Perham Down’s story
No listed buildings inside Perham Down’s built-up area
0% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Perham DownWiltshire
Roughly one resident in 4 is aged 15 to 24. The village, home to 1,397 people, lies in Wiltshire, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Oscar Taylor · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,397
Census 2021 · Wiltshire council
Median home
£263K
10 sales in 3 years
Median age
25.6
2% are 65+ · Wiltshire 19%
Degree level
21%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
29%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Perham Down a good place to live?
Safety is its strong suit — police record 6.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 2.6 home and vehicle crimes. Prices are modest for what you get (A): homes sell for a median £262,500, about 4.4 times local household income. School results trail most towns (D−): primary results beat 8% of towns in England; secondary results beat 7% of towns in England. Natural hazards are less of a worry than in most UK towns (A).
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency. Perham Down has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Perham Down stand out
The 3 things Perham Down does most differently from other towns.
Households renting privately
Housing
of households, against 21% across England’s towns
Residents aged 15 to 24
Who lives here
1 in 4 is 15 to 24
28% of residents, against 12% across England’s towns
98%of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
Safety
of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
Per resident, police.uk, 3 years.
How Perham Down grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Perham Down is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SafetyVery little crime by comparisonA+Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 8% of towns in England; secondary results beat 7% of towns in EnglandD−Open →Walkability29% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transportAOpen →Hazard riskNear the top of the towns comparedAOpen →Cost of livingRent £1,082 a monthAOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £61,332; 1.8% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsA−Open →HealthLife expectancy 79.2 for men, 83.1 for womenB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsD−Open →Outdoors42% live within 400 m of a park; 17% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeDOpen →Civic life0 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Perham Down.
Who lives here
Perham Down skews young, with 28% of residents aged 15 to 24, more than in Wiltshire’s towns and across England’s towns
1.9% of residents are 65 or over, lower than both Wiltshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). The under-15s are 20% of the population here. Line up the people of Perham Down by age and the one in the middle is 25.6. Graduates make up 21% of adults.
25.6median age
Perham DownWiltshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
28%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications7%
Apprenticeship11%
A levels or similar30%
Degree level21%
Women and men · all residents
32% women, 68% men
About 47 women for every 100 men. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Perham Down is a garrison town: service personnel living in barracks count as residents.
| Perham Down | Wiltshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 28% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 41% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 9.3% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 1.9% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 7.2% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 11% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 30% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 21% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Wiltshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsD−
Perham Down’s schools fall behind 96% of towns in England on results
There is one school here; it is shown below. Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 38.4, with 29% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. 1,121 pupils attend Perham Down’s one secondary school.
D−School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wellington AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,121 | D |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
No listed buildings in Perham Down
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Perham Down’s built-up area. 0% of its homes were built before 1919.
0listed buildingsD−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
0%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Fewer crimes per resident in Perham Down than in 99% of UK towns
22 crimes and 4 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Perham Down’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. For its size, Perham Down records less crime per resident than 98% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people. Nearly three fifths of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 3.3 reports per 1,000, lower than both Wiltshire’s towns (8) and England’s towns (7.8).
6.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearA+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 98% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual13
Damage & arson4
Vehicle crime2
Public order1
Other theft1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Burglary0
Anti-social4
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.
6.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
22
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Perham Down is more walkable than 95% of UK towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
8% of commuters who live in Perham Down also work there. The car took 66% of commuters, lower than both Wiltshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). Home was the main workplace for 38% of workers at the census.
29%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving66%
On foot22%
Bicycle3%
Train2%
Bus2%
38%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£61K
mean household income, before tax
1.8%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A
Walkability: more walkable than 95% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade A
Private renting is more common in Perham Down than in Wiltshire’s towns or England’s towns: 60% of households
Owners make up 34% of households, lower than both Wiltshire’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). The social rented sector houses 6% of households. Half of the 10 standard sales inside Perham Down’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £262,500.
£263Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Perham Down£263K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £255,000 | 9 |
34%
of households own their home · England 61%
60%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,082
average private rent a month, Wiltshire council area
£2,576
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
Fewer people in Perham Down live with a disability than in Wiltshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 4.7%
Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 0.4% of the town. At the census, 97% of people in Perham Down called their health good or very good, above Wiltshire’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. Also worth knowing: the nearest A&E to Perham Down is Salisbury District Hospital, 15.1 miles away.
97%good or very good healthB−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 97%Fair 3%Bad or very bad 0%
| Census 2021 | Perham Down | Wiltshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 97% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 0.4% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 4.7% | 17% | 17% |
79.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Perham Down
14pages on Perham Down
The big questions
SafetyA+6.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingAMedian home £263K · rent £1,082 a monthHousing2 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsD−1 state schoolHealthB−Life expectancy 79.2 (men), 83.1 (women)Work & commuteA−58% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Perham Down’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
TidworthLudgershallShipton BellingerBulfordCharltonAnna Valley and Upper ClatfordDurringtonPerham Down
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perham Down | 1,397 | — | — | A | A+ | B− |
| Tidworth | 10,693 | 1.1 | B+ | A | B− | C+ |
| Ludgershall | 5,400 | 1.2 | C+ | A− | C | C |
| Shipton Bellinger | 1,442 | 2.8 | — | A | B+ | A− |
| Bulford | 4,923 | 5.8 | A | A | A− | B+ |
| Charlton | 2,121 | 6.1 | — | A | A | A |
| Anna Valley and Upper Clatford | 1,557 | 6.5 | — | B+ | A | A− |
| Durrington | 5,718 | 6.7 | B+ | B+ | B | B |
Shipton Bellinger, Charlton and Anna Valley and Upper Clatford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Perham Down
Are schools in Perham Down good?
GCSE results trail 93% of towns in England, and primary results trail 92% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Wiltshire council.
About Perham Down
Village in Wiltshire, England
Perham Down is a built-up area of 1,397 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
- 1,397 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wiltshire
- County
- Wiltshire
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005600
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.