What it's like to live in Haverfordwest

Across the Pembrokeshire council area, 16.2% of homes are social rented, just under the England figure of 17.1%. Council housing makes up 10.3% and housing association homes 6%. Owner occupation is high at 67%, with 16.4% privately rented, so social housing is a smaller slice of a mostly owned market.

Pembrokeshire County Council is by far the largest social landlord with about 5,935 homes, followed by ATEB Group with 2,863. Wales & West Housing Association has 487 homes locally, with Caredig and Codi Group holding small numbers. If you are swapping, your landlord is most likely to be the council or ATEB.

The county skews older than England as a whole: 26.2% are 65 or over and 27.8% are aged 45 to 64, while only 20.6% are between 25 and 44. Under-16s make up 16.8%. Expect a settled, older mix of neighbours in many streets, with younger families more common close to the town's schools.

There is a good cluster of schools close to the centre. Haverfordwest VC Junior School is roughly a third of a mile away, with Fenton CP School and Prendergast Community Primary School both within half a mile. Mount Airey Infants School is a little further at around six tenths of a mile. For older children, Haverfordwest High VC School has its Prendergast Campus about four tenths of a mile from the centre.

That means many families can manage the school run on foot, which is a real saving if you do not have a car. Check catchment areas and places with Pembrokeshire County Council before you commit to a swap, as proximity does not guarantee a place.

For family life beyond school, Haverfordwest Library is in the heart of town and free to use. Rifleman Field gives children somewhere to run about, and the Palace Cinema is a short walk away. Community centres including The Riverside, Haverhub and Merlins Bridge Village Hall tend to host local groups and activities. Withybush Hospital being under a mile away is reassuring with young children.

Haverfordwest is unusually well set up for a town of its size. The bus station is right in the centre, about a tenth of a mile from the main shops, and acts as the hub for services across Pembrokeshire. If you do not drive, that matters: it is the point most local routes pass through.

Haverfordwest railway station is around a third of a mile from the centre, on the line running east towards Swansea and Cardiff and west towards the coast. Trains are useful for longer trips, though you will want to check times rather than turn up and hope.

For drivers, the town is the natural crossroads of the county, so most Pembrokeshire journeys start or pass through here. On foot, the centre is compact and walkable, with supermarkets, pharmacies, the library and the shopping centre all within half a mile. The hospital is under a mile. Be ready for hills, though: the older streets climb steeply from the river, which can be hard going with pushchairs or shopping.

The town centre keeps things close together. Riverside Quay Shopping Centre sits beside the water, the Palace Cinema is a few minutes' walk, and the library and Pembrokeshire Archives are both central if you like reading or digging into local history.

For eating and drinking, there is a decent spread within a short stroll. The Farmers Arms, Friars Vaults and The Three Crowns are all in or beside the centre, with The Foundry and Mambo Italiano nearby if you fancy something different. It is a town where you can walk home afterwards, which is no small thing.

Green space is more limited in the centre itself. Rifleman Field is the closest open space at about half a mile, and Haverfordwest Racecourse sits just over a mile out. Haverfordwest Bowls Club House adds another option for those who want something organised. The town's real draw, though, is its position in Pembrokeshire, with the wider county's countryside and coast within easy reach by car or bus.

Figures here are for the wider Pembrokeshire council area rather than Haverfordwest alone. Around 51.5% of adults are in work, below the England figure of 57.4%. A big part of that gap comes from the age profile: 26.2% of people in the county are 65 or over, well above the England share, so many are retired rather than seeking work.

Unemployment sits at 2.7%, lower than the 3.5% recorded for England, and unemployment-related benefit claims were 3.4% of working-age people in September 2026, again below the England figure of 4%. So fewer people are out of work and looking, even though overall employment is lower.

As the county town, Haverfordwest holds a concentration of services: Withybush Hospital, the council's base, the archives and the main shopping centre all sit here. That tends to mean public sector, health and retail work. Wages and job variety are narrower than in a city, and commuting distances in Pembrokeshire can be long, so check what your journey to work would actually look like before swapping.