Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of around 140,000. It has around 3 schools, 1 GP surgery, 4 restaurants and cafés, and 40 bus stops. The nearest railway station is Bolton, 2.3 km away. Covers 17 towns with local open-data for the whole authority.
On deprivation, Bolton is among the most deprived areas in England (IoD2019). It is home to around 295,963 residents at roughly 2,117 people per km².
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 225th of 294 English council areas — better than 23% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
14°CMist
- Today: 20° / 14° · 28% rain
- Tomorrow: 23° / 13° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:38Sunset 19:33
12h 55m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
50US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Salford M60, United Kingdom
Crime
Road safety
310 reported road collisions (2024)
93 killed or seriously injured · 410 casualties · 10.5 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
500+ food businesses within 2 miles
- 303 rated 4–5 ★ (219 top)
- 53 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency · split of the nearest 500
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Bolton (2.3 km)
- 40 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Bolton (2.3 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£202,770 average▲ 4.9% YoY
Across Bolton · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£884 average monthly rent▲ 9.9% YoY
- 1 bed £647
- 2 bed £806
- 3 bed £978
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
6.2× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 6.2 times median annual pay (5.9× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 151.9p · BP (11.3 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 177.7p · Asda (9.5 km)
34 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
39 charging locations within ~8 km
- 14 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 180 kW
- Nearest: STAGS RETAIL STAGS RETAIL 1 (1.2 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres1
- Gyms1
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches42
- Golf courses1
- Playgrounds11
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local news
- Child safe travel scheme adds another school· 9 Sept 2026
- Free school meal holiday vouchers· 8 Sept 2026
- Local jobseekers prospects boosted by Bolton’s Jobs and Skills Fair· 7 Sept 2026
- Bolton International Film Festival returns for landmark tenth edition· 7 Sept 2026
- Bolton Young Chef of the Year winners announced· 4 Sept 2026
Source: Bolton Council
Population
295,963 residents in Bolton · 2,117/km²
- Under 16: 22%
- 16–64: 61%
- 65+: 17%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Deprivation
Among the most deprived areas in England
Ranked 47 of 317 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
24% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2019
Council tax
£2,400 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band A (51% of 128,820)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
146 schools · 55,431 pupils
97 primary · 18 secondary · 31 other
Ofsted: 47 of 51 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (92%)
128inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Essa AcademyGood
- Harper Green SchoolGood
- Kearsley AcademyGood
- King's Leadership Academy BoltonGood
- Ladybridge High SchoolGood
- Little Lever SchoolGood
- St James's Church of England High SchoolGood
- Turton SchoolGood
- Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary AcademyRequires improvement
- Smithills SchoolRequires improvement
- Westhoughton High SchoolRequires improvement
- Bolton Muslim Girls School
- Canon Slade School
- Eden Boys' School, Bolton
- Sharples School
- St Joseph's RC High School
- Thornleigh Salesian College
- University Collegiate School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Bolton
Care & health services
277 CQC-registered services
- Care homes59
- GP practices63
- Dentists54
- Homecare agencies64
- Hospitals & hospices6
CQC ratings: 93% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 2 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Bolton
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 38 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
227 applications decided
73.6% granted · 167 granted, 60 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
Phil Brickell
Labour
Bolton West
Recent votes:
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: Amendment 1
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 143
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 142
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 140
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Labour / Conservative / Liberal Democrat / Independent coalition
- Lab 19
- Con 10
- LD 5
- Grn 4
- Ref 10
- Oth 12
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools29
- GPs & clinics9
- Pharmacies3
- Supermarkets5
- Parks & greens9
- Restaurants & cafés74
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
12,080 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Jobs
1,288 jobs advertised · £42,324 avg
e.g. Turnkey, Bid Manager, Site Manager
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£675 median full-time weekly pay
5.2% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£20,182 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
43% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 134,384 certificates
12.4% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
98% low-carbon electricity
Nuclear 58% · Wind 27% · Biomass 14% · Gas 2%
23 gCO₂/kWh · very low intensity
Latest estimate for North West England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 81.9 yrs women · 78.5 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 55.3 women · 54.6 men
68% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.5
- Feeling worthwhile7.9
- Happiness yesterday7.6
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.4
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
30 GP surgeries · 17 pharmacies in BL1
- Dalefield Surgery
- Octagon Medical Centre
- Spring House Surgery
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Bolton West:
- Statutory paid leave for parents whose child is undergoing cancer treatment532 local signatures · 3,716 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office422 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Do not ban social media for under 16s337 local signatures · 217,501 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth317 local signatures · 112,809 nationwide
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership300 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
Heaton, Greater Manchester · 0.3 kmHeaton is mostly a residential district of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It lies about 2 miles (3 km) north west of Bolton town centre. It is bounded by Deane to the south, Markland Hill to the west, and Smithi…
Bolton School · 0.4 kmBolton School is a private day school in Bolton, Greater Manchester. It comprises a co-educational nursery, co-educational infant school, single sex junior schools and single sex senior schools including sixth forms.…
Bolton West · 0.6 kmBolton West is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Phil Brickell, a Labour Party politician.
- St Margaret's Church, Halliwell · 0.7 km
St Margaret's Church is in Lonsdale Road, Halliwell, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Bolton, the archdeaconry of Bolton, and the diocese of Manchester. Its…
Bolton Steam Museum · 0.8 kmBolton Steam Museum is a museum in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which houses a variety of preserved steam engines. Based in the cotton store of the former Atlas Mill in Mornington Road, it is owned and run by…
- Random Cottage · 0.8 km
Random Cottage is a historic house on Greenmount Lane in Heaton, a district in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is designated a Grade II* listed building, recognised for its architectural and historical signifi…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)