Delph’s story
28 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Delph’s built-up area.
44% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
DelphGreater Manchester
In Greater Manchester, North West, this village has 2,282 residents.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Stephen Richards · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,282
Census 2021 · Oldham council
Median home
£273K
77 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.8
27% are 65+ · Greater Manchester 16%
Degree level
42%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Delph a good place to live?
Housing is expensive: the median home sold for £272,500, 6.5 years of area income. Hazards are a real consideration: 5.6% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. It lags on walkability as well (C+) — on the way to work, 12% walk, cycle or take a bus or train.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency · commuting, Census 2021. Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime to police.uk, so Delph has no Safety Grade and, without it, no overall grade. Its other subjects still get grades, below.
What makes Delph stand out
The 3 things Delph does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Shore Mill; 5 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%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
27% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How Delph grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Delph is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime to police.uk, so Delph has no Safety Grade and, without it, no overall grade. Its other subjects still get grades, below.
Cost of livingRent £942 a monthD−Open →Hazard riskGraded on exposure to natural hazardsDOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 67% of towns in England; secondary results beat 76% of towns in EnglandA−Open →Jobs & incomeMean household income £54,436A−Open →HealthResidents are healthier than in most townsB+Open →WalkabilityWeaker than most of the towns comparedC+Open →
SafetyNo police.uk data–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryGraded on historic places and the town’s ageAOpen →Outdoors72% live within 400 m of a park; 17% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeC+Open →Civic life3.1 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryB−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Delph.
HousingCost of living grade D−
Most households in Delph own their home: 72%, more than in Greater Manchester’s towns and across England’s towns
The social rented sector houses 12% of households. Private renters make up 16% of households, below both Greater Manchester’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%). Half of the 77 standard sales inside Delph’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £272,500.
£273Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Delph£273K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £540,000 | 18 |
| Semi-detached | £334,789 | 14 |
| Terraced | £235,000 | 36 |
| Flat or maisonette | £190,000 | 9 |
72%
of households own their home · England 61%
16%
rent privately · England 21%
£942
average private rent a month, Oldham council area
£2,625
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
SchoolsA−
School results in Delph are better than in 76% of towns in England
Its only school is listed below. Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 49.2, with 55% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
A−School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delph Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 205 | B+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Who lives here
Older residents shape Delph: 27% are 65 or over, above Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns
Delph has a median age of 48.8. 15% are under 15, lower than both Greater Manchester’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). On top of that, the share aged 15 to 24 is 9.2%.
48.8median age
DelphGreater ManchesterEngland
Ages · share of residents
27%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level42%
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.
| Delph | Greater Manchester | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.2% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 24% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 16% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.1% | 5.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Greater Manchester and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
History
More of the land in Delph is conservation area than in Greater Manchester’s towns or England’s towns: 100%
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 44% of the total, higher than both Greater Manchester’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (16%). Per 10,000 residents, Delph counts 123 listed buildings. Grade II* covers 1 of them. Historic England’s list names 28 listed buildings locally: 1 Grade II*.
28listed buildingsAHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II27
Among them · Grade II*
- Shore Mill Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
44%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
123
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
83% of people in Delph rate their health good or very good
Seeing a GP means leaving Delph: the nearest practice is 1.5 miles away. Life expectancy here is 85 for women and 81.3 for men (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Delph is Royal Oldham Hospital, 4.1 miles away.
83%good or very good healthB+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Delph | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
81.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Under 5 km to work: 23% in Delph, fewer than in Greater Manchester’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The census counted 37% of workers working mainly from home. 86% of commuters drove, above Greater Manchester’s towns (72%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Also worth knowing: in 2026, 1.7% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
12%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving86%
On foot7%
Bus3%
Bicycle1%
23%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
37%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
1.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C+
Walkability: more walkable than 37% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Delph
14pages on Delph
The big questions
SafetyNo police.uk data for Greater ManchesterCost of livingD−Median home £273K · rent £942 a monthHousing21 sold in 12 months · busiest street Clifton HolmSchoolsA−1 state schoolHealthB+Life expectancy 81.3 (men), 85 (women)Work & commuteA−52% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsD5.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Famous people from Delph
4 notable people were born in Delph.
Delph’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
DobcrossUppermillLeesShawMossleyNewheyOldhamDelph
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delph | 2,282 | — | — | D− | — | B+ |
| Dobcross | 1,569 | 0.8 | — | D− | — | A− |
| Uppermill | 11,207 | 1.9 | — | D− | — | A− |
| Lees | 12,641 | 2.5 | — | D | — | C− |
| Shaw | 18,249 | 3.2 | — | D | — | C− |
| Mossley | 11,416 | 3.5 | — | D | — | C |
| Newhey | 2,711 | 3.8 | — | C− | — | C− |
| Oldham | 110,722 | 4 | — | C− | — | D− |
Dobcross has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Dobcross, Uppermill, Lees, Shaw, Mossley, Newhey and Oldham have no Safety Grade: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish to police.uk. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Delph
How many listed buildings are there in Delph?
That is 5 times the typical UK town for its size.
Does Delph flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Are schools in Delph good?
Primary results beat 67%. One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Oldham council.
About Delph
Village in Greater Manchester, England
Delph is a built-up area of 2,282 people, in the Oldham 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
- 2,282 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Oldham
- County
- Greater Manchester
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001143
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.