Is Axminster, Devon a nice place to live?

Is Axminster a nice place to live or is Axminster a bit rough? For us there are a number of factors that make any town a nice place to live, like a low crime rate, low levels of deprivation, the good health of the residents, rent affordability and excellent wages. In this article we will see if Axminster meets our criteria.

How likely are you to a victim of crime in Axminster?

The English Indices of Deprivation has a crime element for Axminster. They are a measure of how likely you are to be a victim of personal or material crime in an area, such as muggings or burglary. Naturally rural areas have less crime than urban areas, but for this part of our town assessment we've looked at the 10 wards nearest to the centre of Axminster. To pass this section, 8 out of 10 of these wards need to be above the English national average rank of 16422.5

#WardCrime Rank
1Newbridges31315
2Dunkeswell & Otterhead31006
3Trinity30700
4Yarty28351
5Marshwood Vale27606
6Seaton27568
7Lyme & Charmouth26109
8Blackdown & Tatworth25153
9Axminster21117
10Chard Jocelyn16198
crime
PASSED

Reader Opinion:

Workington is the armpit of Cumbria

Is Axminster a healthy place to live?

If you are thinking of moving to Axminster, you want to know if the place is likely to put you on a downward spiral of ill health. For this section of the town assessment, we've examined government health statistics from the 2021 Census General Health question and the Indices of Multiple Deprivation's health element.The table below shows what percentage of Axminster residents answered saying their health was either bad or very bad. To pass this section, the local authority has to have a percentage score less than or equal to 7%.

Local Authority%
Mid Devon4.77
East Devon (Axminster)4.85
Dorset5.1
Somerset West and Taunton5.2

The English Indices of Deprivation also has health statistics for Axminster. They measures the risk of premature death and the impairment of quality of life through poor physical or mental health, lovely! We've collated an average LSOA rank for 10 wards nearest to the centre of Axminster. To pass this section, 8 out of 10 of these wards need to be above the English national average rank of 16422.5.

#WardHealth Rank
1Trinity (Best)31774
2Dunkeswell & Otterhead28357
3Yarty26872
4Blackdown & Tatworth24504
5Lyme & Charmouth24500
6Newbridges23680
7Marshwood Vale20797
8Axminster20633
9Seaton20532
10Chard Jocelyn (Worst)12156
health
PASSED
Reader Opinion:

Looe: Tourists are the only thing going for this town

Is Axminster rough?

Using the English Indices of Deprivation statistics, we've collated the average rank for 10 wards in and around Axminster. In layman's terms, this is how rough the ward is based on mutiple measures of deprivation including; employment, income, health, crime, housing and outside space. To pass this section as the town assessment, 8 out of 10 wards must have a ranking higher than the English average of 16422.5

#WardDeprivation Rank
1Trinity24023
2Lyme & Charmouth23254
3Seaton21767
4Blackdown & Tatworth19001
5Yarty18102
6Newbridges18044
7Axminster17592
8Dunkeswell & Otterhead16959
9Marshwood Vale15756
10Chard Jocelyn14799
Deprivation
PASSED



How affordable are the rents in Axminster?

Every six months the Office for National statitics publishes a snapshot of rental costs. These market rental statistics are dated September 2023. We have used the median rental figure for this assessment as we believe this is a more realistic figure than the average (mean) that can be skewed by artificially low and high rents. To pass this section, Axminster rents for each size property have to be less than 5% more than the median rent for Devon.

BedsEast DevonDevon
1£560£550
2£725£680
3£875£850
4£1195£1300
Affordable Rents
FAILED



How much can I earn in Axminster per week?

If you are thinking of moving to Axminster, you'll want to know how much you can earn in a job in the town. Every year the government publishes statistics on gross weekly pay, these figures are for September 2023. To pass this section Axminster's local authority needs to be in first or second place compared to the three nearest local authorities.

#Local AuthorityMedian Pw
1East Devon (Axminster)£682.40
2Dorset UA£668.40
3Mid Devon£636.90
Wages
PASSED



So, is Axminster a nice place to live?

Axminster has passed our core town assesment with a score of 4/5.  However, the rents in Axminster are more expensive than other parts of Devon.

Is Axminster a nice place to live?
YES
* Probably.