Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 18,646 people live in this town, in Cheshire, North West.
Northwich’s lowest grade is for safety: 49.4 violent and sexual offences and 11.7 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Among UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 21%. It also trails on health — men here can expect to live to 76.7, women to 82.4. Walking, cycling and public transport work well here (B+): 18% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Buying the median home, at £200,000, takes 3.9 years of household income in the Cheshire West and Chester council area. The overall grade lands at C, #40 of 46 in Cheshire. On that grade it does better than 31% of UK towns.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The thing Northwich does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Northwich is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 28 buildings inside Northwich’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I.
29% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 3 old photos and postcards going back to 1903.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Northwich.
Northwich logged 1,820 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 257 complaints of anti-social conduct. Among the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Northwich has more crime per resident than 79% of them. There were 13.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both Cheshire’s towns (3.6) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences were 48% of the crimes.
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
At the town’s 4 primary schools, 59% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Secondary results at the 5 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 48.6, with 51% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Between them, four primaries teach 1,095 pupils in Northwich.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnington Park Community Primary and Nursery SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 420 | B |
| Charles Darwin Community Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 331 | A− |
5 GP practices serve the town; 78% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. The nearest A&E to Northwich is Leighton Hospital, 9.9 miles away. At the census, 5.7% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above both Cheshire’s towns (5.4%) and England’s towns (5.2%).
| Census 2021 | Northwich | Cheshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.7% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 29% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Of the commuters living in Northwich, 21% work in the town itself. For every resident in work, Northwich has 0.9 jobs. Household income came to £48K a year before tax, below Cheshire’s towns (£56K) and England’s towns (£55K) alike. The car carried four in five commuters at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Private rents average £991 a month across the Cheshire West and Chester council area. 1,086 standard sales inside Northwich’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £200,000. Owners make up just over three in five households, below Cheshire’s towns (68%) and close to England’s towns (61%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £335,000 | 168 |
| Semi-detached | £240,000 | 367 |
| Terraced | £160,000 | 394 |
| Flat or maisonette | £120,000 | 157 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list names 28 listed buildings in Northwich: 2 Grade I. Its listed buildings include the Church of St Helen, Grade I. Of the town’s land, 100% lies in conservation areas, close to Cheshire’s towns (100%) and above England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
People aged 15 to 24 make up a tenth of the town, near Cheshire’s towns (10%) and lower than England’s towns (12%). The middle age in Northwich is 38.3. Degrees are held by 30% of adults.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Northwich | Cheshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 32% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 15% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cheshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Northwich. Best known first.
MuseumWeaver Hall Museum & Workhousein town
Historic houseVale Royal Abbey2.7 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumLion Salt Works600 m outside town, to the northeast
MuseumCuckooland Museum4.1 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseTabley House4.7 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionAnderton Boat Lift100 m outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
28 listed buildings in Northwich, 2 of them Grade I.
Church of St Helen: Photo: RLamb · Public domain · Winnington Hall: Photo: LCByrne · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Northwich Post Office: Photo: Rept0n1x · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Town Bridge over Weaver Navigation, And Control Cabin: Photo: Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Its Grade I buildings include Church of St Helen.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £200,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £120,000, terraced houses £160,000, semi-detached houses £240,000 and detached houses £335,000.
Town in Cheshire, England
Northwich is a built-up area of 18,646 people, in the Cheshire West and Chester council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.