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Dorset Counts / Portland

Portland · Dorset

Portland: your neighbourhood

Portland electoral ward · May 2026 boundaries. Every figure carries its own date.

What stands out here?

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent: 24% here, compared with 31.5% across Dorset (7.5 percentage points lower).

Qualifications show local skills, not whether people have secure jobs or use those skills at work.

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

People aged 65 or over: 22.6% here, compared with 29.6% across Dorset (7 percentage points lower).

Age helps locate demand for accessible homes, transport and support. Being older does not itself mean someone needs care.

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

Homes rented privately: 21% here, compared with 16% across Dorset (4.8 percentage points higher).

A larger private-rented sector changes the mix of housing advice, enforcement and tenant support needed. It does not tell us whether individual homes are affordable or safe.

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

The ward in numbers

People aged 65 or over

22.6%

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

3,059 out of 13,558.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

6.5%

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised

883 out of 13,559.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

13,558

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

13,558 out of 13,558.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

24%

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

2,732 out of 11,386.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

56.6%

21 March 2021 · Portland

The census checks education, employment, health and housing. This is not a measure of income or poverty.

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

3,240 out of 5,722.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

19.2%

21 March 2021 · Portland

The census checks education, employment, health and housing. This is not a measure of income or poverty.

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

1,098 out of 5,722.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ outside the labour market

45.7%

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

5,216 out of 11,403.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ in work

51.3%

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

5,851 out of 11,403.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ not working because of long-term illness or disability

4.6%

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

524 out of 11,403.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

17.2%

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

1,954 out of 11,386.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

21%

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

1,207 out of 5,722.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ retired

25.9%

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

2,952 out of 11,403.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

13%

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

734 out of 5,722.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ unemployed

2.9%

21 March 2021 · Portland

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly. Unemployed residents as a share of all residents aged 16+; this is not the unemployment rate among economically active people.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

336 out of 11,403.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

Police-recorded locations for Portland ward. Locations are approximate; these are not all crimes or a measure of personal risk.

718 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 790 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

Portland ward · mapped crimes

Reviewed figures: September 2024 to August 2026. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: 65 mapped crimes in September 2024; 61 mapped crimes in August 2026. These are recorded counts; check the coverage notes before comparing periods.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Monthly crime and anti-social behaviour
Recorded locations by month · Portland
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 20246514
October 20248531
November 20246013
December 20245211
January 20255324
February 20255623
March 202510024
April 20257635
May 20256824
June 20256011
July 20256924
August 2025468
September 20254614
October 20255820
November 2025639
December 20257717
January 20266020
February 20265215
March 20266520
April 20266315
May 20265019
June 20265710
July 20266614
August 20266121
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Portland
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime444
criminal damage arson70
other theft56
public order44
other crime35
shoplifting24
drugs15
burglary9
vehicle crime9
possession of weapons7
robbery3
theft from the person2
What these numbers include

Approximate published locations, not every crime or personal risk.

Anti-social behaviour is separate. Transport police and unusable locations excluded.

An empty ward count means no mapped rows in the complete required force files; it does not prove that no crime occurred.

These are retrieved mapped records, not a guarantee of complete crime reporting. Approximate locations and unmapped incidents limit comparisons.

Missing ward-months invalidate totals and changes. Busy centres attract visitors, so residential population is not a measure of the number of people exposed.

Police data and method →

What could improve local safety →

Projects and proposed responses

A nearby project is not proof of a benefit to the whole ward. Only source-supported ward links are attached here.

No project boundary has been verified against this ward. See projects and their stated locations →

Proposed responses across Dorset →