Living in Forest of Dean
Police recorded 50 crimes per 1,000 residents in Forest of Dean in the year to April 2026, well below the average of 82 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Homes sell for a median of about £3,168 per m², below the typical council in England and Wales (£3,342). 13.0% of households rent from the council or a housing association, below the UK average of 17.5%. About 2.0% of homes are in areas where road or rail noise reaches 65 dB, against 6.9% across Great Britain. 16% of homes are within a five-minute walk of a public park (Great Britain: 56%).
Forest of Dean at a glance
| Measure | Forest of Dean | Comparison | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social housing (share of households) | 13.0% | UK 17.5% | 253rd highest of 374 |
| Recorded crime per 1,000 residents | 50 | E, W & NI 82 | 280th highest of 327 |
| Anti-social behaviour per 1,000 residents | 15 | E, W & NI 16 | |
| Homes in areas with 65 dB+ road or rail noise | 2.0% | GB 6.9% | 7th quietest of 363 |
| Homes within 400 m of a public park | 16% | GB 56% | 358th of 363 |
| Homes within 400 m of a play space | 50% | GB 60% | |
| Median house price per m² | £3,168 | E&W council median £3,342 | 175th highest of 314 |
| Schools rated Good or Outstanding | 82% | E&W 87% | |
| Median broadband speed available | 1,000 Mbit/s | Council median 1,000 Mbit/s |
How much crime is there in Forest of Dean?
From May 2025 to April 2026, police recorded 4,347 crimes in Forest of Dean — 50 per 1,000 residents, well below the average of 82 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the 280th highest of 327 councils. That is 2% more than in the previous 12 months. The most common offences were violence and sexual offences (53%), criminal damage and arson (11%) and public order (8%). Police also logged 1,311 incidents of anti-social behaviour (15 per 1,000 residents).
Rates are per resident, so council areas with busy city centres, shopping or nightlife districts show higher rates than residents alone would suggest. The local force published 9 of the 12 months, so the figures here are scaled up to a full year. See where crime is recorded on the map →
How much social housing is there in Forest of Dean?
Forest of Dean ranks 253rd of 374 UK local authorities by social-housing share. Of its 37,213 households, 4,839 are social homes (13.0%) — renting from the council or a housing association, according to the 2021–22 Census.
How does Forest of Dean compare with the UK average?
At -4.5 percentage points versus the UK average of 17.5%, Forest of Dean sits below the national level.
How noisy is Forest of Dean?
In Forest of Dean, about 2.0% of homes are in areas where modelled road or rail noise reaches 65 dB Lden or more — the level Defra and the WHO treat as high. The Great Britain average is 6.9%, and Forest of Dean is the 7th quietest of 363 councils mapped.
Estimated from the official strategic noise maps: the share of each census area at 65 dB or more, weighted by its households. See noisy roads and railways on the map →
How close are parks in Forest of Dean?
16% of homes in Forest of Dean are within 400 m — about a five-minute walk — of a public park or garden, and 50% are that close to a children's play space. Across Great Britain the figures are 56% and 60%, which puts Forest of Dean 358th of 363 councils for access to a park.
Straight-line distance from the centre of each census area to the edge of the nearest site in OS Open Greenspace, weighted by households. See parks and play spaces on the map →
Schools, prices and more in Forest of Dean
What the map's other datasets say about Forest of Dean.
Schools
On the Department for Education's register, Forest of Dean has 55 schools — 53 state-funded and 2 independent. That includes 45 primary and 6 secondary schools. Of the 28 with a published Ofsted grade, 82% are Good or Outstanding.
Nurseries
There are 44 nurseries and pre-schools on Ofsted's childcare register in Forest of Dean, offering about 1,848 registered childcare places. Childminders are not counted — Ofsted withholds their addresses.
Deprivation
The median neighbourhood in Forest of Dean sits in decile 5 of 10 on its nation's deprivation index, and 2% of its 50 neighbourhoods fall in the most-deprived national fifth.
House prices
The median neighbourhood price is about £3,168 per m², from Land Registry sold prices matched to EPC floor areas.
Broadband
Median available download speed is about 1,000 Mbit/s — what can be ordered, not what residents have bought (Ofcom Connected Nations).
Explore Forest of Dean on the map
Areas with a similar share of social housing
Sources: 2021–22 Census (social housing); data.police.uk, May 2025 to April 2026 (crime); strategic noise maps, Round 4 (noise); OS Open Greenspace (parks) · Page updated 27 September 2026 · Download the data (CSV, all 374 councils).