Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
10% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Some 3,172 people live in this town, in Cumbria, North West.
Buying in is costly: a typical home costs £243,750 and rent runs £816 a month. Askam in Furness grades D overall, better than 9% of UK towns. Its place in the ranking is #14 of 23 in Cumbria. It lags on schools as well — primary results beat 4% of towns in England; secondary results beat 16% of towns in England. Recorded crime is low: 20.1 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 4.6 home and vehicle crimes.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
ONS publishes one rent for all of Westmorland and Furness, so this town's Cost Grade uses house prices and council tax only.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Askam in Furness is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Askam in Furness does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 9 buildings inside Askam in Furness’s built-up area.
42% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →9 listed buildings in Askam in Furness.
Church of St Peter: Photo: Basher Eyre · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Drinking fountain near railway crossing: Photo: flipflopnick · CC BY-SA 3.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Askam in Furness.
Social housing holds 2% of households, lower than both Cumbria’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private tenants account for 11% of households. From September 2023 to August 2026, 158 homes sold inside Askam in Furness’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £243,750.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £350,000 | 65 |
| Semi-detached | £245,000 | 41 |
| Terraced | £130,250 | 52 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Below is one of its 2 schools, and why it was picked. 47% of pupils at the town’s 2 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Askam in Furness’s two primaries have 263 pupils between them.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Askam Village SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 187 | D |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 21% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income came to £48K a year before tax, above Cumbria’s towns (£45K) but below England’s towns (£55K). At the census, 87% of commuters went by car. For every resident in work, Askam in Furness has 0.1 jobs.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
For its size, Askam in Furness records less crime per resident than 77% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people. Reported offences in the town came to 109 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 7. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 1.9 reports per 1,000, lower than both Cumbria’s towns (3.5) and England’s towns (7.8). 62% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
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.
There is no GP practice in Askam in Furness: the nearest is 2.4 miles off. At the census, 81% of people in Askam in Furness called their health good or very good, between Cumbria’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (82%). Disability touches a fifth of Askam in Furness’ population.
| Census 2021 | Askam in Furness | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.8% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
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 9 listed buildings in Askam in Furness, every one Grade II. Relative to its size, Askam in Furness keeps 28 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Of Askam in Furness’ land, 4% lies in conservation areas, lower than both Cumbria’s towns (8%) and England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Children under 15 make up 15% of residents. People 65 and over make up 23% of the town, about level with Cumbria’s towns (23%) and above England’s towns (18%). Typical age in Askam in Furness: 47.8, the median.
49% women, 51% men
About 104 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Askam in Furness | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Askam in Furness. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · English HeritageFurness Abbey5 km outside town, to the south
CastleDalton Castle3.1 km outside town, to the southZooZooSouth Lakes Safari Zoo2.5 km outside town, to the southeastPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustSandscale Haws Nature Reserve2.7 km outside town, to the southwestHistoric shipHistoric shipOakdale200 m outside town, to the westAttractionAttraction"The Plug"3.2 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Town in Cumbria, England
Askam in Furness is a built-up area of 3,172 people, in the Barrow-in-Furness 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Askam in Furness | 3,172 | — | D | D− | B+ | C |
| Dalton-in-Furness | 7,551 | 2.4 | C+ | C+ | C+ | C |
| Millom | 5,690 | 3 | C | B | C+ | C− |
| Swarthmoor | 1,030 | 3.7 | — | C | A− | B |
| Haverigg | 1,551 | 3.7 | — | B− | A | C− |
| Ulverston | 11,219 | 4.6 | C− | D | C− | C+ |
| Barrow-in-Furness | 55,260 | 4.7 | D− | C+ | D | D |
| Allithwaite | 1,171 | 11 | — | D− | A+ | B |
Swarthmoor, Haverigg and Allithwaite have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Askam in Furness has 2 state schools; places are handled by Cumbria council.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
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.
