Groundsense

Dorset

Dorset is a unitary council in the South West of England. All 24 figures Groundsense publishes are available here. Figures fetched 3 October 2026.

Dorset sets the highest band D council tax of any council in England, £2,765. Healthy life expectancy for women, 65.6 years, is joint highest in the South West. Its roads have the region's highest rate of people killed or seriously injured, 59.6 per 100,000 residents a year. Under half of residents live within 1km of a supermarket: 47.6%. Anxiety averages 2.9 out of 10, lower than 82% of UK councils.

Furthest from the middle

Open Dorset on the map

Each line runs from the council with the lowest figure to the one with the highest. The dot is Dorset and the tick is the council in the middle.

Cost of living

Council tax, band D£2,765

The highest of the 296 councils in England it is published for.

The highest of the 27 councils in the South West.

MHCLG, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026-27, Table 9 · 2026-27 · How this is measured

Housing

Average house price, all homes£325k

Higher than 64% of the 360 councils in the UK it is published for.

Up 1.6% since June 2025

UK House Price Index · June 2026 · How this is measured

Average monthly rent, two bedrooms£967

Higher than 52% of the 316 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

Up 5% since August 2025

ONS Price Index of Private Rents · August 2026 · How this is measured

Price to local earnings8.7

Higher than 70% of the 348 councils in England, Scotland and Wales it is published for.

Joint 6th highest of the 26 councils in the South West.

UK House Price Index average price (June 2026) over ASHE median gross annual pay, full time workers (2025) · June 2026 prices, 2025 pay · How this is measured

Energy efficiency score of the typical home69

Higher than 35% of the 318 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

Joint 7th highest of the 27 councils in the South West.

ONS, Energy efficiency of housing, median score by local authority, from MHCLG certificates · to March 2025 · How this is measured

Transport

Households with no car or van13.7%

Lower than 76% of the 329 councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is published for.

Census 2021: ONS TS045 for England and Wales, NISRA for Northern Ireland · 2021 · How this is measured

Residents within 1km of a train, Underground or tram station15.9%

Lower than 73% of the 350 councils in England, Scotland and Wales it is published for.

DfT NaPTAN active stations, read at every census area · October 2026 · How this is measured

Amenities

Residents within 1km of a supermarket47.6%

Lower than 89% of the 358 councils in the UK it is published for.

Food Standards Agency register of food businesses, read at every census area · October 2026 · How this is measured

Residents within 1km of a pharmacy57.1%

Lower than 82% of the 318 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

NHS organisation register, dispensing contractors, read at every census area · October 2026 · How this is measured

Premises with full fibre available70.9%

Lower than 70% of the 359 councils in the UK it is published for.

Ofcom Connected Nations 2025, fixed broadband residential coverage by local authority · July 2025 · How this is measured

Education

Eleven year olds at the expected standard in reading, writing and maths60%

Lower than 69% of the 296 councils in England it is published for.

Joint 7th lowest of the 27 councils in the South West.

DfE, Key stage 2 attainment by pupil residency · 2025/26 · How this is measured

Attainment 8 at sixteen, average score44.1

Lower than 70% of the 296 councils in England it is published for.

4th lowest of the 27 councils in the South West.

DfE, Key stage 4 performance, local authority district data by pupil residency · 2024/25 · How this is measured

Health

Patients per fully qualified GP1,953

Lower than 76% of the 296 councils in England it is published for.

NHS England, General Practice Workforce, practice level, August 2026 · August 2026 · How this is measured

GP practices rated Good or Outstanding100%

Joint highest of the 293 councils in England it is published for.

Joint highest of the 26 councils in the South West.

CQC Syndication API, GP practices (inspection category P2) · October 2026 · How this is measured

Safety

Recorded crime per 1,000 residents58.5

Lower than 68% of the 305 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

Down 10.9% since 2022-23

Home Office recorded crime by community safety partnership, over ONS population estimates for June 2025 · 2025-26 · How this is measured

Residential burglary per 1,000 households4.4

Lower than 57% of the 305 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

Home Office recorded crime by community safety partnership, over Census 2021 household counts · 2025-26 · How this is measured

Killed or seriously injured on the roads, per 100,000 residents a year59.6

Higher than 87% of the 350 councils in England, Scotland and Wales it is published for.

The highest of the 27 councils in the South West.

DfT RAS0403, adjusted casualties by highway authority, 2023 to 2025, over ONS population estimates for June 2025 · 2023 to 2025 · How this is measured

Community

Residents at the same address a year earlier89.9%

Lower than 58% of the 318 councils in England and Wales it is published for.

ONS Census 2021, TS019 Migrant indicator · 2021 · How this is measured

Pubs, bars and licensed clubs per 10,000 residents9.6

Higher than 89% of the 361 councils in the UK it is published for.

Up 4.2% since 2021

ONS UK Business Counts, SIC 56301 and 56302, over ONS population estimates for June 2025 · 2026 · How this is measured

Wellbeing

Life satisfaction, mean out of 107.6

Higher than 72% of the 347 councils in the UK it is published for.

6th highest of the 24 councils in the South West.

ONS, personal wellbeing estimates by local authority · 2022-23 · How this is measured

Anxiety, mean out of 102.9

Lower than 82% of the 347 councils in the UK it is published for.

4th lowest of the 24 councils in the South West.

ONS, personal wellbeing estimates by local authority · 2022-23 · How this is measured

Healthy life expectancy at birth, women65.6 yrs

Higher than 90% of the 359 councils in the UK it is published for.

Joint highest of the 26 councils in the South West.

Down 1.2 years since 2011 to 2013

ONS, Healthy life expectancy, UK · 2022 to 2024 · How this is measured

Environment

Park and public garden space within 1km of the average home38.7 ha

Higher than 69% of the 343 councils in England, Scotland and Wales it is published for.

5th highest of the 26 councils in the South West.

ONS, Access to public parks and playing fields, from OS Open Greenspace · April 2020 · How this is measured

Nitrogen dioxide where people live, annual mean5 µg/m³

Lower than 84% of the 361 councils in the UK it is published for.

Down 35.1% since 2019

Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, background NO2 on the 1km grid, read at every census area · 2024 · How this is measured

Next door, side by side

Dorset shares a boundary with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, East Devon, New Forest, Somerset and Wiltshire. Lowest first.

Average monthly rent, two bedrooms
  1. East Devon£896
  2. Somerset£913
  3. Dorset£967
  4. Wiltshire£973
  5. New Forest£1,132
  6. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole£1,169
Average house price, all homes
  1. Somerset£282k
  2. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole£312k
  3. Dorset£325k
  4. Wiltshire£329k
  5. East Devon£346k
  6. New Forest£380k
Council tax, band D
  1. New Forest£2,420
  2. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole£2,436
  3. Somerset£2,561
  4. Wiltshire£2,572
  5. East Devon£2,595
  6. Dorset£2,765
Recorded crime per 1,000 residents
  1. East Devon45.3
  2. Wiltshire49.0
  3. New Forest52.9
  4. Dorset58.5
  5. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole58.5
  6. Somerset83.7
Patients per fully qualified GP
  1. New Forest1,557
  2. East Devon1,691
  3. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole1,856
  4. Wiltshire1,952
  5. Dorset1,953
  6. Somerset1,960
Eleven year olds at the expected standard in reading, writing and maths
  1. Dorset60%
  2. Somerset60%
  3. Wiltshire60%
  4. East Devon61%
  5. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole66%
  6. New Forest66%
Nitrogen dioxide where people live, annual mean
  1. East Devon3.8 µg/m³
  2. Dorset5 µg/m³
  3. Somerset5.3 µg/m³
  4. Wiltshire5.5 µg/m³
  5. New Forest6.5 µg/m³
  6. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole8.2 µg/m³
Residents within 1km of a train, Underground or tram station
  1. Somerset12.5%
  2. Wiltshire14.7%
  3. New Forest15.7%
  4. Dorset15.9%
  5. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole24.7%
  6. East Devon27.1%

What changed

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