Cranborne & Alderholt
vs Verwood
Verwood has the younger population: 14% of residents are aged 15–29, against 13% in Cranborne & Alderholt. Homes in Cranborne & Alderholt sold for a median of £419,500, 6% above Verwood. Cranborne & Alderholt has more green space nearby (38% within 500 m, against 21%).
People
Cranborne & Alderholt has 5,316 residents in 2,180 households; Verwood has 13,706 in 5,810. Verwood has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 28%, 2.5 percentage points more than Cranborne & Alderholt (Dorset: 30%). Verwood has the higher share of people living alone: 24%, 2.6 percentage points more than Cranborne & Alderholt (Dorset: 31%).
Homes and prices
In both, detached houses are the most common type of home: 55% of homes in Cranborne & Alderholt and 67% in Verwood. Verwood has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 83%, 9 percentage points more than Cranborne & Alderholt (Dorset: 70%). Cranborne & Alderholt has the higher share of private renting: 18%, 7.2 percentage points more than Verwood (Dorset: 16%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £419,500 in Cranborne & Alderholt and £395,000 in Verwood, against £345,000 across Dorset.
Surroundings
Cranborne & Alderholt has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 38%, 16.9 percentage points more than Verwood (Dorset: 26%). A typical postcode has 6 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Cranborne & Alderholt, and 24 in Verwood. The typical postcode is 709 m from the nearest school in Cranborne & Alderholt and 679 m in Verwood. The typical postcode is 6,877 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Cranborne & Alderholt and 2,934 m in Verwood. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 73% of premises in Cranborne & Alderholt and 88% in Verwood.
Safety
Over 12 months, police recorded 34 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Cranborne & Alderholt and 28 in Verwood, 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.
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.
Cranborne & Alderholt is one of 52 wards in Dorset, home to 5,316 people in 2,180 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £419,500 over the past two years, 22% above the Dorset median. On average 38% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 44% above the Dorset average.
Verwood is one of 52 wards in Dorset, home to 13,706 people in 5,810 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £395,000 over the past two years, 14% above the Dorset median. On average 21% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 20% below the Dorset average.
More comparisons.
Cranborne & Alderholt and Verwood next to other wards of Dorset.