List of settlements in Devon by population

This list is of towns and cities in Devon in order of their population, according to the 2011 census data from the Office for National Statistics. It comprises the Key Statistics for local authorities, civil parishes and wards that attempt to show their populations. The largest settlement in Devon is the city and unitary authority of Plymouth with a population of 256,720, whereas the smallest settlement was the town and civil parish of Beer with a population of 1,317. The city of Exeter, which is home to Exeter Cathedral, is the county town and headquarters of Devon County Council. The ceremonial county of Devon includes unitary authority areas of Plymouth and Torbay, but the non-metropolitan county of Devon excludes such unitary authority areas. It is governed by Devon County Council, whereas Plymouth and Torbay can govern themselves on matters such as transport and education.

Interactive map showing the location of the towns and cities within Devon. The size of the circle corresponds to the size of its 2011 population and the shade of blue or red to its population growth or decline respectively.

Traditionally a town is any settlement which has received a charter of incorporation, more commonly known as a town charter, approved by the monarch. However, since 1974, any civil parish has the right to declare itself as a town. Prior to 1888, city status was given to settlements home to a cathedral of the Church of England such as Exeter. After 1888 it was no longer a necessary condition, leading to Plymouth gaining city-status in 1928. Historical towns such as Plympton, Stonehouse and Devonport, which were merged into the city of Plymouth, have not been included, as well as Topsham, which became a part of Exeter's urban district, and St Marychurch, which was annexed by Torquay. However, the unitary authority area of Torbay recognises the three towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. The ward for Ottery St Mary is also included, as it is titled Ottery St Mary Town.

Changes to population structures have, however, led to explosions in non-traditional settlements that do not fall into traditional, bureaucratic definitions of 'towns'. Several villages, which are not included in this list, have grown steadily and are more populous than many towns. For example, the ward of Fremington, with a population of 4,310.^[1] would be ranked 34 whilst its neighbour Braunton civil parish, with a population of 8,128,^[2] would be ranked 21.

2011 rank	Town/city	Population		Increase since 2001	Notes	Image
		2011[3]	2001[4]
1	Plymouth	256,384	240,720	6.1%	City and unitary authority, which includes the suburbs of Plympton and Plymstock. Plympton used to be a separate town and Plymstock is a parish.
2	Exeter	117,773	111,076	5.7%	City, urban district and the county town (capital) of Devon
3	Torquay	65,245[5]	63,998[6]	1.9%	Part of the unitary authority of Torbay
4	Paignton	49,021[5]	48,251[6]	1.6%	Part of the unitary authority of Torbay
5	Exmouth	34,432	32,972	4.2%	Civil parish
6	Barnstaple	24,033	20,724	13.8%	Civil parish
7	Newton Abbot	24,029	23,580	1.9%	Civil parish
8	Tiverton	21,335	18,621	12.7%	Civil parish
9	Brixham	16,693[5]	17,457[6]	-4.6%	Civil parish; part of the unitary authority of Torbay.[7]
10	Bideford	16,610	14,407	13.3%	Civil parish
11	Teignmouth	14,749	14,413	2.3%	Civil parish
12	Sidmouth	13,737	13,135	4.4%	Civil parish
13	Dawlish	13,161	13,135	0.2%	Civil parish
14	Tavistock	12,280	11,604	5.5%	Civil parish
15	Northam	12,062	11,018	8.7%	Civil parish
16	Ivybridge	11,851	12,056	-1.7%	Civil parish
17	Ilfracombe	11,509	10,840	5.8%	Civil parish
18	Honiton	11,156	10,857	2.7%	Civil parish
19	Kingsteignton	10,451	10,615	-1.6%	Civil parish
20	Cullompton	8,499	7,609	10.5%	Civil parish
21	Crediton	7,600	6,837	10.0%	Civil parish
22	Totnes	7,456	7,444	0.2%	Civil parish
23	Bovey Tracey	7,168	6,929	3.3%	Civil parish
24	Okehampton	7,104	5,846	17.7%	Civil parish
25	Seaton	7,096	6,798	4.2%	Civil parish
26	Axminster	6,557	5,626	14.2%	Civil parish
27	Kingsbridge	5,887	5,521	6.2%	Civil parish
28	Great Torrington	5,714	5,279	7.6%	Civil parish
29	Dartmouth	5,605	5,512	1.7%	Civil parish
30	Budleigh Salterton	5,185	4,801	7.4%	Civil parish
31	Ottery St. Mary	4,898	4,366	10.9%	Ward, which refers to Ottery St Mary as a "town".
32	South Molton	4,875	4,093	16.0%	Civil parish
33	Chudleigh	4,378	3,846	12.2%	Civil parish
34	Ashburton	4,087	3,909	4.4%	Civil parish
35	Buckfastleigh	3,631	3,661	-0.8%	Civil parish
36	Exminster	3,616	3,310	8.5%	Civil parish
37	Colyton	3,165	2,964	6.4%	Civil parish including Colyford
38	Holsworthy	2,641	2,256	14.6%	Civil parish
39	Bradninch	2,206	1,916	13.1%	Civil parish
40	Salcombe	1,909	1,893	0.8%	Civil parish
41	North Tawton	1,859	1,570	15.5%	Civil parish
42	Hatherleigh	1,729	1,306	24.5%	Civil parish
43	Hartland	1,724	1,676	2.8%	Civil parish
44	Moretonhampstead	1,703	1,536	9.8%	Civil parish
45	Chagford	1,449	1,470	-1.4%	Civil parish
46	Chulmleigh	1,323	1,308	1.1%	Civil parish
47	Beer	1,317	1,381	-4.9%	Civil parish

See also

• List of urban areas in the United Kingdom
• List of English districts by population
• Subdivisions of Scotland § Council areas
• List of Welsh principal areas
• List of districts in Northern Ireland (pre-2015)
• Travel to work area