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Blackmore Vale
vs Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants

Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants has the younger population: 18% of residents are aged 15–29, against 13% in Blackmore Vale. Homes in Blackmore Vale sold for a median of £420,000, 5% above Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants. Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants has more green space nearby (37% within 500 m, against 31%).

Map of Dorset with Blackmore Vale highlighted
180 postcodes
Map of Dorset with Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants highlighted
182 postcodes
Map of Dorset
city average

People

Blackmore Vale has 4,496 residents in 1,972 households; Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants has 4,976 in 1,917. Blackmore Vale has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 30%, 1.7 percentage points more than Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants (Dorset: 30%). Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants has the higher share of people living alone: 25%, 1.3 percentage points more than Blackmore Vale (Dorset: 31%).

4,496Residents (2021)
4,976Residents (2021)
379,579Residents (2021)
1,972Households
1,917Households
169,261Households
12.9%Aged 15–29
18.1%Aged 15–29
13.5%Aged 15–29
30.1%Aged 65 and over
28.4%Aged 65 and over
29.6%Aged 65 and over
23.8%Living alone
25.1%Living alone
30.6%Living alone

Homes and prices

In both, detached houses are the most common type of home: 54% of homes in Blackmore Vale and 53% in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants. Blackmore Vale has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 74%, 1.5 percentage points more than Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants (Dorset: 70%). Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants has the higher share of private renting: 16%, 4 percentage points more than Blackmore Vale (Dorset: 16%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £420,000 in Blackmore Vale and £400,000 in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants, against £345,000 across Dorset.

£420,000Median sale price
£400,000Median sale price
£345,000Median sale price
73.9%Owner-occupied
72.4%Owner-occupied
70.4%Owner-occupied
11.9%Private renting
15.9%Private renting
16.3%Private renting
13.3%Social renting
11.2%Social renting
12.3%Social renting
54.1%Detached houses
53.1%Detached houses
40.6%Detached houses
32.6%Semi-detached houses
28.3%Semi-detached houses
23.4%Semi-detached houses
9.1%Terraced houses
14.2%Terraced houses
19.3%Terraced houses
1.3%Flats
1.9%Flats
11.6%Flats

Surroundings

Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 37%, 6 percentage points more than Blackmore Vale (Dorset: 26%). A typical postcode has 9 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Blackmore Vale, and 10 in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants. The typical postcode is 2,024 m from the nearest school in Blackmore Vale and 961 m in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants. The typical postcode is 13,716 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Blackmore Vale and 17,369 m in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 92% of premises in Blackmore Vale and 89% in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants.

31.4%Green space within 500 m
37.4%Green space within 500 m
26.4%Green space within 500 m
9Services within 15 min (median)
10Services within 15 min (median)
23Services within 15 min (median)
2.0 kmNearest school (median)
961 mNearest school (median)
–Nearest school (median)
13.7 kmNearest tram or rail (median)
17.4 kmNearest tram or rail (median)
–Nearest tram or rail (median)
9Postcodes in flood risk areas
30Postcodes in flood risk areas
1,586Postcodes in flood risk areas
91.6%Gigabit broadband (premises)
89.0%Gigabit broadband (premises)
72.3%Gigabit broadband (premises)

Safety

Over 12 months, police recorded 27 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Blackmore Vale and 34 in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants, against 56 across Dorset. Police.uk records crimes by approximate location, not by where victims or offenders live. Busy streets, shops, stations and nightlife record more. Figures are counts, not a measure of personal risk.

27Recorded crime per 1,000 residents
34Recorded crime per 1,000 residents
56Recorded crime per 1,000 residents

Sources: Census 2021 (ONS) · HM Land Registry Price Paid Data · official school registers · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Environment Agency · data.police.uk, 12 months to Aug 2026 · Ofcom Connected Nations

In brief.

Each ward in a few lines, from its own page.

Blackmore Vale

Blackmore Vale is one of 52 wards in Dorset, home to 4,496 people in 1,972 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £420,000 over the past two years, 22% above the Dorset median. On average 31% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 19% above the Dorset average.

Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants

Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants is one of 52 wards in Dorset, home to 4,976 people in 1,917 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £400,000 over the past two years, 16% above the Dorset median. On average 37% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 42% above the Dorset average.

More comparisons.

Blackmore Vale and Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants next to other wards of Dorset.