Irlam’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Irlam’s built-up area.
13% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
IrlamGreater Manchester
A town of 19,714 in Greater Manchester, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Peter McDermott · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
19,714
Census 2021 · Salford council
Median home
£225K
703 sales in 3 years
Median age
39
17% are 65+ · Greater Manchester 16%
Degree level
23%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
19%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Irlam a good place to live?
Where it does best is walkability: nearly a fifth of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Prices are high against local incomes: the median home sold for £225,000, 5.1 years of area income. It lags on health as well — life expectancy is 78.3 for men and 82.1 for women. Jobs & income is weaker too: the mean household earns £43,684 a year.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP. Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime to police.uk, so Irlam has no Safety Grade and, without it, no overall grade. Its other subjects still get grades, below.
What makes Irlam stand out
The 2 things Irlam does most differently from other towns.
How Irlam grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Irlam is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime to police.uk, so Irlam has no Safety Grade and, without it, no overall grade. Its other subjects still get grades, below.
Cost of livingRent £1,166 a monthDOpen →HealthGraded on how healthy residents areDOpen →Jobs & incomeIncomes and work trail most townsC−Open →Walkability19% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transportA−Open →Hazard risk1.6% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC−Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 28% of towns in England; secondary results beat 78% of towns in EnglandB−Open →
SafetyNo police.uk data–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History1 listed buildingDOpen →Outdoors95% live within 400 m of a park; 3.1 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsBOpen →Civic life0.7 local charities per 1,000 residents; 78% live within 1 km of a libraryC+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Dunham Massey Hall and 12 more in and around Irlam
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Irlam. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustDunham Massey Hall4.9 km outside town, to the south
Garden · RHSRHS Garden Bridgewater4.6 km outside town, to the north
Historic house · RHSWorsley New Hall4.6 km outside town, to the north
Historic houseFlixton House1.5 km outside town, to the eastTheme parkTheme parkTherme Manchester4 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumLancashire Mining Museum4.6 km outside town, to the northPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Dunham Massey Hall: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- RHS Garden Bridgewater: Amanda Slater from Coventry, West Midlands, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Worsley New Hall: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Flixton House: Parrot of Doom, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Irlam.
HousingCost of living grade D
Few households rent privately in Irlam: 15%, fewer than in both Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns
62% of households own their home, about level with England’s towns (61%) and above Greater Manchester’s towns (58%). Social housing holds 22% of households. The £225,000 median rests on 703 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
£225Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Irlam£225K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £320,000 | 88 |
| Semi-detached | £233,000 | 371 |
| Terraced | £200,000 | 194 |
| Flat or maisonette | £123,500 | 50 |
62%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,166
average private rent a month, Salford council area
£2,592
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
SchoolsB−
Exam results at Irlam’s schools top 54% of towns in England
Below are three of its 9 schools, each with why it was picked. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 7 primary schools: 57% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Between them, eight primaries and one secondary teach 2,688 pupils in Irlam.
B−School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irlam Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 456 | C+ |
| Irlam and Cadishead AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 844 | B− |
| St Teresa's RC Primary School a Voluntary AcademyTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 236 | A− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 9 schools →
History
Irlam’s one listed building is Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
For its size, Irlam has the fewest listed buildings of the towns in Greater Manchester. Homes from before 1919 make up 13% of the total.
1listed buildingsDHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
13%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
1
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
Degrees are less common in Irlam than in Greater Manchester’s towns or across England’s towns: 23% of adults
11% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Children under 15 make up 20%, near Greater Manchester’s towns (19%) and higher than England’s towns (18%). Irlam has a median age of 39 years.
39median age
IrlamGreater ManchesterEngland
Ages · share of residents
17%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications21%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level23%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Irlam | Greater Manchester | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 24% | 25% |
| 65+ | 17% | 16% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.3% | 5.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 23% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Greater Manchester and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Health
People in Irlam live shorter lives than in 77% of UK towns
The nearest A&E to Irlam is Salford Royal Hospital, 5.3 miles away. 3 GP practices serve the town; just over four in five patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 80% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below both Greater Manchester’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%). At the census, 6.6% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
80%good or very good healthDHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Irlam | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.6% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
78.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Work tends to be further away for Irlam: 34% commute under 5 km, below Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims came to 3.7% of 16 to 64s in 2026, near Greater Manchester’s towns (3.6%) and higher than England’s towns (2.3%). 78% of commuters took the car to work at the census. About 27% of its commuters stay in Irlam for work. For every resident in work, Irlam has 0.9 jobs.
19%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving78%
On foot9%
Bus5%
Bicycle3%
Train2%
34%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
24%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£44K
mean household income, before tax
3.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A−
Walkability: more walkable than 76% 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 Irlam
15pages on Irlam
The big questions
SafetyNo police.uk data for Greater ManchesterCost of livingDMedian home £225K · rent £1,166 a monthHousing192 sold in 12 months · busiest street Liverpool RoadSchoolsB−9 state schoolsHealthDLife expectancy 78.3 (men), 82.1 (women)Work & commuteC−55% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC−1.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Famous people from Irlam
9 notable people were born in Irlam.
E
Emma LowndesBritish actress · born 1975B
Bob DaleEnglish footballer (1931-2007)I
Ian GoodwinAssociation football player (born 1950)J
Jason TalbotBritish footballer (born 1985)Photo credits
Adam Neal: Fleets, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Percy Le Clerc: G.scorah, CC BY-SA 4.0
Irlam’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
PartingtonUrmstonGlazeburyCulchethEcclesAstleyWorsleyIrlam
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irlam | 19,714 | — | — | D | — | D |
| Partington | 7,706 | 1.7 | — | B− | — | D− |
| Urmston | 41,728 | 2.6 | — | C− | — | C |
| Glazebury | 1,094 | 3.4 | — | B | B− | B+ |
| Culcheth | 6,722 | 3.8 | B+ | C+ | A− | B |
| Eccles | 41,116 | 4.2 | — | D− | — | D− |
| Astley | 4,735 | 4.2 | — | B− | — | B− |
| Worsley | 11,958 | 4.2 | — | D− | — | A− |
Glazebury has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Partington, Urmston, Eccles, Astley and Worsley have no Safety Grade: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish to police.uk. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Irlam
Does Irlam flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Is Irlam safe?
We can’t say from police.uk: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime data there, so Irlam has no Safety Grade. Greater Manchester Police’s own figures cover whole boroughs, not towns.
About Irlam
Town in Greater Manchester, England
Irlam is a built-up area of 19,714 people, in the Salford 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
- 19,714 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Salford (mostly)
- County
- Greater Manchester
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 2 sq mi (5.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001334
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.