Blackhall Rocks’s story
No listed buildings inside Blackhall Rocks’s built-up area
3% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Blackhall RocksCounty Durham
A village of 200 in County Durham, North East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Robert Graham · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
200
Census 2021 · County Durham council
Median age
62
44% are 65+ · County Durham 21%
Degree level
22%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
21%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Blackhall Rocks a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Blackhall Rocks has no grades; its figures are still real. Over-65s are 44% of the population. Nearly two thirds of households own their home outright. A degree-level qualification is held by just over a fifth of adults.
What makes Blackhall Rocks stand out
The 3 things Blackhall Rocks does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Blackhall Rocks.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Blackhall Rocks than in County Durham’s towns or England’s towns: 5.5% are under 15
People 65 and over make up 44% of the town, above County Durham’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 6.9% of the population. Blackhall Rocks has a median age of 62.
62median age
Blackhall RocksCounty DurhamEngland
Ages · share of residents
44%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications30%
Apprenticeship12%
A levels or similar20%
Degree level22%
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
About 113 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Blackhall Rocks | County Durham | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 5.5% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.9% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 13% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 44% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 30% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 12% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 22% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · County Durham and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Commuters in Blackhall Rocks travel far: only 18% go under 5 km, fewer than in County Durham’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 21% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, between County Durham’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (27%). Home was the main workplace for 35% of workers at the census. Unemployment benefit claims reached 5.1% of 16 to 64s in 2026.
21%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving72%
On foot11%
Bus9%
18%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
35%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£35K
mean household income, before tax
5.1%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Blackhall Rocks is a town of owners: 84% of households own their home, above County Durham’s towns and England’s towns
Social housing holds 4% of households, below both County Durham’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). 10% of households are private tenants. Private rents average £650 a month across the County Durham council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Blackhall Rocks£0K
Typical UK town£277K
84%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£650
average private rent a month, County Durham council area
£2,719
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violent crime runs high in Blackhall Rocks: 140 per 1,000 residents a year, above County Durham’s towns and England’s towns
Police recorded 47 crimes inside Blackhall Rocks’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 23 reports of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 91.7 reports per 1,000, higher than both County Durham’s towns (16.3) and England’s towns (7.8). Of all the crimes, 55% were violence and sexual offences.
140violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual26
Damage & arson10
Public order4
Burglary3
Other theft2
Vehicle crime1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social23
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.
140
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
61.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
91.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
47
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
More people in Blackhall Rocks live with a disability than in County Durham’s towns or across England’s towns: 31%
12% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, above County Durham’s towns (7.3%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. Asked at the census, 64% of residents of Blackhall Rocks said they were in good or very good health. Seeing a GP means leaving Blackhall Rocks: the nearest practice is 1.6 miles away.
64%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 64%Fair 25%Bad or very bad 12%
| Census 2021 | Blackhall Rocks | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 64% | 77% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 12% | 7.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 31% | 22% | 17% |
74.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
78.5
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Blackhall Rocks has fewer old homes than County Durham’s towns or England’s towns: 3% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Blackhall Rocks’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
3%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →HMS Trincomalee and 2 more in and around Blackhall Rocks
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Blackhall Rocks. Best known first.
Historic shipHMS Trincomalee5 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumNational Museum of the Royal Navy, Hartlepool5 km outside town, to the southeastTheme parkTheme parkTweddle Farm600 m outside town, to the westPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- HMS Trincomalee: David Manley at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Museum of the Royal Navy, Hartlepool: James Hearton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Blackhall Rocks
12pages on Blackhall Rocks
The big questions
Blackhall Rocks’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Blackhall CollieryHordenHartlepoolPeterleeWingateEasingtonShotton CollieryBlackhall Rocks
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackhall Rocks | 200 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Blackhall Colliery | 4,577 | 1.4 | D | A− | D | D− |
| Horden | 6,805 | 3.1 | C− | A− | D− | D− |
| Hartlepool | 88,001 | 3.6 | C− | A− | D− | D |
| Peterlee | 19,750 | 3.8 | D | A− | D− | D− |
| Wingate | 5,033 | 4.7 | D | B+ | D | D |
| Easington | 6,968 | 4.8 | C | A− | D− | D− |
| Shotton Colliery | 4,943 | 5.5 | C | A− | D | D− |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Blackhall Rocks
Who lives in Blackhall Rocks?
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 44% of residents were 65 or over and 31% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 5.5% were under 15.
How much is council tax in Blackhall Rocks?
Band D council tax in Blackhall Rocks is £2,719 for 2026–27, more than in 97% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Blackhall Rocks
Village in County Durham, England
Blackhall Rocks is a built-up area of 200 people, in the County Durham 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
- Population
- 200 (Census 2021)
- Council
- County Durham
- County
- County Durham
- Region
- North East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000213
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.