Dorset

At a glance, population and employment estimates for Dorset.

Population
379,791
People in Employment
155,780 (74.3%)
People Inactive
47,220 (22.5%)
People Unemployed
6,630 (3.2%)
Number Of Jobs
127k
Median Salary
£26,446
Mean Salary
£30,561

Crime Statistics

You can view the number of crimes per crime type for this year and the previous. You can also see the trend for each crime type, which shows if crimes committed are getting better, worse or no change.

We also list all of the parliamentary wards for Dorset. You'll be able to see the crimes for this year so far and also how many crimes per 1000 people.

If you need to see crimes on a street level, you can use the interactive crime map which shows you crimes and their outcome.

Crime rate by type in Dorset for 2024

Dorsets most common type of crime is: Violence and sexual offences. In 2023 there were 8,641 crimes and in 2022 there were 9,092 crimes. Which is an decrease of 451 crimes.

Crime Type Previous Year Crimes This Year Trend vs previous year
Violence and sexual offences 8,641 719
Getting Better
Anti-social behaviour 6,464 542
Getting Better
Criminal damage and arson 2,399 169
Getting Better
Other theft 1,794 132
Getting Better
Public order 1,561 125
Getting Better
Shoplifting 1,225 117
Getting Better
Vehicle crime 963 82
Getting Better
Burglary 1,056 78
Getting Better
Drugs 333 28
Getting Better
Bicycle theft 132 16
Getting Better
Possession of weapons 118 11
Getting Better
Other crime 228 9
Getting Better
Robbery 111 5
Getting Better
Theft from the person 93 4
Getting Better

Number of crimes for Electoral Wards in Dorset

Think of Electoral Wards as the boundaries your local councillors represent in your area. Electoral Wards will help you get a better picture of how much crime takes place in and around the places you live.

Melcombe Regis has the highest crime rate of all the wards in Dorset, with 2262 crimes and 533 crimes per 1000 people. Whilst Chalk Valleys has 81 crimes and 17 crimes per 1000 people.

Name Crimes in 2024 Crimes per 1000 people
Melcombe Regis 169 40
Portland 112 8
Dorchester West 111 12
Bridport 99 7
Rodwell & Wyke 94 7
Littlemoor & Preston 89 9
Westham 87 9
Swanage 74 8
Wimborne Minster 67 9
Chickerell 66 9
Blandford 60 6
West Purbeck 59 6
Wareham 56 5
Radipole 52 5
Gillingham 49 3
Shaftesbury Town 44 5
Ferndown North 43 5
Lytchett Matravers & Upton 41 3
Verwood 40 3
St Leonards & St Ives 39 5
Colehill & Wimborne Minster East 37 4
Lyme & Charmouth 37 7
Corfe Mullen 30 3
Dorchester East 30 4
Winterborne North 28 7
Crossways 27 7
West Moors & Three Legged Cross 26 3
Ferndown South 24 3
Stour & Allen Vale 23 4
Upwey & Broadwey 23 5
Yetminster 23 5
Sherborne West 20 4
Eggardon 19 4
Sherborne Rural 19 4
Beaminster 17 4
Charminster St Mary's 17 3
Cranborne & Alderholt 17 3
Cranborne Chase 17 3
Sherborne East 16 3
South East Purbeck 16 4
Stalbridge & Marnhull 16 3
Blackmore Vale 12 3
Puddletown & Lower Winterborne 12 2
Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants 12 3
Chesil Bank 11 3
West Parley 11 3
Sturminster Newton 8 2
Marshwood Vale 7 2
Chalk Valleys 6 1
Winterborne & Broadmayne 5 1
Beacon 0 0
Dorchester Poundbury 0 0

Crime map for Dorset

Showing crimes from the beginning of the year up until 2024-07. Each Marker on the map represents a crime. Click on the marker to find out more about the crime. Please note, all crime locations are approximate.

Housing Statistics

View average house prices by year. We show property prices from 2010 up until the current year. You can also see property prices over time using our interactive chart.

Average property prices by year for Dorset

The average property price in Dorset is higher than the £290,000 UK average. This could indicate a property shortage in the area pushing prices up or that the average household income in Dorset is higher than average. Building and selling properties in Dorset could be more profitable.

Year Avg. Detached Price Avg. Semi-Detached Price Avg. Terraced Price Avg. Flat Price
2023 £546,520.53 £358,394.07 £285,294.99 £193,501.52
2022 £536,169.23 £350,967.31 £281,350.31 £191,363.17
2021 £470,350.10 £307,860.05 £248,480.27 £175,015.75
2020 £429,508.97 £283,526.71 £228,696.53 £166,276.18
2019 £420,388.32 £276,484.32 £222,675.06 £166,187.04
2018 £425,277.03 £274,156.56 £220,910.73 £169,101.49
2017 £412,890.21 £266,092.13 £215,493.42 £168,443.25
2016 £390,263.70 £251,592.50 £205,150.35 £157,620.94
2015 £365,870.71 £238,257.97 £194,973.75 £148,887.75
2014 £347,678.28 £228,270.31 £187,681.20 £143,735.85
2013 £327,273.66 £214,952.95 £177,265.43 £136,568.41
2012 £320,540.81 £211,522.07 £175,320.64 £136,179.47
2011 £316,983.94 £208,360.18 £173,095.92 £136,544.38
2010 £320,199.94 £211,923.56 £176,921.74 £140,132.60

Property prices over time for Dorset

Showing crimes from 2010 up until July 2024. You can use the interactive chart to zoom in on a timeframe to see greater detail.

Employment and Annual Salary information for Dorset

The median salary in Dorset is £26,446 and the mean salary in Dorset is £30,561.00. The median value is a better indicator of salary in a region since the mean salary can be skewed by a small number of people that are high earners.

Number of Jobs (thousands)
127k
Median Salary
£26,446
Annual Percentage Change
7.6%
Mean Salary
£30,561

Salary comparison between Dorset and South West

See how Dorset compares to the rest of South West. Jobs per thousand, median and mean salary as well as annual percentage vs last year.

The highest median salary in South West is £34,961 in Cheltenham and the lowest median salary is £0 in Isles of Scilly. Dorset ranks 11 out of 26 in terms of median salary.

Location Annual Percentage Change Mean Salary Annual Percentage Change
Cheltenham 41k £34,961 14.8% £38,610 11.2%
Forest of Dean 24k £30,120 27.8% £32,813 11.4%
Bristol, City of UA 173k £29,923 11.1% £32,238 5.8%
North Somerset UA 74k £29,026 16.3% £32,491 11.3%
South Gloucestershire UA 113k £28,830 10.8% £31,817 8.6%
Swindon UA 89k £28,164 3.4% £34,161 6.8%
Wiltshire UA 177k £28,033 12.8% £32,009 5.2%
Bath and North East Somerset UA 71k £27,614 14.1% £35,345 19.5%
Stroud 42k £27,606 9.7% £32,948 8.7%
Cotswold 28k £26,953 22.1% £34,455 16.1%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole UA 131k £26,714 9.8% £31,862 10.7%
South Hams 26k £26,370 9.6% £28,265 -2.6%
Gloucester 43k £25,766 8.9% £30,531 14.4%
Exeter 48k £25,553 9.5% £29,292 9.6%
Mid Devon 29k £25,048 0.0% £27,831 0.0%
North Devon 36k £25,035 17.3% £25,340 9.5%
Cornwall UA 169k £24,510 14.9% £27,014 13.0%
Plymouth UA 91k £23,433 6.2% £25,656 8.1%
Teignbridge 39k £23,283 8.3% £27,325 8.9%
Torbay UA 46k £22,678 -2.6% £25,355 1.9%
Torridge 25k £22,300 0.0% £24,572 4.8%
West Devon 17k £21,639 10.7% £23,139 1.3%
Tewkesbury 31k £0 0.0% £0 0.0%
East Devon 44k £0 0.0% £31,403 11.8%
Isles of Scilly 0k £0 0.0% £0 0.0%

See how Dorset compares to other areas in South West

Number of businesses by industry for Dorset

You can swipe right on the table to view all the rows

Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing Production Construction Motor Trades Wholesale Retail Transport & Storage Accommodation & Food Information & Communication Finance & Insurance Property Professional, Scientific & Technical Business administration Public Administration & Defence Education Health Arts & Entertainment
2,010 1,285 2,780 585 560 1,495 445 1,275 925 305 675 2,315 1,305 125 250 565 1,170