Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 7,551 people, this town lies in Cumbria, North West.
Hazards are a real consideration: 6.1% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Overall, Dalton-in-Furness earns a C+: better than 36% of UK towns, and #5 of 23 in Cumbria. Where it does best is walkability — on the way to work, 17% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. A median £155,000 buys a home here, 3.8 times what households in the Barrow-in-Furness council area earn in a year. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for safety, C+ for schools and B− for jobs & income.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · claimants, DWP.
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 Dalton-in-Furness is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Dalton-in-Furness does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 60 buildings inside Dalton-in-Furness’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
47% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →60 listed buildings in Dalton-in-Furness, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of St Mary: Photo: Alexander P Kapp · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Chappells Tavern: Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dalton Public Library: Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Market Cross and Stone Benches: Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Dalton-in-Furness.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Dalton-in-Furness has 79 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, higher than both Cumbria’s towns (45) and England’s towns (39). Its listed buildings include Dalton Castle, Grade I. Grade II* covers 1 of them, Grade I 1. It has 60 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 1 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Between them, four primaries and one secondary teach 1,345 pupils in Dalton-in-Furness. Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness’s results beat 89% of schools in England like it. Secondary results at the 3 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 39.7, with 33% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton St Mary's CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 211 | B |
| Dowdales SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 877 | C− |
| Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-FurnessTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 101 | A |
One GP practice serves the town; 82% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 19% of people here had a disability, between Cumbria’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). Men in Dalton-in-Furness can expect to live to 80.5, women to 82.4 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Dalton-in-Furness | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.7% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 19% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 80% of commuters, above Cumbria’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Before tax, the average household brings in £44K a year. Of the commuters living in Dalton-in-Furness, 9% work in the town itself. For every resident in work, Dalton-in-Furness has 0.3 jobs.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
6% live in social housing, lower than both Cumbria’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £816 a month across the Westmorland and Furness council area. The median sale, £155,000, comes from 428 standard sales inside Dalton-in-Furness’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £316,000 | 34 |
| Semi-detached | £214,000 | 144 |
| Terraced | £130,000 | 243 |
| Flat or maisonette | £100,000 | 7 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 518 recorded crimes inside Dalton-in-Furness’s built-up area, and 43 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences accounted for nearly half of recorded crime. Each year, 27.2 violent crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents.
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.
Half of Dalton-in-Furness is older than 45.4, half younger. People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town, below Cumbria’s towns (23%) but above England’s towns (18%). Degrees are held by 26% of adults.
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Dalton-in-Furness | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 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 Dalton-in-Furness. Best known first.
CastleDalton Castlein town
Abbey or priory · English HeritageFurness Abbey1.1 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumThe Dock Museum4.8 km outside town, to the southwest · 68K visitors a year
CastleGleaston Castle3.1 km outside town, to the southeastZooZooSouth Lakes Safari Zoo300 m outside town, to the northeastPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustSandscale Haws Nature Reserve3.2 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
7 notable people were born in Dalton-in-Furness.
George Romney: George Romney, Public domain
Town in Cumbria, England
Dalton-in-Furness is a built-up area of 7,551 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton-in-Furness | 7,551 | — | C+ | C+ | C+ | C |
| Askam in Furness | 3,172 | 2.4 | D | D− | B+ | C |
| Barrow-in-Furness | 55,260 | 3 | D− | C+ | D | D |
| Swarthmoor | 1,030 | 3.3 | — | C | A− | B |
| Ulverston | 11,219 | 4.4 | C− | D | C− | C+ |
| Millom | 5,690 | 5.2 | C | B | C+ | C− |
| Haverigg | 1,551 | 5.5 | — | B− | A | C− |
| Allithwaite | 1,171 | 9.8 | — | 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.
That is 3.3 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Dalton Castle. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £155,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £100,000, terraced houses £130,000, semi-detached houses £214,000 and detached houses £316,000.
About the middle for its size: 59% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, it grades C+.
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.