Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Dorset and South Hams compared
Every measure Civometry publishes for both areas, side by side. Each figure is its publisher’s own for the period named beside it, and the difference between the two is stated in the middle. Neither area is called better: which direction counts as better depends on what you are asking, and the page does not decide that for you. Where the two figures are not comparable — a different period, or nothing published for one side — the row says so instead of showing a difference.
Dorset
E06000059 · Dorset Police
South Hams
E07000044 · Devon & Cornwall Police
Getting better or worse
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
The same in both
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
391,036
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
297,865 more in Dorset
93,171
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£37,462
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£1,176 more in South Hams
£38,638
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£325,410
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£35,161 more in South Hams
£360,571
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,051
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£42 more in Dorset
£1,009
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
2.3%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.2 percentage points higher in Dorset
2.1%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+113
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
194 more in Dorset
−81
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,765
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£150 more in Dorset
£2,615
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
16.3
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
1.2 more in Dorset
15.1
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
16.4%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
1.4 percentage points higher in Dorset
15.0%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
52.7
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
6.1 more in Dorset
46.6
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
8.7 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
0.6 years more in South Hams
9.3 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
33.7%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
2.4 percentage points higher in Dorset
31.3%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
7.38%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.61 percentage points higher in Dorset
6.77%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
10,362
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
781 more in Dorset
9,581
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,546
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
418 more in South Hams
3,964
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 391,036 in Dorset and 93,171 in South Hams (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £37,462 in Dorset and £38,638 in South Hams (2025); and average house price was £325,410 in Dorset and £360,571 in South Hams (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 391,036 in Dorset and 93,171 in South Hams (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £37,462 in Dorset and £38,638 in South Hams (2025); and average house price was £325,410 in Dorset and £360,571 in South Hams (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
Recorded crime by category
Offences per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to June 2026, from the same archive and the same window for both areas.
| Category | Dorset per 1,000 | offences | South Hams per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 52.7 | 20,615 | 46.6 | 4,346 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.2 | 87 | 0.2 | 16 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 2.0 | 763 | 1.5 | 144 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.1 | 1,601 | 4.3 | 398 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 0.9 | 350 | 0.7 | 67 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 0.7 | 261 | 0.9 | 87 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 3.3 | 1,295 | 5.1 | 475 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.3 | 133 | 0.5 | 43 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 2.5 | 975 | 3.2 | 294 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 0.2 | 95 | 0.2 | 15 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 3.6 | 1,404 | 2.5 | 234 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 59 | 0.2 | 17 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 1.7 | 677 | 0.9 | 83 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 19.2 | 7,506 | 20.8 | 1,938 | 34.7 |
| Violent crime | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Police-recorded crime counts offences reported to and recorded by the police. It is affected by whether people report crime and by changes in police recording practice, so it does not measure all crime that happens. The Crime Survey for England and Wales is the better guide to long-term trends in the crimes it covers. Police recorded crime is not designated as National Statistics.
What this comparison rests on
Two figures are only subtracted when they are the same measure over the same period. Populations differ (391,036 and 93,171 residents on the latest estimates used here), so counts are shown alongside rates rather than instead of them. Nothing on this page is weighted, indexed or scored: every difference is one published number minus another, and the rows that cannot be compared say why.