Exeter: local statistics
Exeter is a district council area in the South West, home to an estimated 137,894 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 10 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over Exeter, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
Police recorded 13,296 crimes in Exeter in the year to March 2026, 96.4 for every 1,000 residents, the 3rd highest rate in the South West. That compares with 95.9 per 1,000 the year before. In the year to March 2016 it was 65.8 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
Exeter had an estimated 137,894 residents in mid-2025, down 0.8% on a year earlier. Over ten years, since mid-2015, it has grown by 13.4%; the South West grew by 8.0% over the same years. That is the 4th fastest growth of 27 in the South West. The series peaked at 139,007 in mid-2024.
Full-time employees living in Exeter earned a median £677.60 a week in April 2025 (£34,514 a year). It is the 23rd highest of all 26 council areas in the South West, and 7.7% less than across the South West. Jobs based in Exeter paid a median £684.20 a week, £6.60 more than the figure for people who live there. In 2015 the residents' median was £473.90, so it has risen 43% before inflation.
Life expectancy at birth in Exeter is 83.1 years for women and 79.1 years for men (2022 to 2024), compared with 83.3 and 79.5 years across England. For women that is 1.1 years less than in 2012 to 2014; for men, 0.3 less. It is the 23rd highest for women of 26 in the South West.
The Annual Population Survey estimates that 74.8% of Exeter residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, with a margin of error of 6.4 points either way; the figure for the South West was 79.0%. Over the 11 years shown it ranged from 64.7% to 83.8%.
Homes in Exeter sold for an average of £282,696 in July 2026, down 1.7% on July 2025. That is 17th of 26 in the South West, counting from the highest (regional average £302,298). Since July 2016 prices have risen 29%; the July high in the series was £295,067 in 2023. The average price is 8.2 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in Exeter. That ratio is close to the middle of all 26 council areas in the South West (14th highest ratio).
The claimant count for Exeter stood at 2,150 in August 2026, or 2.2% of residents aged 16 to 64; the rate for the South West was 2.7%. The rate was the same a year earlier. Over the last five years it peaked at 3.0% in August 2021 and was lowest at 1.8% in September 2023.
5,960 businesses were registered for VAT or PAYE in Exeter in March 2026, 8% more than in 2016. There are 43 per 1,000 residents, the 22nd highest of 27 in the South West.
Average Band D council tax in Exeter is £2,495.36 for 2026-27, 4.9% more than in 2025-26. It is close to the middle of all 27 council areas in the South West (14th highest). In 2016-17 the figure was £1,600.49, so it has risen 56%.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 121,583 |
| 2016 | 123,347 |
| 2017 | 124,817 |
| 2018 | 125,758 |
| 2019 | 126,312 |
| 2020 | 127,345 |
| 2021 | 129,527 |
| 2022 | 134,662 |
| 2023 | 136,288 |
| 2024 | 139,007 |
| 2025 | 137,894 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £218,482 |
| July 2017 | £231,111 |
| July 2018 | £240,586 |
| July 2019 | £243,831 |
| July 2020 | £242,532 |
| July 2021 | £253,390 |
| July 2022 | £292,486 |
| July 2023 | £295,067 |
| July 2024 | £285,261 |
| July 2025 | £287,603 |
| July 2026 | £282,696 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £473.90 a week |
| 2016 | £525.40 a week |
| 2017 | £507.00 a week |
| 2018 | £526.50 a week |
| 2019 | £570.60 a week |
| 2020 | £557.00 a week |
| 2021 | £591.80 a week |
| 2022 | £629.40 a week |
| 2023 | £646.00 a week |
| 2024 | £697.80 a week |
| 2025 | £677.60 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,600.49 |
| 2017-18 | £1,670.82 |
| 2018-19 | £1,753.53 |
| 2019-20 | £1,838.14 |
| 2020-21 | £1,909.39 |
| 2021-22 | £2,002.89 |
| 2022-23 | £2,064.86 |
| 2023-24 | £2,167.61 |
| 2024-25 | £2,270.22 |
| 2025-26 | £2,379.90 |
| 2026-27 | £2,495.36 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 65.8 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 75.2 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 80.5 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 86.3 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 77.0 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 63.1 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 75.4 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 77.2 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 81.4 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 95.9 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 96.4 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 81.3% |
| 2016/17 | 64.7% |
| 2017/18 | 77.7% |
| 2018/19 | 72.1% |
| 2019/20 | 77.8% |
| 2020/21 | 78.1% |
| 2021/22 | 73.1% |
| 2022/23 | 72.8% |
| 2023/24 | 83.8% |
| 2024/25 | 73.6% |
| 2025/26 | 74.8% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 84.2 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 84.4 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 84.0 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 83.9 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 83.8 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 83.7 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 83.9 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 84.2 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 84.3 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 83.8 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 83.1 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 5,530 |
| 2017 | 5,635 |
| 2018 | 5,680 |
| 2019 | 5,680 |
| 2020 | 5,925 |
| 2021 | 5,950 |
| 2022 | 6,010 |
| 2023 | 5,965 |
| 2024 | 5,850 |
| 2025 | 5,910 |
| 2026 | 5,960 |
Questions about Exeter
What is the crime rate in Exeter?
Home Office figures show 13,296 offences in the year to March 2026, or 96.4 per 1,000 people, not counting fraud.
What is the population of Exeter?
The ONS estimates 137,894 people lived in Exeter in mid-2025.
What is the average salary in Exeter?
Median pay for full-time employees living in Exeter was £677.60 a week in April 2025 (£34,514 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is life expectancy in Exeter?
For 2022 to 2024 the ONS gives 79.1 years for men and 83.1 for women.
What is the average house price in Exeter?
£282,696 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (-1.7% on a year).
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Exeter?
2,150 in August 2026 (2.2% of residents aged 16 to 64), on the ONS claimant count, which is not the unemployment rate.
How much is Band D council tax in Exeter?
£2,495.36 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
Who has power over Exeter
Every body that makes decisions for Exeter, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- Exeter council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Exeter in official figures this page
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- Devon County Council county council
- Devon and Torbay Combined Authority combined authority
- Devon and Cornwall Police police force
- NHS Devon Integrated Care Board NHS
- Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust NHS
- South West in official figures
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Exeter: Steve Race (Labour) MP
- Exmouth and Exeter East: David Reed (Conservative) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
Each value above links to the official file or query it was read from, on 14 October 2026. What each figure measures.
- Recorded crime: Years before April 2020 come from the earlier Home Office table.
More on this area and these figures
- Council money: spending, reserves and debt
- Figures for the whole region: the South West
- UK figures: Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime · UK population · UK average weekly earnings growth
- Other council areas in the South West: Cheltenham · East Devon · Gloucester · Stroud · Teignbridge · Torbay
Related questions
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- What is the population of my area?
- What is the average salary in my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- How do I check my council tax band?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.