Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A large town of 59,938 in Cheshire, North West.
Widnes grades C− overall against UK towns: better than 23% of UK towns, and #43 of 46 in Cheshire. Its strongest subject is walkability (B+): 18% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is health (D): life expectancy 77.7 for men, 81.2 for women. The median home sold for £195,000 in the last three years, 4.5 times what households in the Halton council area earn in a year.
The 2 things Widnes 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 Widnes is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 23 buildings inside Widnes’s built-up area, 4 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Widnes. Best known first.
MuseumCatalyst Museumin town
CastleHalton Castle2.9 km outside town, to the southeast
Abbey or prioryNorton Priory1.6 km outside town, to the southeast
Theme parkGulliver's World4.5 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumWarrington Museum & Art Gallery4.6 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumMuseum Of Policing In Cheshire4.2 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Widnes.
That puts Widnes above both Cheshire’s towns (5.4%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Women here live to 81.2 on average and men to 77.7 (2019–23). These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
| Census 2021 | Widnes | Cheshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.2% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Three of its 27 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 582 | B |
| Wade Deacon High SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,658 | B+ |
| Moorfield Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 232 | A+ |
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
On this, Widnes is above both Cheshire’s towns (20.3) and England’s towns (22). Burglary and damage come to 13 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 4,901 crimes inside Widnes’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 625 reports of anti-social behaviour.
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Widnes has 23 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 4 Grade II*. 11% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
In the comparison, Widnes comes above both Cheshire’s towns (1.8%) and England’s towns (2.3%). The average household earns £44K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
For Widnes, that is above both Cheshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private renters make up 15% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £355,000 | 476 |
| Semi-detached | £210,000 | 679 |
| Terraced | £136,040 | 655 |
| Flat or maisonette | £105,000 | 115 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Widnes sits below both Cheshire’s towns (34%) and England’s towns (34%) on this measure. Half the people of Widnes are older than 41.5.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Widnes | Cheshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cheshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
23 listed buildings in Widnes.
Former Transporter Bridge Power House: Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Widnes North Railway Station: Photo: Peter I. Vardy · Public domain · Gossages Tower: Photo: Galatas · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Widnes Town Hall: Photo: Peter I. Vardy · Public domain
80 notable people were born in Widnes.
Charles Glover Barkla: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress), Public domain · David Dawson: Doubleshiny, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Michael Kenna: © Matteo Colla, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paul Sherwen: YellowMonkey/Blnguyen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alfred Young: As per email correspondence with www.royalsociety.org on 26-Jan-2026 (with [email protected], Picture Curator, The Royal Society) - this image "... is not an official Royal Society…, Public domain · Robert Mond: Anonymous, the Faraday Society, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widnes | 59,938 | — | C− | B | D | D |
| Cronton | 1,234 | 1.7 | — | D− | A | B− |
| Hale Bank | 1,618 | 2 | — | B+ | C− | C− |
| Runcorn | 61,641 | 3.1 | D | B+ | D | D |
| Hale | 1,502 | 3.6 | — | C | B | C |
| Prescot | 39,227 | 3.8 | D | D | C− | D |
| St Helens | 107,684 | 5.3 | D | C+ | D | D− |
| Burtonwood | 3,504 | 5.4 | B+ | A | B+ | D |
Cronton, Hale Bank and Hale have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
About the middle for its size: 46% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them far smaller, it grades D. Police recorded 4,901 crimes inside Widnes’ built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 51% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £195,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £105,000, terraced houses £136,040, semi-detached houses £210,000 and detached houses £355,000.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Large town in Cheshire, England
Widnes is a built-up area of 59,938 people, in the Halton 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.