When you’ve spent decades working and raising a family, the last thing you want in retirement is to worry about whether your home and neighbourhood are safe. Yet safety is one of the most overlooked factors when people plan where to live in later life. Most retirees focus on property prices, proximity to family, or access to healthcare. But crime rates vary hugely across England, and the gap between a high-crime urban borough and a quiet rural county can be massive.
ONS figures for the year ending March 2025 put total recorded crime across England and Wales at 6.6 million offences. But that national picture hides huge regional variation, with some force areas recording more than 120 crimes per 1,000 residents while others sit below 60. Here’s where the data points, and what it’ll mean if you’re thinking about a move.
The Counties With the Lowest Crime Rates
According to the same ONS data, the police force areas with the lowest crime rates in England include North Yorkshire, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, and Suffolk. Wiltshire consistently ranks first, recording 52.8 crimes per 1,000 people in the year ending December 2024, the lowest of any force in England and Wales.
Devon and Cornwall’s combined force area recorded around 66 crimes per 1,000 people in the 12 months to March 2025, still well below the England and Wales average. Cornwall is below even that force-wide figure. Cornwall sits below even that average. Dorset has performed even better recently. ONS figures released in July 2026 showed total crime in Dorset fell by 7.9% between April 2025 and March 2026, compared to a national decrease of just 1.4%.
Norfolk also sits comfortably below the national average, with 64.2 crimes per 1,000 people in 2023/24. North Norfolk has one of the lowest crime rates of any local authority in England, with months where some towns record no residential burglaries at all.
Where Retirees Have Already Moved
There’s a clear overlap between England’s safest counties and the places attracting the most retirees. Census data from 2021 found that North Norfolk had the oldest population in the country, with one in three residents aged 65 or over. Dorset isn’t far behind.
Coastal and rural areas tend to offer lower living costs, a slower pace, and strong community ties. They also tend to have lower crime. The Centre for Ageing Better has noted that the over-65 population is growing fastest in these kinds of areas, which suggests retirees are already choosing safety and quality of life over proximity to city centres.
Hampshire is a slightly different case. It’s not as rural as Norfolk or Cornwall, but towns like Bordon and Milford-on-Sea still have significantly lower crime than nearby urban centres like Southampton or Portsmouth. For retirees who want good transport links and hospitals without city living, parts of Hampshire strike a good balance.
What to Look for Beyond the Crime Figures
Raw crime statistics don’t tell you everything. A low-crime county can still have pockets of trouble around tourist hotspots during peak season. When you’re evaluating a potential retirement location, look at the specific type of crime reported locally. For retirees, residential burglary and antisocial behaviour tend to matter most. Devon and Cornwall had just 1.3 residential burglaries per 1,000 people in the year ending March 2025, the lowest of any police force in England and Wales.
Community structure matters too. Smaller, settled communities with a high proportion of owner-occupiers tend to experience less crime than transient areas with lots of short-term rentals. That’s one reason why park bungalow communities in counties like Dorset, Norfolk, and Cornwall appeal to downsizers. Regency Living operates developments across several of these low-crime counties, including sites in Christchurch, Bude, Thetford, and Milford-on-Sea. The communities tend to be close-knit, which adds another layer of reassurance.
Kent and Essex: Closer to London, Still Safe
Not everyone wants to retire to the far South West or East Anglia. Kent and Essex offer easier access to London with crime rates well below the capital’s average of around 106 per 1,000. Coastal towns like Herne Bay in Kent sit noticeably lower. If you want to stay within reach of family in London without city-level crime, these counties are a strong option.
Let the Data Guide Your Decision
England’s rural and coastal counties offer significantly lower crime than urban centres, and many of these areas already have thriving retirement communities. The over-65 population is projected to grow by 17% by 2045, with much of that growth in the counties covered here.
If safety and a quieter pace of life matter to you, Dorset, Cornwall, Norfolk, and Hampshire are well worth a visit. Talk to people who already live there, and you’ll get a much better picture than any statistic can give you.
