Darwen
Darwen is a town in Lancashire, England, with a population of around 32,566. It has around 87 bus stops, the nearest railway station being Darwen 0.9 km away, along with 1 GP surgery, 1 pharmacy, and around 4 restaurants and cafés. The average sold house price is around £182,038. There were around 217 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence and sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Darwen area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Blackburn with Darwen area is among the most deprived areas in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 154,735 residents at roughly 1,129 people per km².
- Council
- Blackburn with Darwen
- County
- Lancashire
- Constituency
- Rossendale and Darwen
- Police force
- Lancashire
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 190th of 294 English council areas — better than 35% 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°COvercast
- Today: 10° / 7° · 21% rain
- Tomorrow: 10° / 7° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:17Sunset 16:29
9h 12m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
19US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Glazebury, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 6.3 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 4.7% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
194 reported · August 2026▼ 23% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences88
- Anti-social behaviour35
- Criminal damage & arson18
- Public order11
Neighbourhood team: Darwen East · Lancashire
Local policing priorities
- Anti-social Behaviour including the use of vapes additional substances, Road safety (E Bikes) Business crime.
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
286 reported road collisions (2025)
90 killed or seriously injured · 390 casualties · 18.5 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
225 food businesses within 2 miles
- 167 rated 4–5 ★ (146 top)
- 16 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Darwen (0.0 km)
- 93 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Darwen (0.0 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£160,727 average▼ 0.2% YoY
Across Blackburn with Darwen · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£714 average monthly rent▲ 4.4% YoY
- 1 bed £535
- 2 bed £662
- 3 bed £782
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
4.7× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 4.7 times median annual pay (4.5× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
1,745 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: 166.9p · Asda (11.1 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 191.9p · Asda (11.1 km)
6 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
27 charging locations within ~8 km
- 10 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 350 kW
- Nearest: Darwen Market Rooftop Car Park (0.2 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres1
- Gyms1
- Sports pitches30
- Playgrounds13
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
154,735 residents in Blackburn with Darwen · 1,129/km²
- Under 16: 23%
- 16–64: 63%
- 65+: 14%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK8,147
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK7,799
- Net moves+348
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 11 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
37% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,455 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band A (56% of 64,050)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
90 schools · 29,988 pupils
57 primary · 12 secondary · 21 other
Ofsted: 26 of 28 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (93%)
78 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Pleckgate High SchoolOutstanding
- Tauheedul Islam Boys' High SchoolOutstanding
- Tauheedul Islam Girls' High SchoolOutstanding
- Darwen Vale High SchoolGood
- Queen Elizabeth's Grammar SchoolGood
- Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary AcademyRequires improvement
- Aldridge Utc Darwen
- Blackburn Central High School
- Darwen Aldridge Community Academy
- St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn
- St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy
- Witton Park Academy
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Blackburn with Darwen
Care & health services
151 CQC-registered services
- Care homes35
- GP practices30
- Dentists31
- Homecare agencies37
- Hospitals & hospices7
CQC ratings: 91% of rated services Good or Outstanding
Source: Care Quality Commission · Blackburn with Darwen
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 14 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
97 applications decided
97.9% granted · 95 granted, 2 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Andy MacNae
Labour
Rossendale and Darwen
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 (minority)
- Lab 20
- Con 5
- Ref 9
- Oth 17
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools10
- GPs & clinics2
- Pharmacies1
- Supermarkets3
- Parks & greens13
- Restaurants & cafés4
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
6,555 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
181 jobs advertised · £41,382 avg
e.g. Market Research Field Interviewer Car Required Part-time, Senior Buyer, Project Manager
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£650 median full-time weekly pay
5.7% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£17,707 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
39% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 76,015 certificates
14.6% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
78% low-carbon electricity
Nuclear 46% · Wind 31% · Gas 12% · Imports 11%
46 gCO₂/kWh · low intensity
Latest estimate for North West England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 81 yrs women · 76.4 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 54.4 women · 54 men
67% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.2
- Feeling worthwhile7.8
- Happiness yesterday7.4
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.1
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
8 GP surgeries · 6 pharmacies in BB3
- Darwen Healthcare
- Darwen Healthlink
- Spring-Fenisco Healthlink
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Rossendale and Darwen:
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth239 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
- Launch a public inquiry into illegal migration in the UK192 local signatures · 78,478 nationwide
- End the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid immediately175 local signatures · 76,640 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND146 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills133 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Darwen railway station · 0.0 kmDarwen railway station serves Darwen, a town in Lancashire, England. It was opened in 1847 by the Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe and West Yorkshire Railway, which was subsequently taken over by the Lancashire and Yorksh…
Darwen Library · 0.2 kmDarwen Library is a Carnegie library in Darwen, Lancashire, England. It opened in 1908 and is located on Knott Street.
Darwen · 0.3 kmDarwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough of Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The town lies on the River Darwen, which flows from south to no…
Darwen Town Hall · 0.3 kmDarwen Town Hall is a municipal building in Croft Street, Darwen, Lancashire, England. It is the meeting place of Darwen Town Council.
St Peter's Church, Darwen · 0.3 kmSt Peter's Church is in Bank Street, Darwen, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Blackburn with Darwen, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the diocese of Blackburn. The church…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Blackburn with Darwen with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Darwen?
- Darwen is a town in Lancashire, England, in the Blackburn with Darwen local authority.
- What is the population of Darwen?
- Darwen has an approximate settlement population of 32,566.
- How deprived is Darwen?
- The Blackburn with Darwen local authority, which includes Darwen, is among the most deprived areas in England on the IoD2025.