Forest of Dean: local statistics
Forest of Dean is a district council area in the South West, home to an estimated 90,157 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 Forest of Dean, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
In April 2025 the middle full-time earner living in Forest of Dean took home £832.60 a week before tax (£42,326 a year). It is the highest of the 26 council areas in the South West, and 13.4% more than across the South West. Jobs based in Forest of Dean paid a median £670.30 a week, £162.30 less than the figure for people who live there. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was £527.10: a change of +58% before inflation.
In March 2026, 4,195 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses were based in Forest of Dean, 1% more than in 2016. There are 47 per 1,000 residents, 18th of 27 in the South West, counting from the highest.
In the year to March 2026, 4,184 offences were recorded by police in Forest of Dean: 46.4 per 1,000 people, the 16th highest rate of the 19 council areas in the South West. A year earlier it was 48.2. In the year to March 2016 it was 26.3 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
In 2022 to 2024, women in Forest of Dean had a life expectancy at birth of 83.6 years; for men it was 79.7, compared with 83.3 and 79.5 years across England. Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by -0.3 years for women and -0.1 for men. It is the 21st highest for women of the 26 council areas in the South West.
An estimated 73.5% of people aged 16 to 64 living in Forest of Dean were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey (give or take 10.2 points), against 79.0% across the South West. Its lowest reading in the series was 71.8% and its highest 86.9%.
In mid-2025 the population of Forest of Dean was estimated at 90,157, a change of +0.3% in a year. That is 5,822 more people than in mid-2015, a rise of 6.9%; the South West grew by 8.0% over the same years, 20th of 27 in the South West, counting from the fastest growth. The mid-2025 estimate is the highest in the series.
For 2026-27 the average Band D council tax bill in Forest of Dean is £2,443.42, up £116.54 on 2025-26. That makes it the 18th highest of 27 in the South West. Ten years earlier, in 2016-17, it was £1,579.02.
2.6% of Forest of Dean residents aged 16 to 64 (1,375 people) were on the claimant count in August 2026 (the South West: 2.7%). The rate was the same a year earlier. Over the last five years it peaked at 3.3% in August 2021 and was lowest at 2.2% in July 2022.
Homes in Forest of Dean sold for an average of £286,888 in July 2026, down 1.7% on a year before. It ranks as mid-table in the South West, 15th of 26 (regional average £302,298). Since July 2016 prices have risen 46%; the July high in the series was £291,990 in 2025. Dividing the average price by the median annual pay of full-time employees living in Forest of Dean (£42,326) gives a ratio of 6.8. That ratio is the 23rd highest ratio of the 26 council areas in the South West.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 84,335 |
| 2016 | 85,135 |
| 2017 | 85,557 |
| 2018 | 86,133 |
| 2019 | 86,274 |
| 2020 | 86,454 |
| 2021 | 87,114 |
| 2022 | 87,923 |
| 2023 | 89,076 |
| 2024 | 89,848 |
| 2025 | 90,157 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £196,651 |
| July 2017 | £202,854 |
| July 2018 | £220,127 |
| July 2019 | £228,700 |
| July 2020 | £238,798 |
| July 2021 | £250,122 |
| July 2022 | £279,470 |
| July 2023 | £285,971 |
| July 2024 | £279,636 |
| July 2025 | £291,990 |
| July 2026 | £286,888 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £527.10 a week |
| 2016 | £560.90 a week |
| 2017 | £613.00 a week |
| 2018 | £524.90 a week |
| 2019 | £575.90 a week |
| 2020 | £548.00 a week |
| 2021 | £604.50 a week |
| 2022 | £733.00 a week |
| 2023 | £726.50 a week |
| 2024 | £712.70 a week |
| 2025 | £832.60 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,579.02 |
| 2017-18 | £1,635.76 |
| 2018-19 | £1,708.37 |
| 2019-20 | £1,803.52 |
| 2020-21 | £1,869.96 |
| 2021-22 | £1,955.01 |
| 2022-23 | £2,016.42 |
| 2023-24 | £2,116.43 |
| 2024-25 | £2,220.50 |
| 2025-26 | £2,326.88 |
| 2026-27 | £2,443.42 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 26.3 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 31.9 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 33.3 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 32.4 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 42.1 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 39.2 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 50.3 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 67.0 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 59.4 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 48.2 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 46.4 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 77.7% |
| 2016/17 | 73.9% |
| 2017/18 | 71.8% |
| 2018/19 | 86.9% |
| 2019/20 | 84.5% |
| 2020/21 | 73.9% |
| 2021/22 | 75.2% |
| 2022/23 | 75.8% |
| 2023/24 | 83.0% |
| 2024/25 | 82.0% |
| 2025/26 | 73.5% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 83.9 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 83.7 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 83.5 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 83.2 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 83.4 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 83.9 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 83.9 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 84.1 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 83.5 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 83.6 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 83.6 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 4,165 |
| 2017 | 4,240 |
| 2018 | 4,465 |
| 2019 | 4,520 |
| 2020 | 4,520 |
| 2021 | 4,450 |
| 2022 | 4,240 |
| 2023 | 4,175 |
| 2024 | 4,140 |
| 2025 | 4,160 |
| 2026 | 4,195 |
Questions about Forest of Dean
What is the average salary in Forest of Dean?
Median pay for full-time employees living in Forest of Dean was £832.60 a week in April 2025 (£42,326 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is the crime rate in Forest of Dean?
Home Office figures show 4,184 offences in the year to March 2026, or 46.4 per 1,000 people, not counting fraud.
What is life expectancy in Forest of Dean?
83.6 years for women and 79.7 for men (2022 to 2024, ONS).
What is the population of Forest of Dean?
90,157 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
How much is Band D council tax in Forest of Dean?
£2,443.42 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Forest of Dean?
1,375 in August 2026 (2.6% of residents aged 16 to 64), on the ONS claimant count, which is not the unemployment rate.
What is the average house price in Forest of Dean?
£286,888 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (-1.7% on a year).
Who has power over Forest of Dean
Every body that makes decisions for Forest of Dean, 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
- Forest of Dean council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Forest of Dean in official figures this page
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
- Forest of Dean: Matt Bishop (Labour) 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: UK average weekly earnings growth · Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime · Life expectancy at birth (UK)
- Other council areas in the South West: Cotswold · Mid Devon · North Devon · South Hams · Tewkesbury · Torridge
Related questions
- What is the average salary in my area?
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- What is the population of my area?
- Which council am I in?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.