8

anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)

1,334

crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026

Full pageDevizes’ safety reportOpen the page

Safety Grade35.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 · Devizes has more crime per resident than 76% of UK towns Crime by typeViolence & sexual leads Vs. the neighboursBehind its 7 graded neighbours Questions“Is Devizes safe?”

data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL

Who lives here

Devizes skews older, with 23% of residents 65 or over, more than Wiltshire’s towns or England’s towns

Devizes sits above both Wiltshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%) on this measure. Children are 16% of the town. Half the people of Devizes are older than 46.1.

46.1median age

DevizesWiltshireEngland

WiltshireEngland

Ages · share of residents

23%

Qualifications · residents 16 and older

No qualifications16%

Apprenticeship6%

A levels or similar18%

Degree level30%

Women and men · all residents

51% women, 49% men

About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.

Ages and qualifications in Devizes
	Devizes	Wiltshire	England
Under 15	16%	18%	18%
15–24	9.7%	10%	12%
25–44	23%	26%	27%
45–64	28%	27%	25%
65+	23%	19%	18%
No qualifications	16%	16%	18%
Apprenticeship	6.3%	5.7%	5.3%
A levels or similar	18%	18%	17%
Degree level	30%	31%	34%

Full pageDevizes’ Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages46.1 median age · 23% are 65 or over Households8,906 households · 61% own their home Where people were born8.3% born outside the UK Questions“What is the population of Devizes?”

ONS Census 2021 · Wiltshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL

Health

More people in Devizes live with a disability than in Wiltshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 19%

That puts Devizes above both Wiltshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). 3 GP practices serve the town; 83% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 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.

81%good or very good healthC⁺Health Grade

General health, self-reported

Good or very good 81%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 5%

Census 2021	Devizes	Wiltshire	England
Good or very good health	81%	83%	82%
Bad or very bad health	4.8%	4.4%	5.2%
Disabled (Equality Act)	19%	17%	17%

79.8

life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)

84.2

life expectancy at birth, women

Full pageDevizes’ health pageOpen the page

Health GradeLife expectancy: women 84.2, men 79.8 Getting care17 miles to A&E · Great Western Hospital GP practices83% rate their practice good Census health81% in good health

ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL

Nearby attractions

Wiltshire Heritage Museum and 5 more in and around Devizes

Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Devizes. Best known first.

All attractions →

MuseumWiltshire Heritage Museumin town

MuseumKennet and Avon Canal Museumin town

CastleDevizes Castle100 m outside town, to the west MuseumMuseumWiltshire Museumin town Historic siteHistoric siteDevizes White Horse700 m outside town, to the north AttractionAttractionPorch House1.5 km outside town, to the southwest

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (3)

Wiltshire Heritage Museum: Mike Faherty, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Kennet and Avon Canal Museum: Rodw at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Devizes Castle: Mike Faherty, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Devizes

15pages on Devizes

The big questions

SafetyC⁻35.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 Cost of livingA⁻Median home £278K · rent £1,082 a month Housing279 sold in 12 months · busiest street New Park Street SchoolsC⁻8 state schools HealthC⁺Life expectancy 79.8 (men), 84.2 (women)Work & commuteC66% of working residents work in the town Flood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk

Out and about

OutdoorsA⁻91% live within 400 m of a park AttractionsClimateJuly highs of 22°C (72°F), 776 mm of rain a year Weather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 46.1 · 19,491 people HistoryA⁻336 listed buildings, 5 Grade I Town Hall & politicsCouncil area: Wiltshire Famous people31 born here, among them Daphne Oram

Landmarks

336 listed buildings in Devizes, 5 of them Grade I.

All landmarks →

Brownstone HouseGrade I listed

Devizes CastleScheduled monument

Church of St MaryGrade I listed

The Fox and Hounds InnGrade II listed

Photo credits

Brownstone House: Photo: Trish Steel · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Devizes Castle: Photo: Mike Faherty · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Church of St Mary: Photo: Dave Kelly · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Fox and Hounds Inn: Photo: Michael Dibb · CC BY-SA 2.0

Famous people from Devizes

31 notable people were born in Devizes.

See all 31 →

Christopher AwdryBritish writer · born 1940

Jon GuthrieFootballer (born 1992)

Paul FletcherAustralian politician (born 1965)

Hallie Eustace MilesEnglish writer, restaurateur, and social reformer (1855–194…

Daphne OramBritish composer and electronic musician (1925–2003)

Harold Walter BaileyBritish scholar of Asian languages (1899–1996)

Photo credits

Christopher Awdry: Virgil Lucky, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jon Guthrie: Paul W, CC BY 2.0 · Paul Fletcher: Department of Communications and the Arts, CC BY 3.0

Devizes’s neighbours

The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →

All towns in Wiltshire →

PotterneBromhamMarket LavingtonLittleton PanellBowerhillCalneMelkshamDevizes

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Devizes	19,491	—	B⁻	A⁻	C⁻	C⁺
Potterne	1,543	2	—	B⁺	A	B⁺
Bromham	1,066	3.7	—	B⁺	A	B⁺
Market Lavington	1,810	4.5	—	A⁻	B	B⁺
Littleton Panell	1,334	5	—	C⁺	A	B⁺
Bowerhill	3,976	5.9	A⁻	B⁺	B⁺	A⁻
Calne	19,725	6.1	B⁻	A⁻	B⁻	C⁺
Melksham	18,277	6.4	C⁺	A⁻	C	C

Potterne, Bromham, Market Lavington and Littleton Panell have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.

Questions about Devizes

How many listed buildings are there in Devizes?

That is 7.1 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Brownstone House. It also has 1 scheduled monument.

Are schools in Devizes good?

GCSE results trail 64% of towns in England, and primary results trail 83% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).

Is Devizes safe?

About the middle for its size: 57% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades C−. Police recorded 1,334 crimes inside Devizes’ built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 53% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking. Burglary was rare, with 26 reports in the year.

About Devizes

Town in Wiltshire, England

Devizes is a built-up area of 19,491 people, in the Wiltshire 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: 19,491 (Census 2021)
Council: Wiltshire
County: Wiltshire
Region: South West
Area: 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km²)
ONS code: E63005312

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.