Blackwell’s story
No listed buildings inside Blackwell’s built-up area
5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BlackwellCumbria
A village of 298 in Cumbria, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Rose and Trev Clough · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
298
Census 2021 · Carlisle council
Median home
£238K
14 sales in 3 years
Median age
46.7
26% are 65+ · Cumbria 23%
Degree level
23%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Blackwell a good place to live?
Blackwell has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Blackwell stand out
The 3 things Blackwell does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
61% of commuters travel under 5 km.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Cumbria 28%.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
26% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Carlisle Cathedral and 4 more in and around Blackwell
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Blackwell. Best known first.
CathedralCarlisle Cathedral3.3 km outside town, to the north
Castle · English HeritageCarlisle Castle3.6 km outside town, to the north
MuseumTullie House3.4 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumGuildhall Museum3.3 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumCumbria's Museum of Military Life3.7 km outside town, to the northPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Carlisle Cathedral: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carlisle Castle: John Gibson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tullie House: Raymond Knapman, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Blackwell.
Who lives here
Fewer people in Blackwell hold a degree than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns: 23%
That puts Blackwell below both Cumbria’s towns (28%) and England’s towns (34%). 26% of residents are 65 or over. The median resident of Blackwell is 46.7 years old.
46.7median age
BlackwellCumbriaEngland
Ages · share of residents
26%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications27%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level23%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Blackwell | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 27% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.3% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 23% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Blackwell than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns: 10%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 16% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
On this, Blackwell is below both Cumbria’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (27%). 89% of commuters drove to work at the census.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving89%
Bus4%
On foot3%
Bicycle3%
61%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
16%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£46K
mean household income, before tax
2%
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
Private renting is less common in Blackwell than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 7%
In the comparison, Blackwell comes below both Cumbria’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (21%). Social housing holds 23% of households.
£238Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Blackwell£238K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £230,000 | 7 |
71%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£681
average private rent a month, Cumberland council area
£2,456
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
Blackwell records less burglary and damage per resident than Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns, at 6.7 per 1,000 a year
For Blackwell, that is below both Cumbria’s towns (8.5) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 19 crimes inside Blackwell’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 0 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 58% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
25.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual11
Vehicle crime4
Weapons2
Damage & arson1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Other theft0
Anti-social0
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.
25.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
19
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Fewer people in Blackwell say their health is good than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 77%
Blackwell sits below both Cumbria’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (82%) on this measure. Blackwell has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2 miles away. 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.
77%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 77%Fair 18%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Blackwell | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
80.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
Blackwell has fewer old homes than Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns: 5% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
5%
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
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Blackwell
13pages on Blackwell
The big questions
Safety25.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £238K · rent £681 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 80.9 (men), 83.2 (women)Work & commute27% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Blackwell’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
CarlisleDalstonScotbyWetheralHoughtonWarwick BridgeBramptonBlackwell
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwell | 298 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Carlisle | 77,729 | 1.8 | D | C+ | D | D |
| Dalston | 1,541 | 2.6 | — | D− | B | B |
| Scotby | 1,830 | 2.9 | — | D− | A+ | A− |
| Wetheral | 1,129 | 3.8 | — | D− | A | A+ |
| Houghton | 1,486 | 4.1 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Warwick Bridge | 1,232 | 5.3 | — | D | B+ | A− |
| Brampton | 4,187 | 9.5 | C− | C− | D | C+ |
Dalston, Scotby, Wetheral, Houghton and Warwick Bridge have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Blackwell
Who lives in Blackwell?
An older village. More households own their home than across England’s towns: 71%, against 61%.
Is Blackwell expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £237,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. Private rents in the Cumberland council area averaged £681 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Blackwell?
Band D council tax in Blackwell is £2,456 for 2026–27, more than in 53% 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 Blackwell
Village in Cumbria, England
Blackwell is a built-up area of 298 people, in the Carlisle 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
- 298 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Carlisle
- County
- Cumbria
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000154
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.