Lowca’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Lowca’s built-up area.
25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
LowcaCumbria
A village of 817 in Cumbria, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: David Trochos · CC BY 3.0
Population
817
Census 2021 · Copeland council
Median home
£127K
21 sales in 3 years
Median age
41.2
18% are 65+ · Cumbria 23%
Degree level
20%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
13%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Lowca a good place to live?
Lowca has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Lowca stand out
The 3 things Lowca does most differently from other towns.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
54% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
13% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
36% of commuters travel under 5 km.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Cumbria 28%.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Lowca.
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in Lowca than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 20% of adults
That puts Lowca below both Cumbria’s towns (28%) and England’s towns (34%). Children are 18% of the town. Half the people of Lowca are older than 41.2.
41.2median age
LowcaCumbriaEngland
Ages · share of residents
18%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications21%
Apprenticeship9%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level20%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Lowca | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.8% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 20% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Lowca
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowca Community SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 51 | D |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Lowca walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns: 13%
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.
On this, Lowca is below both Cumbria’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (27%). The car carried 85% of commuters at the census.
13%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving85%
On foot6%
Bus5%
Bicycle2%
36%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
21%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£44K
mean household income, before tax
3%
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
Buying in Lowca costs less than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: the median sale is £127K
In the comparison, Lowca comes below both Cumbria’s towns (£219K) and England’s towns (£308K). Owners make up 72% of households.
£127Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Lowca£127K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £235,995 | 5 |
| Semi-detached | £130,000 | 5 |
| Terraced | £70,000 | 11 |
72%
of households own their home · England 61%
14%
rent privately · England 21%
£681
average private rent a month, Cumberland council area
£2,481
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
Violence is recorded less often in Lowca than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 15.1 per 1,000 residents a year
For Lowca, that is below both Cumbria’s towns (27.1) and England’s towns (22). Burglary and damage come to 4.9 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 17 crimes inside Lowca’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 1 reports of anti-social behaviour.
15.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual12
Damage & arson3
Other crime2
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Anti-social1
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.
15.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
17
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
Bad health is more common in Lowca than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 7% of residents
Lowca sits above both Cumbria’s towns (6.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%) on this measure. Lowca has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.6 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.
80%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Lowca | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
77
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
79.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
1 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Lowca has 1 listed building inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 25% of its homes were built before 1919.
1listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
25%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
12
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 →The Rum Story and 2 more in and around Lowca
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Lowca. Best known first.
MuseumThe Rum Story3.4 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumThe Beacon Museum3.5 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumHaig Colliery Mining Museum4.1 km outside town, to the southPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- The Rum Story: Darrin Antrobus, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lowca
13pages on Lowca
The big questions
Safety15.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £127K · rent £681 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 77 (men), 79.6 (women)Work & commute36% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Lowca’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
DistingtonMoresby ParksHigh HarringtonWhitehavenWorkingtonFrizingtonCleator MoorLowca
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowca | 817 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Distington | 1,375 | 1.5 | — | B | C+ | D |
| Moresby Parks | 1,180 | 1.7 | — | B | A+ | C− |
| High Harrington | 1,574 | 2.6 | — | D− | A+ | C+ |
| Whitehaven | 22,952 | 2.9 | D | B− | D | D |
| Workington | 21,276 | 3.6 | D− | B− | D− | D |
| Frizington | 1,754 | 4.2 | — | B+ | D− | D |
| Cleator Moor | 6,671 | 4.7 | D | B | C− | C− |
Distington, Moresby Parks, High Harrington and Frizington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Lowca
Is Lowca expensive to live in?
Private rents in the Cumberland council area averaged £681 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Lowca?
Band D council tax in Lowca is £2,481 for 2026–27, more than in 60% 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 Lowca
Village in Cumbria, England
Lowca is a built-up area of 817 people, in the Copeland 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
- 817 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Copeland
- County
- Cumbria
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000304
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.