West Devon: local statistics
West Devon is a district council area in the South West, home to an estimated 58,980 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 West Devon, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
Median weekly pay for full-time employees who live in West Devon was £662.40 in April 2025, or £38,638 over a year. That is 9.8% below the figure for the South West and the 2nd lowest in the South West. Jobs based in West Devon paid a median £650.00 a week, £12.40 less than the figure for people who live there. In 2015 the residents' median was £475.70, so it has risen 39% before inflation. The ONS advises using the residents' estimate with caution because it comes from a small sample.
Average Band D council tax in West Devon is £2,705.33 for 2026-27, up £131.04 on 2025-26. It is the 3rd highest in the South West. Ten years earlier, in 2016-17, it was £1,736.13.
Life expectancy at birth in West Devon is 85.3 years for women and 80.7 years for men (2022 to 2024), compared with 83.3 and 79.5 years across England. Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +0.3 years for women and +1.1 for men. It is the 3rd highest for women of the 26 council areas in the South West.
The ONS counted 3,575 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses in West Devon in March 2026, 3% more than in 2016. That is 61 for every 1,000 residents, the 4th highest of 27 in the South West.
In August 2026, 710 people in West Devon were on the claimant count, 2.2% of residents aged 16 to 64 (the South West: 2.7%). That compares with 2.0% a year before. The five-year high was 2.9% (August 2021); the low was 1.7% (October 2023).
The average house price in West Devon was £285,834 in July 2026, down 0.6% on a year before. It ranks as close to the middle of the 26 council areas in the South West (16th highest) (regional average £302,298). Since July 2016 prices have risen 30%; the July high in the series was £298,787 in 2022. The average price is 7.4 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in West Devon. That ratio is 21st of 26 in the South West, counting from the highest ratio.
The ONS estimates that 58,980 people lived in West Devon in mid-2025, up 0.2% on a year earlier. Over ten years, since mid-2015, it has grown by 8.0%, against +8.0% for the South West as a whole, mid-table in the South West, 12th of 27. The mid-2025 estimate is the highest in the series.
An estimated 78.6% of people aged 16 to 64 living in West Devon were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey, with a margin of error of 7.9 points either way; the figure for the South West was 79.0%. Its lowest reading in the series was 65.0% and its highest 81.9%.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 54,623 |
| 2016 | 54,947 |
| 2017 | 55,557 |
| 2018 | 55,647 |
| 2019 | 55,865 |
| 2020 | 56,236 |
| 2021 | 57,480 |
| 2022 | 58,152 |
| 2023 | 58,889 |
| 2024 | 58,849 |
| 2025 | 58,980 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £220,702 |
| July 2017 | £227,660 |
| July 2018 | £227,094 |
| July 2019 | £244,128 |
| July 2020 | £235,946 |
| July 2021 | £262,025 |
| July 2022 | £298,787 |
| July 2023 | £286,385 |
| July 2024 | £280,269 |
| July 2025 | £287,457 |
| July 2026 | £285,834 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £475.70 a week |
| 2016 | £482.40 a week |
| 2017 | £497.60 a week |
| 2018 | £497.20 a week |
| 2019 | £506.70 a week |
| 2020 | £487.60 a week |
| 2021 | £535.20 a week |
| 2022 | £587.60 a week |
| 2023 | £603.70 a week |
| 2024 | £717.90 a week |
| 2025 | £662.40 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,736.13 |
| 2017-18 | £1,808.61 |
| 2018-19 | £1,896.23 |
| 2019-20 | £1,986.74 |
| 2020-21 | £2,066.87 |
| 2021-22 | £2,166.58 |
| 2022-23 | £2,230.64 |
| 2023-24 | £2,346.79 |
| 2024-25 | £2,457.05 |
| 2025-26 | £2,574.29 |
| 2026-27 | £2,705.33 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 78.4% |
| 2016/17 | 81.9% |
| 2017/18 | 78.4% |
| 2018/19 | 73.1% |
| 2019/20 | 69.5% |
| 2020/21 | 78.5% |
| 2021/22 | 72.8% |
| 2022/23 | 78.6% |
| 2023/24 | 77.0% |
| 2024/25 | 65.0% |
| 2025/26 | 78.6% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 85.0 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 84.6 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 83.9 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 83.8 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 83.2 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 83.9 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 83.9 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 84.5 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 84.7 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 84.8 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 85.3 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 3,470 |
| 2017 | 3,525 |
| 2018 | 3,540 |
| 2019 | 3,535 |
| 2020 | 3,540 |
| 2021 | 3,475 |
| 2022 | 3,560 |
| 2023 | 3,550 |
| 2024 | 3,525 |
| 2025 | 3,530 |
| 2026 | 3,575 |
Questions about West Devon
What is the average salary in West Devon?
Median pay for full-time employees living in West Devon was £662.40 a week in April 2025 (£38,638 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
How much is Band D council tax in West Devon?
£2,705.33 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
What is life expectancy in West Devon?
85.3 years for women and 80.7 for men (2022 to 2024, ONS).
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in West Devon?
The ONS claimant count was 710 in August 2026, 2.2% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
What is the average house price in West Devon?
£285,834 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (-0.6% on a year).
What is the population of West Devon?
58,980 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
Who has power over West Devon
Every body that makes decisions for West Devon, 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
- West Devon council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- West Devon 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
- 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
- Central Devon: Sir Mel Stride (Conservative) MP
- South West Devon: Rebecca Smith (Conservative) MP
- Torridge and Tavistock: Sir Geoffrey Cox (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 weekly earnings growth · Life expectancy at birth (UK) · UK unemployment rate
- Other council areas in the South West: Cotswold · Forest of Dean · Mid Devon · North Devon · South Hams · Torridge
Related questions
- What is the average salary in my area?
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- How healthy is my area?
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- Which council am I in?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.