St. Helens
St. Helens is a town in Merseyside, England. It has 7 GP surgeries, 6 pharmacies, 2 supermarkets, and 22 restaurants and cafés, with 56 bus stops and St Helens Central railway station 0.9 km away. There were around 436 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence & sexual offences. Covers 10 towns with local open-data for the whole authority.
On deprivation, St. Helens is among the most deprived areas in England (IoD2019). It is home to around 183,247 residents at roughly 1,344 people per km².
My Area Score
Challenged
Ranked 258th of 294 English council areas — better than 12% 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
15°COvercast
- Today: 20° / 14° · 26% rain
- Tomorrow: 24° / 14° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:39Sunset 19:34
12h 55m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
29US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Wigan Centre, United Kingdom
Crime
Road safety
237 reported road collisions (2024)
57 killed or seriously injured · 292 casualties · 12.9 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
500+ food businesses within 2 miles
- 388 rated 4–5 ★ (298 top)
- 30 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency · split of the nearest 500
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: St Helens Central (0.9 km)
- 54 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from St Helens Central (0.9 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£186,435 average▲ 11.1% YoY
Across St. Helens · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£802 average monthly rent▲ 6.1% YoY
- 1 bed £590
- 2 bed £732
- 3 bed £895
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
5.7× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 5.7 times median annual pay (5.5× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 151.9p · Esso (10.3 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 183.9p · Asda (10.3 km)
32 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
43 charging locations within ~8 km
- 20 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 300 kW
- Nearest: St Helens Central Railway Station Car Park (0.9 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres1
- Sports pitches29
- Playgrounds11
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
183,247 residents in St. Helens · 1,344/km²
- Under 16: 18%
- 16–64: 62%
- 65+: 21%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Deprivation
Among the most deprived areas in England
Ranked 40 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
£2,403 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band A (44% of 86,150)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
79 schools · 26,828 pupils
54 primary · 9 secondary · 16 other
Ofsted: 22 of 29 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (76%)
70inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Rainhill High SchoolGood
- The Sutton AcademyGood
- De La Salle SchoolRequires improvement
- Cowley International College
- Hope Academy
- Outwood Academy Haydock
- Rainford High School
- St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy
- St Cuthbert's Catholic High School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · St. Helens
Care & health services
164 CQC-registered services
- Care homes41
- GP practices31
- Dentists27
- Homecare agencies40
- Hospitals & hospices6
CQC ratings: 94% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 4 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · St. Helens
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 20 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
117 applications decided
96.6% granted · 113 granted, 4 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
Ms Marie Rimmer
Labour
St Helens South and Whiston
Recent votes:
- NoTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading
- NoClosure motion
- NoSocial Housing Bill [Lords]: Reasoned Amendment to Second Reading
- AyeDraft Plant Health, Seeds, Seed Potatoes and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Reform UK majority
- Lab 3
- Con 1
- LD 3
- Ref 34
- Oth 6
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools11
- GPs & clinics13
- Pharmacies11
- Supermarkets9
- Parks & greens20
- Restaurants & cafés95
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
5,510 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Jobs
609 jobs advertised · £38,193 avg
e.g. Area Manager, Female Waking Night Support Worker, Production Line Leader
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£748 median full-time weekly pay
3.7% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£21,753 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
46% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 92,695 certificates
12% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
98% low-carbon electricity
Nuclear 46% · Wind 45% · Biomass 6% · Gas 2%
15 gCO₂/kWh · very low intensity
Latest estimate for North Wales & Merseyside · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 81 yrs women · 77 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 56 women · 55.7 men
69% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.3
- Feeling worthwhile7.7
- Happiness yesterday7.1
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.5
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
19 GP surgeries · 14 pharmacies in WA9
- St Helens Scott Clinic - Bcss Inpatient Unit
- Rainbow Medical Centre
- Berrymead Family Med.Ctr.
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in St Helens South and Whiston:
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership426 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office369 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Review the evidence and fund the addition of SMA to the Newborn Screening Test316 local signatures · 151,287 nationwide
- Do not ban social media for under 16s302 local signatures · 217,501 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth281 local signatures · 112,809 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
- Gerards Bridge railway station · 0.7 km
Gerards Bridge railway station was on the St Helens to Rainford Junction then Ormskirk line immediately north of Haresfinch Road in St Helens, England. It opened on 3 February 1858 and closed on 1 August 1905. Remnant…
North West Museum of Road Transport · 0.9 kmThe North West Museum of Road Transport is located at the old St. Helens Corporation Transport bus depot in Hall Street, St Helens, Merseyside, England.
- Stanley Bank Meadow · 0.9 km
Stanley Bank Meadow is a 14.9-hectare (37-acre) Site of Special Scientific Interest situated 2.8km north-east of St Helens. The site was notified in 1988 due to its biological features which is predominantly damp unim…
St Helens Central railway station · 0.9 kmSt Helens Central railway station is a railway station serving the town of St Helens, Merseyside, England. It is on the Liverpool to Wigan Line from Liverpool Lime Street to Wigan North Western. The station is managed…
Holy Cross Church, St Helens · 0.9 kmHoly Cross and St Helen Church is a Roman Catholic church in St Helens, Merseyside. The church was built in 1860 by the Society of Jesus. It was designed by Joseph John Scoles and is a Grade II listed building.
- St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy · 1.0 km
St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy is a Roman Catholic coeducational secondary school. It is located in the Blackbrook area of St Helens, Merseyside, England. The school is named after Augustine of Canterbury…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)