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 (IoD2025). It is home to around 295,963 residents at roughly 2,117 people per km².
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 220th of 294 English council areas — better than 25% 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
9°CCloudy
- Today: 11° / 8° · 23% rain
- Tomorrow: 11° / 7° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
18US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: ozone
Source: WAQI · Glazebury, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 6.9 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 5.2% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
Road safety
289 reported road collisions (2025)
98 killed or seriously injured · 381 casualties · 9.8 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
500+ food businesses within 2 miles
- 309 rated 4–5 ★ (222 top)
- 49 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
£203,951 average▲ 4.8% YoY
Across Bolton · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£894 average monthly rent▲ 11.1% YoY
- 1 bed £654
- 2 bed £815
- 3 bed £989
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
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
Property sales
3,180 property sales in the last 12 months
12 months to May 2026
A busier or quieter market is not by itself good or bad. Monthly counts are small and volatile, so only the annual total is shown.
Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI, 12 months to 2026-05
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 151.9p · BP (11.3 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 183.9p · BP (11.3 km)
20 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
- Bolton opens first Live Well centre· 29 Oct 2026
- Bolton invites residents to honour those who served· 29 Oct 2026
- Bolton Council to consider national changes to planning system· 28 Oct 2026
- Litter and leaves swept up by new investment· 27 Oct 2026
- Warm welcome back as Bolton Council invests in the future· 26 Oct 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)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK13,371
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK14,775
- Net moves−1,404
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Among the most deprived areas in England
Ranked 43 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
26% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
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 · 53,878 pupils
97 primary · 17 secondary · 32 other
Ofsted: 46 of 49 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (94%)
126 inspected 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
- 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
276 CQC-registered services
- Care homes59
- GP practices62
- Dentists55
- Homecare agencies63
- Hospitals & hospices6
CQC ratings: 94% of rated services Good or Outstanding
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
254 applications decided
79.5% granted · 202 granted, 52 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Phil Brickell
Labour
Bolton West
Recent votes:
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 86: High value council tax surcharge
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 76: Rates of alcohol duty
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 55: Value added tax (electric vehicle charging)
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 15: Charges in connection with employment visas
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Labour / Conservative / Liberal Democrat / Independent coalition
- Lab 18
- 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 & cafés73
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
12,405 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
1,326 jobs advertised · £41,591 avg
e.g. Roadside Vehicle Technician, Superflex Roadside Mechanic, SEN Teaching Assistant
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£675 median full-time weekly pay
5.3% 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
78% low-carbon electricity
Nuclear 44% · Wind 34% · Gas 13% · Imports 10%
50 gCO₂/kWh · 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:
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth317 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases224 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Launch a public inquiry into illegal migration in the UK165 local signatures · 78,478 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND141 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Remove the grey belt planning rules132 local signatures · 12,329 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05