North Dorset is the second largest district in Dorset. 50% of the population live in the main towns including Blandford, Gillingham, Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton. The age structure for this district is not typical, with 16.2% aged between 15 and 29 years compared to the county’s average of 13.8%. This high proportion is due to the large number of communal establishments, 6% of the population live in prisons, boarding schools and armed forces bases. The large number of boarding schools and the presence of an armed forces base on the outskirts of Blandford have skewed the age structure in this region.