# Sherborne Rural

North west Dorset. About 5,083 people (mid-2024 estimate) in 109 square kilometres.

Sherborne Rural had 4,953 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021).

Ward. Code E05012716. In: [South West](https://openindex.co.uk/south-west) › [Dorset](https://openindex.co.uk/dorset)

## Key figures

- **Population: 4,953** (2021). Sherborne Rural had 4,953 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). Joint 2,717th least populated of 8,397. Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, 2021. Published 21 July 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/dorset/ward/sherborne-rural#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 70%** (2022). About 70% of people in Sherborne Rural live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. UK 44%. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UKHSA and BGS radon atlas and census output areas. Published 1 December 2022. https://openindex.co.uk/dorset/ward/sherborne-rural#f-radon-affected-share
- **Gigabit broadband coverage: 58.5%** (January 2026). In Sherborne Rural, 58.5% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026 (Ofcom). UK 87.8%. Source: Connected Nations (Ofcom), January 2026. Published 13 May 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/dorset/ward/sherborne-rural#f-gigabit-coverage
- **Claimant rate: 1.1%** (August 2026). In Sherborne Rural, 1.1% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026 (ONS via Nomis). UK 3.9%. Source: Claimant count (Nomis), August 2026. Published 15 September 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/dorset/ward/sherborne-rural#f-claimant-rate

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas#place=E05012716) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 70% of people in Sherborne Rural live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
- [Average house price by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-prices#place=E05012716) (UK House Price Index · August 2026): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of Dorset. The outline is Sherborne Rural.
- [Crime and ASB by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/recorded-crime#place=E05012716) (Police recorded crime and outcomes (data.police.uk) · August 2026): Crime and anti-social behaviour for Sherborne Rural.
- [Population by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population#place=E05012716) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Sherborne Rural had 4,953 usual residents at the census.

## How Sherborne Rural compares

Each ward against every other ward the measure covers.

| Measure | Sherborne Rural | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population | 4,953 | 17th least populated | 52 wards, Dorset · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 70% | 26th most people in radon Affected Areas | 52 wards, Dorset · 2022 |
| Gigabit broadband coverage | 58.5% | 11th lowest | 52 wards, Dorset · Jan 2026 |
| Claimant rate | 1.1% | 2nd lowest | 52 wards, Dorset · Aug 2026 |

## Is Sherborne Rural safe? What police records show

In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in Sherborne Rural at a rate of 37.6 per 1,000 people.
That compares with 53.9 per 1,000 people across Dorset.
Across England as a whole, the recorded crime rate was 96.3 per 1,000 people.
In August 2026 alone, 20 cases of crime and anti-social behaviour were recorded in Sherborne Rural.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the most common types were shoplifting (58), violence and sexual offences (34) and other crime (23).
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates.
Rates are per resident, so places that many people work in or visit, such as Westminster, the City of London and other city centres, have far higher rates than their residents alone would suggest.

## Figures for the whole of Dorset

These figures are published for the whole of Dorset, not for each ward, so they describe all of Dorset and not Sherborne Rural alone. [See Dorset](https://openindex.co.uk/dorset)

- **Average house price: £328,589** (August 2026). Dorset’s average house price was £328,589 in August 2026 (HM Land Registry). Down 0.4% in a year. Source: UK House Price Index, August 2026. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Median full-time pay: £37,462** (2025). Full-time workers living in Dorset earned a median of £37,462 in 2025 (ONS earnings survey). 140th lowest paid of 348. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025. Published 23 October 2025.
- **House price to pay: 8.8×** (2025). A home in Dorset costs 8.8 times local full-time pay. 97th least affordable of 348. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UK House Price Index and the ONS earnings survey. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Deprivation score: 16.3** (2025). Dorset has a deprivation score of 16.3 in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG). Joint 116th least deprived of 296. Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025, 2025. Published 30 October 2025.

## Sherborne Rural in brief

Sherborne Rural had 4,953 usual residents at the census.
About 70% of people in Sherborne Rural live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
In Sherborne Rural, 58.5% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.
In Sherborne Rural, 1.1% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026.

## About

- Type: Ward
- Code: E05012716
- Constituency: [West Dorset †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/west-dorset)
- Council: [Dorset](https://openindex.co.uk/dorset)
- Region: [South West](https://openindex.co.uk/south-west)
- Nation: [England](https://openindex.co.uk/england)
- Area: 109 km²
- People, mid-2024: 5,083*
- Neighbourhoods: 2
- Output areas: 18

* People: worked out by Open Index from neighbourhood estimates, shared out by where people lived at the census (by area in Northern Ireland). This area's edges do not follow neighbourhood edges, so the figure is close but not exact.
† Best fit: the constituency this ward mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow it.

## Next door

[Yetminster](https://openindex.co.uk/dorset/ward/yetminster), [Blackmoor Vale](https://openindex.co.uk/somerset/ward/blackmoor-vale), [Castle Cary](https://openindex.co.uk/somerset/ward/castle-cary), [Stalbridge & Marnhull](https://openindex.co.uk/dorset/ward/stalbridge-and-marnhull), [Blackmore Vale](https://openindex.co.uk/dorset/ward/blackmore-vale), [Sherborne West](https://openindex.co.uk/dorset/ward/sherborne-west)

## Latest updates for Sherborne Rural

- August 2026 house prices published: HM Land Registry and partners · Oct 2026.
- September 2026 rent published: ONS private rents · Oct 2026.
- Dental practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026.

The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/E05012716

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/dorset/ward/sherborne-rural, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/dorset/ward/sherborne-rural#f-population.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.10. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/dorset/ward/sherborne-rural