Higher Folds’s story
No listed buildings inside Higher Folds’s built-up area
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Higher FoldsGreater Manchester
In Greater Manchester, North West, this village has 2,447 residents.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Dave Green · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,447
Census 2021 · Wigan council
Median home
£135K
25 sales in 3 years
Median age
36.1
13% are 65+ · Greater Manchester 16%
Degree level
15%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
28%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Higher Folds a good place to live?
Cost of living is where it shines: the median home sold for £135,000, 3.1 years of area income. Health outcomes fall short of most towns (D): life expectancy is 75.7 for men and 77.7 for women. Hazard risk is higher than most: just over a fifth of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. It also trails on jobs & income (D): households earn a mean £43,604 a year, and 6.5% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · life expectancy and income, ONS · flood risk, Environment Agency · claimants, DWP. Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime to police.uk, so Higher Folds has no Safety Grade and, without it, no overall grade. Its other subjects are graded below.
How Higher Folds grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Higher Folds is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime to police.uk, so Higher Folds has no Safety Grade and, without it, no overall grade. Its other subjects are graded below.
Hazard risk21% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaD−Open →HealthBased on how healthy residents are for their agesDOpen →Walkability28% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transportAOpen →Jobs & incomeIncomes and work are among the weakest comparedDOpen →Cost of livingAmong the best of the towns comparedAOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 59% of towns in England; secondary results beat 57% of towns in EnglandBOpen →
SafetyNo police.uk data–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsD−Open →Outdoors90% live within 400 m of a park; 2.8 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsA−Open →Civic life0.4 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Higher Folds stand out
The 3 things Higher Folds does most differently from other towns.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Greater Manchester 32%.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
51% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Life expectancy, against UK towns
Health
77.7 and 75.7 years
OHID Fingertips, 2019–23.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Higher Folds.
Who lives here
Fewer people in Higher Folds hold a degree than in Greater Manchester’s towns or England’s towns: 15%
36.1median age
People 65 and over make up 13% of the town, lower than both Greater Manchester’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Under 15: 22% of residents. The age that splits Higher Folds in two is 36.1.
Higher FoldsGreater ManchesterEngland
Ages · share of residents
13%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications31%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level15%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Higher Folds | Greater Manchester | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 24% | 25% |
| 65+ | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 31% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.7% | 5.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 15% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Greater Manchester and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsB
Exam results at Higher Folds’s schools top 61% of towns in England
BSchool Grade
At the 27 primary schools within 3 km, 63% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below is its only school. GCSE results at the 5 secondary schools within 3 km: 46% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 47.3.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Gabriel's Catholic Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 375 | A− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
Most of Higher Folds is newer: only 2% of homes were built before 1919, below Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns
0listed buildingsD−History Grade
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Higher Folds’s built-up area.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
2%
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
Health
Life expectancy in Higher Folds is shorter than in 97% of UK towns
72%good or very good healthDHealth Grade
28% of residents have a disability, above Greater Manchester’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Of the 97 towns in Greater Manchester, Higher Folds has the largest share in bad or very bad health: 11%. Asked at the census, 72% of residents of Higher Folds said they were in good or very good health. This Greater Manchester town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 0.9 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 72%Fair 18%Bad or very bad 11%
| Census 2021 | Higher Folds | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 72% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 11% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 28% | 18% | 17% |
75.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
77.7
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Higher Folds is more walkable than nine in ten UK towns
28%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 11% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Working mainly from home: just over one in ten workers, lower than both Greater Manchester’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (31%). There are 0.2 jobs in Higher Folds for each resident in work. Work in town: 4% of resident commuters.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving69%
Bus13%
On foot11%
Bicycle3%
Train1%
43%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
11%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£44K
mean household income, before tax
6.5%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A
Walkability: more walkable than 93% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade A
Social housing is more common in Higher Folds than in Greater Manchester’s towns or across England’s towns, at 66% of households
£135Kmedian sale
Home ownership covers just over a quarter of households. 7% rent privately, below both Greater Manchester’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%). Private rents average £746 a month across the Wigan council area.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Higher Folds£135K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £145,000 | 15 |
| Terraced | £143,000 | 6 |
26%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£746
average private rent a month, Wigan council area
£2,152
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Higher Folds
14pages on Higher Folds
The big questions
SafetyNo police.uk data for Greater ManchesterCost of livingAMedian home £135K · rent £746 a monthHousing4 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsB1 state schoolHealthDLife expectancy 75.7 (men), 77.7 (women)Work & commuteD36% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsD−21.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Nearby attractions
All attractions →North West Computer Museum and 4 more in and around Higher Folds
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Higher Folds. Best known first.
MuseumMuseumNorth West Computer Museum900 m outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumLeigh Spinners Mill Heritage Centre900 m outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumLeigh Town Hall Archives2 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumLancashire Mining Museum2.3 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumWinding House2.3 km outside town, to the southeast
Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
About Higher Folds
Village in Greater Manchester, England
Higher Folds is a built-up area of 2,447 people, in the Wigan 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
- 2,447 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wigan
- County
- Greater Manchester
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001252
Higher Folds’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
TyldesleyAstleyAthertonLeighGlazeburyWorsleyLittle HultonHigher Folds
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Folds | 2,447 | — | — | A | — | D |
| Tyldesley | 16,205 | 1.2 | — | B− | — | C |
| Astley | 4,735 | 1.2 | — | B− | — | B− |
| Atherton | 27,571 | 1.6 | — | B+ | — | D |
| Leigh | 45,499 | 1.7 | — | A− | — | D |
| Glazebury | 1,094 | 2.4 | — | B | B− | B+ |
| Worsley | 11,958 | 3 | — | D− | — | A− |
| Little Hulton | 25,824 | 3.2 | — | D | — | D− |
Glazebury has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Tyldesley, Astley, Atherton, Leigh, Worsley and Little Hulton have no Safety Grade: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish to police.uk. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Higher Folds
Does Higher Folds flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Who lives in Higher Folds?
At the 2021 Census, 13% of Higher Folds’ 2,447 residents were 15 to 24 and 13% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
Is Higher Folds expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £135,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £143,000 and semi-detached houses £145,000.
Is Higher Folds safe?
We can’t say from police.uk: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime data there, so Higher Folds has no Safety Grade. Greater Manchester Police’s own figures cover whole boroughs, not towns.
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.