South Hams: local statistics
South Hams is a district council area in the South West, home to an estimated 93,171 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 9 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over South Hams, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
HM Land Registry puts the average price of a home in South Hams at £355,483 for July 2026, down 5.3% on a year before. It ranks as the 3rd highest of the 26 council areas in the South West; the average for the South West was £302,298. The July peak was £392,358 in 2023, and prices are 26% above July 2016. The average price is 9.2 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in South Hams. That ratio is the 3rd highest ratio of the 26 council areas in the South West.
In 2022 to 2024, women in South Hams had a life expectancy at birth of 85.6 years; for men it was 81.5 (England: 83.3 and 79.5). Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +0.4 years for women and +0.5 for men. It is the 2nd highest for women in the South West.
The Annual Population Survey estimates that 71.4% of South Hams residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, with a margin of error of 9.3 points either way, against 79.0% across the South West. Its lowest reading in the series was 71.1% and its highest 83.3%.
2.1% of South Hams residents aged 16 to 64 (1,100 people) were on the claimant count in August 2026; the rate for the South West was 2.7%. A year earlier the rate was 1.9%. Since August 2021 the rate has ranged between 1.6% (October 2023) and 2.9% (August 2021).
In mid-2025 the population of South Hams was estimated at 93,171, up 1.2% on mid-2024. Over ten years, since mid-2015, it has grown by 10.1% (the South West: +8.0%). That is the 6th fastest growth of the 27 council areas in the South West. The mid-2025 estimate is the highest in the series.
Average Band D council tax in South Hams is £2,615.22 for 2026-27, 5.0% more than in 2025-26. It is 7th of 27 in the South West, counting from the highest. In 2016-17 the figure was £1,660.73, so it has risen 57%.
Full-time employees living in South Hams earned a median £751.20 a week in April 2025, or £38,638 over a year. That is 2.3% above the figure for the South West and mid-table in the South West, 11th of 26. For full-time jobs located in South Hams the median is £643.00 a week (−£108.20 on the residents' figure). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was £498.90: a change of +51% before inflation.
In March 2026, 6,020 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses were based in South Hams, 6% more than in 2016. There are 65 per 1,000 residents, the 3rd highest of the 27 council areas in the South West.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 84,616 |
| 2016 | 84,554 |
| 2017 | 85,183 |
| 2018 | 85,874 |
| 2019 | 86,458 |
| 2020 | 87,371 |
| 2021 | 89,161 |
| 2022 | 89,758 |
| 2023 | 90,954 |
| 2024 | 92,054 |
| 2025 | 93,171 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £281,629 |
| July 2017 | £285,210 |
| July 2018 | £292,831 |
| July 2019 | £300,721 |
| July 2020 | £298,522 |
| July 2021 | £342,215 |
| July 2022 | £391,758 |
| July 2023 | £392,358 |
| July 2024 | £382,189 |
| July 2025 | £375,420 |
| July 2026 | £355,483 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £498.90 a week |
| 2016 | £529.10 a week |
| 2017 | £530.20 a week |
| 2018 | £538.80 a week |
| 2019 | £537.80 a week |
| 2020 | £576.40 a week |
| 2021 | £582.40 a week |
| 2022 | £612.10 a week |
| 2023 | £660.80 a week |
| 2024 | £729.20 a week |
| 2025 | £751.20 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,660.73 |
| 2017-18 | £1,737.25 |
| 2018-19 | £1,821.93 |
| 2019-20 | £1,913.04 |
| 2020-21 | £1,990.82 |
| 2021-22 | £2,090.55 |
| 2022-23 | £2,155.30 |
| 2023-24 | £2,261.19 |
| 2024-25 | £2,372.19 |
| 2025-26 | £2,491.75 |
| 2026-27 | £2,615.22 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 73.0% |
| 2016/17 | 78.6% |
| 2017/18 | 80.5% |
| 2018/19 | 80.0% |
| 2019/20 | 79.9% |
| 2020/21 | 74.6% |
| 2021/22 | 80.9% |
| 2022/23 | 71.1% |
| 2023/24 | 83.3% |
| 2024/25 | 77.9% |
| 2025/26 | 71.4% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 85.2 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 85.2 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 84.8 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 84.8 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 85.0 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 85.3 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 85.6 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 85.7 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 85.9 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 85.9 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 85.6 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 5,695 |
| 2017 | 5,760 |
| 2018 | 5,815 |
| 2019 | 5,825 |
| 2020 | 5,810 |
| 2021 | 5,765 |
| 2022 | 5,920 |
| 2023 | 5,950 |
| 2024 | 5,970 |
| 2025 | 5,965 |
| 2026 | 6,020 |
Questions about South Hams
What is the average house price in South Hams?
HM Land Registry's figure for July 2026 is £355,483.
What is life expectancy in South Hams?
For 2022 to 2024 the ONS gives 81.5 years for men and 85.6 for women.
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in South Hams?
The ONS claimant count was 1,100 in August 2026, 2.1% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
What is the population of South Hams?
The ONS estimates 93,171 people lived in South Hams in mid-2025.
How much is Band D council tax in South Hams?
£2,615.22 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
What is the average salary in South Hams?
Median pay for full-time employees living in South Hams was £751.20 a week in April 2025 (£38,638 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
Who has power over South Hams
Every body that makes decisions for South Hams, 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
- South Hams council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- South Hams 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
- University Hospitals Plymouth NHS 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
- South Devon: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat) MP
- South West Devon: Rebecca Smith (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.
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 house price · Life expectancy at birth (UK) · UK employment rate
- Other council areas in the South West: Cotswold · Forest of Dean · Mid Devon · North Devon · Tewkesbury · Torridge
Related questions
- What is the average house price in my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- What is the population of my area?
- How do I check my council tax band?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.