St Leonards & St Ives
vs Verwood

Verwood has the younger population: 14% of residents are aged 15–29, against 10% in St Leonards & St Ives. Homes in St Leonards & St Ives sold for a median of £650,000, 65% above Verwood. St Leonards & St Ives has more green space nearby (40% within 500 m, against 21%).

St Leonards & St Ives

238 postcodes

Verwood

296 postcodes

Dorset

city average

People

St Leonards & St Ives has 7,906 residents in 3,476 households; Verwood has 13,706 in 5,810. St Leonards & St Ives has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 39%, 11.7 percentage points more than Verwood (Dorset: 30%). The share of people living alone is about the same in both (24% and 24%).

7,906Residents (2021)

13,706Residents (2021)

379,579Residents (2021)

3,476Households

5,810Households

169,261Households

10.0%Aged 15–29

13.9%Aged 15–29

13.5%Aged 15–29

39.3%Aged 65 and over

27.6%Aged 65 and over

29.6%Aged 65 and over

24.1%Living alone

23.9%Living alone

30.6%Living alone

Homes and prices

In both, detached houses are the most common type of home: 81% of homes in St Leonards & St Ives and 67% in Verwood. St Leonards & St Ives has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 88%, 5.6 percentage points more than Verwood (Dorset: 70%). Verwood has the higher share of private renting: 11%, 3.6 percentage points more than St Leonards & St Ives (Dorset: 16%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £650,000 in St Leonards & St Ives and £395,000 in Verwood, against £345,000 across Dorset.

£650,000Median sale price

£395,000Median sale price

£345,000Median sale price

88.1%Owner-occupied

82.5%Owner-occupied

70.4%Owner-occupied

7.2%Private renting

10.8%Private renting

16.3%Private renting

3.5%Social renting

6.2%Social renting

12.3%Social renting

81.2%Detached houses

67.3%Detached houses

40.6%Detached houses

5.2%Semi-detached houses

12.5%Semi-detached houses

23.4%Semi-detached houses

3.2%Terraced houses

10.8%Terraced houses

19.3%Terraced houses

2.5%Flats

7.5%Flats

11.6%Flats

Surroundings

St Leonards & St Ives has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 40%, 18.8 percentage points more than Verwood (Dorset: 26%). A typical postcode has 13 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in St Leonards & St Ives, and 24 in Verwood. The typical postcode is 1,311 m from the nearest school in St Leonards & St Ives and 679 m in Verwood. The typical postcode is 2,461 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in St Leonards & St Ives and 2,934 m in Verwood. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 30% of premises in St Leonards & St Ives and 88% in Verwood.

40.0%Green space within 500 m

21.2%Green space within 500 m

26.4%Green space within 500 m

13Services within 15 min (median)

24Services within 15 min (median)

23Services within 15 min (median)

1.3 kmNearest school (median)

679 mNearest school (median)

–Nearest school (median)

2.5 kmNearest tram or rail (median)

2.9 kmNearest tram or rail (median)

–Nearest tram or rail (median)

9Postcodes in flood risk areas

5Postcodes in flood risk areas

1,586Postcodes in flood risk areas

30.2%Gigabit broadband (premises)

87.7%Gigabit broadband (premises)

72.3%Gigabit broadband (premises)

Safety

Over 12 months, police recorded 40 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in St Leonards & St Ives 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.

40Recorded crime per 1,000 residents

28Recorded 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.

St Leonards & St Ives

St Leonards & St Ives is one of 52 wards in Dorset, home to 7,906 people in 3,476 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £650,000 over the past two years, 88% above the Dorset median. On average 40% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 52% above the Dorset average.

Verwood

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.

St Leonards & St Ives and Verwood next to other wards of Dorset.

St Leonards & St Ives vs West Moors & Three Legged Cross St Leonards & St Ives vs Ferndown South St Leonards & St Ives vs Ferndown North Verwood vs Cranborne & Alderholt Verwood vs West Moors & Three Legged Cross Verwood vs Ferndown North All wards of Dorset

St Leonards & St Ivesvs Verwood