Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town in Merseyside, England, with a population of around 325,264. It has around 1 school, 2 GP surgeries, 4 pharmacies, 1 supermarket, 1 park and green, and around 23 restaurants and cafés, with 47 bus stops and Birkenhead Park railway station 1.7 km away. The average sold house price is around £150,720, and there were around 483 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence & sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Birkenhead area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Wirral area is more deprived than the average in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 320,199 residents at roughly 1,990 people per km².
- Council
- Wirral
- County
- Merseyside
- Constituency
- Birkenhead
- Police force
- Merseyside
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 209th of 294 English council areas — better than 29% 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°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 11° / 7° · 40% rain
- Tomorrow: 11° / 7° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:18Sunset 16:32
9h 14m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
21US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: ozone
Source: WAQI · Wirral Tranmere, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 5.9 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 4.5% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
413 reported · August 2026▼ 23% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences132
- Shoplifting75
- Anti-social behaviour57
- Public order39
134 stop & searches · mostly controlled drugs
Neighbourhood team: Birkenhead and Tranmere · Merseyside
Local policing priorities
- Youth anti-social behaviour, street drinking, retail crime, vehicle crime and begging have been identified as key neighbourhood prioritie…
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
343 reported road collisions (2025)
81 killed or seriously injured · 419 casualties · 10.7 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
500+ food businesses within 2 miles
- 369 rated 4–5 ★ (295 top)
- 27 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency · split of the nearest 500
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Hamilton Square (0.1 km)
- 69 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Birkenhead Hamilton Square (0.2 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£221,673 average▲ 5.8% YoY
Across Wirral · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£859 average monthly rent▲ 7% YoY
- 1 bed £572
- 2 bed £740
- 3 bed £905
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
6.1× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 6.1 times median annual pay (6.1× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
4,300 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: 155.9p · Esso (5.3 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 144.8p · AppleGreen (2.9 km)
23 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
150 charging locations within ~8 km
- 8 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 150 kW
- Nearest: Elgin Way Car Park (0.2 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Gyms1
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches12
- Playgrounds5
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
320,199 residents in Wirral · 1,990/km²
- Under 16: 18%
- 16–64: 60%
- 65+: 22%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK11,405
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK9,533
- Net moves+1,872
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
More deprived than the average in England
Ranked 106 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
23% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,501 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band A (40% of 152,090)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
136 schools · 50,451 pupils
90 primary · 19 secondary · 27 other
Ofsted: 49 of 63 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (78%)
125 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Upton Hall School FCJOutstanding
- Wirral Grammar School for GirlsOutstanding
- Co-op Academy BebingtonGood
- Ridgeway High SchoolGood
- South Wirral High SchoolGood
- St John Plessington Catholic CollegeGood
- Weatherhead High SchoolGood
- West Kirby Grammar SchoolGood
- Wirral Grammar School for BoysGood
- Birkenhead Park SchoolRequires improvement
- St Mary's Catholic College, A Voluntary AcademyRequires improvement
- The Mosslands SchoolRequires improvement
- Calday Grange Grammar School
- Co-op Academy Oldershaw
- Hilbre High School
- Pensby High School
- Prenton High School for Girls
- St Anselm's College
- Woodchurch High School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Wirral
Care & health services
325 CQC-registered services
- Care homes113
- GP practices65
- Dentists67
- Homecare agencies51
- Hospitals & hospices7
CQC ratings: 88% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 8 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Wirral
Heritage & planning
- In a conservation area (Hamilton Square Conservation Area)
- Not in the Green Belt
- 142 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
225 applications decided
89.3% granted · 201 granted, 24 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Alison McGovern
Labour
Birkenhead
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 26
- Con 14
- LD 6
- Grn 14
- Ref 3
- Oth 3
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools6
- GPs & clinics2
- Pharmacies3
- Supermarkets5
- Parks & greens25
- Restaurants & cafés54
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
10,525 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
478 jobs advertised · £38,095 avg
e.g. Conveyancing Fee Earner, Paint Inspection Engineer, Marketing & Lead Generation Manager
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£728 median full-time weekly pay
3.6% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£23,294 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
37% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 161,783 certificates
12.6% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
80% low-carbon electricity
Wind 54% · Nuclear 27% · Gas 17% · Imports 3%
66 gCO₂/kWh · low intensity
Latest estimate for North Wales & Merseyside · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 82.3 yrs women · 78.5 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 60.1 women · 59.1 men
72% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.3
- Feeling worthwhile7.6
- Happiness yesterday7.3
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.3
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
12 GP surgeries · 8 pharmacies in CH41
- Cavendish Medical Centre
- Whetstone Lane Med Ctr
- Hamilton Med Ctr
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Birkenhead:
- Ban the sale of helium balloons1,185 local signatures · 3,791 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth298 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases289 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND209 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Stop a single Minister having the final say on national infrastructure projects172 local signatures · 15,667 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Birkenhead War Memorial · 0.0 kmBirkenhead War Memorial, or Birkenhead Cenotaph, stands in Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England, opposite the Town Hall. It consists of a cenotaph in Portland stone with carved figures and panels in Westmo…
Birkenhead · 0.1 kmBirkenhead is an industrial port town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the hi…
- Queen Victoria Monument, Birkenhead · 0.1 km
The Queen Victoria Monument stands in the centre of Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is in the form of an Eleanor cross. The memorial was designed by Edmund Kirby, and was unveiled in 1905.…
Hamilton Square · 0.1 kmHamilton Square is a town square in Birkenhead, Wirral, England. The Georgian square, which was designed by Edinburgh architect James Gillespie Graham, has the most Grade I listed buildings outside London. It is named…
Statue of John Laird · 0.1 kmThe Statue of John Laird stands on the west side of Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. It commemorates the life of John Laird, a local ship builder, politician and benefactor. The statue was sculpted by…
Birkenhead Hamilton Square railway station · 0.2 kmBirkenhead Hamilton Square railway station serves the town of Birkenhead, in Merseyside, England, on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. The station is close to Hamilton Square in Birkenhead.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Wirral with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Birkenhead?
- Birkenhead is a town in Merseyside, England, in the Wirral local authority.
- What is the population of Birkenhead?
- Birkenhead has an approximate settlement population of 325,264.
- How deprived is Birkenhead?
- The Wirral local authority, which includes Birkenhead, is more deprived than the average in England on the IoD2025.