Birch’s story
3 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Birch’s built-up area.
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BirchGreater Manchester
It is a village of 232 residents in Greater Manchester, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: David Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
232
Census 2021 · Rochdale council
Median home
£350K
137 sales in 3 years
Median age
44.9
23% are 65+ · Greater Manchester 16%
Degree level
28%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Birch a good place to live?
Birch has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. 3 buildings are listed here, 0 at Grade I. Walking, cycling and public transport carry just over one in ten commuters. 52% of households own their home with no mortgage.
What makes Birch stand out
The 3 things Birch does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
3 listed buildings
0 Grade II*; 5.3 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
12% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Own outright
Housing
52% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Heaton Park and 10 more in and around Birch
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Birch. Best known first.
Historic houseHeaton Park3.4 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumHeaton Park Tramway3.6 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumThe Fusilier Museum4.8 km outside town, to the northwest
Art galleryBury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre4.8 km outside town, to the northwestHeritage railwayHeritage railwayEast Lancashire Railway5 km outside town, to the northwestZooZooLancaster Park & Animal Farm3.7 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Heaton Park: Pimlico Badger, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Heaton Park Tramway: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Fusilier Museum: David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre: Paul Anderson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Birch.
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Birch walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Greater Manchester’s towns or England’s towns: 12%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 26% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
By car: that was how 88% of commuters travelled at the census. 31% of commuters travelled under 5 km, below both Greater Manchester’s towns (47%) and England’s towns (45%). The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.7%. About 2% of its commuters stay in Birch for work.
12%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot5%
Bus5%
Train1%
Underground, tram1%
31%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
26%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£46K
mean household income, before tax
1.7%
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
Most households in Birch own their home: 78%, more than in Greater Manchester’s towns and across England’s towns
Private renters make up 17% of households, below both Greater Manchester’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%). The social rented sector houses 2% of households. 137 standard sales inside Birch’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £349,995.
£350Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Birch£350K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £401,995 | 81 |
| Semi-detached | £294,882 | 55 |
78%
of households own their home · England 61%
17%
rent privately · England 21%
£855
average private rent a month, Rochdale council area
£2,601
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
Bad health is less common in Birch than in Greater Manchester’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.5% of residents
86% of Birch’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, higher than both Greater Manchester’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%). There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 1.1 miles off. The nearest A&E to Birch is Fairfield General Hospital, 2.4 miles away.
86%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 86%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Birch | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
78.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
80
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Birch is rich in listed buildings: 129 per 10,000 residents, more than in Greater Manchester’s towns and across England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 16% of Birch’s land, above both Greater Manchester’s towns (3%) and England’s towns (7%).
3listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II3
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
2%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
129
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Older residents shape Birch: 23% are 65 or over, above Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns
11% of the population is aged 15 to 24, lower than both Greater Manchester’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). Children under 15 make up 17% of residents. Residents of Birch have a median age of 44.9. Degrees are held by 28% of adults.
44.9median age
BirchGreater ManchesterEngland
Ages · share of residents
23%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level28%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Birch | Greater Manchester | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 24% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 16% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 5.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Greater Manchester and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Birch
13pages on Birch
The big questions
SafetyNo police.uk data for Greater ManchesterCost of livingMedian home £350K · rent £855 a monthHousing20 sold in 12 months · busiest street Workers WaySchoolsHealthLife expectancy 78.4 (men), 80 (women)Work & commute46% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Birch’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
HeywoodMiddletonRhodesTrubSimisterWhitefieldBuryBirch
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch | 232 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Heywood | 29,724 | 1.2 | — | C− | — | D |
| Middleton | 46,617 | 1.7 | — | D | — | D |
| Rhodes | 2,970 | 2 | — | C− | — | D |
| Trub | 1,389 | 2.1 | — | D | — | D |
| Simister | 1,054 | 2.1 | — | D | — | C |
| Whitefield | 22,193 | 3.3 | — | C− | — | C− |
| Bury | 81,115 | 3.7 | — | C | — | C− |
Trub and Simister have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Heywood, Middleton, Rhodes, Trub, Simister, Whitefield and Bury have no Safety Grade: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish to police.uk. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Birch
How many listed buildings are there in Birch?
3 on Historic England’s list. That is 5.3 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Birch safe?
We can’t say from police.uk: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime data there, so Birch has no Safety Grade. Greater Manchester Police’s own figures cover whole boroughs, not towns.
Is Birch expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £349,995, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £294,882 and detached houses £401,995. Private rents in the Rochdale council area averaged £855 a month in August 2026.
About Birch
Village in Greater Manchester, England
Birch is a built-up area of 232 people, in the Rochdale 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
- 232 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Rochdale
- County
- Greater Manchester
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001147
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.