Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime to police.uk, so Manchester has no Safety Grade and, without it, no overall grade. Its other subjects are graded below. Its strongest subject is walkability (A+): 41% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is cost of living (D−): median sale £255,000, 5.9 years of area income; rent £1,373 a month.

StrongestA⁺WalkabilityWeakestD⁻Cost of living DHealth

What makes Manchester stand out

The 3 things Manchester does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Rent against income, UK towns

Renting

£1,373 a month

Average private rent, 38% of what households in the area earn: more than in 100% of UK towns

ONS private rents, Manchester council area.

Claimant rate, against UK towns

Work

of 16 to 64s in 2026: more than in 99% of UK towns

DWP claimant count, January to August 2026.

Residents aged 15 to 24

Who lives here

1 in 5 is 15 to 24

20% of residents, against 12% across England’s towns

How Manchester grades

Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Manchester is from typical. American towns are graded separately.

How grading works

Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime to police.uk, so Manchester has no Safety Grade and, without it, no overall grade. Its other subjects are graded below.

WalkabilityA⁺Open →Cost of livingD⁻Open →HealthLife expectancy 75 for men, 79.7 for womenDOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £43,935C⁻Open →Hazard risk1.9% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC⁻Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 32% of towns in England; secondary results beat 63% of towns in EnglandB⁻Open →

SafetyNo police.uk data–

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

HistoryA⁻Open →Outdoors85% live within 400 m of a park; 1.8 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsB⁻Open →Civic life1.4 local charities per 1,000 residents; 76% live within 1 km of a libraryBOpen →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Pigot and Co (1842) p2.139 - Collegiate Church, Manchester, c. 1842 · Photo: British Library · Public domain

Manchester’s story

Manchester in pictures

Historic England lists 797 buildings inside Manchester’s built-up area, 13 of them Grade I, and 4 scheduled monuments.

25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.

The archive holds 8 old photos and postcards going back to 1842 and a map from c. 1854.

c. 1857The Queen at the Manchester Exhibition of Art Treasures
c. 1857View in Central Hall, Art Treasures Exhibition, Manchester
1860sMarket Place, Manchester

Explore the history →

Manchester’s American namesakes

Ten U.S. towns are named after Manchester. The oldest, Manchester, Connecticut, was settled in 1672.

USUS edition

Connecticut, USAManchesterSettled in 1672 · 59,773 people

Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0

Manchester, Connecticut, settled in 1672, takes its name from this city.

Manchester, Greater Manchester3,230 miles · Manchester, CT

People59,773470,395 here

Typical home$300,000£255,000 here

Settled16728 places on the National Register

TownGradeCagainst U.S. towns#127 of 151 in Connecticut

Explore Manchester, CT

Also named after Manchester:Manchester Township, NJ46,556 Manchester, MO18,069 Manchester, TN13,776 Manchester, WA5,956 North Manchester, IN5,230+4 more

Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.

Nearby attractions

English Football Hall of Fame and 67 more in and around Manchester

Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Manchester. Best known first.

All attractions →

MuseumEnglish Football Hall of Famein town

Art galleryManchester Art Galleryin town

CathedralManchester Cathedralin town

MuseumThe Manchester Museumin town

Big drawMuseumScience and Industry Museumin town · 830K visitors a year

MuseumChetham's Libraryin town

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (6)

English Football Hall of Fame: Marnanel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Manchester Art Gallery: David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Manchester Cathedral: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Manchester Museum: DrPhoenix, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Science and Industry Museum: Science Museum Group, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Chetham's Library: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Manchester.

Who lives here

Manchester skews young, with 20% of residents aged 15 to 24, more than Greater Manchester’s towns or England’s towns

For Manchester, that is above both Greater Manchester’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). Those 65 and older account for 8.7% of residents. Half the people of Manchester are older than 30.4.

30.4median age

ManchesterGreater ManchesterEngland

Greater ManchesterEngland

Ages · share of residents

20%

Qualifications · residents 16 and older

No qualifications19%

Apprenticeship3%

A levels or similar19%

Degree level39%

Women and men · all residents

50% women, 50% men

About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.

Ages and qualifications in Manchester
	Manchester	Greater Manchester	England
Under 15	19%	19%	18%
15–24	20%	13%	12%
25–44	33%	28%	27%
45–64	19%	24%	25%
65+	8.7%	16%	18%
No qualifications	19%	20%	18%
Apprenticeship	3.2%	5.6%	5.3%
A levels or similar	19%	17%	17%
Degree level	39%	32%	34%

Full pageManchester’s Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages30.4 median age · 9% are 65 or over Households180,596 households · 36% own their home Where people were born34% born outside the UK Questions“What is the population of Manchester?”

ONS Census 2021 · Greater Manchester and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL

SchoolsB⁻

Results at Manchester’s schools trail 53% of towns in England

Three of its 162 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

B⁻School Grade

School	Level	Pupils	Letter
Beaver Road Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary	Primary	1,084	A⁻
Abraham Moss Community SchoolLargest secondary schoolAll-through	All-through	1,793	C⁻
St Margaret Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyTop results in townPrimary	Primary	334	A⁺

Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 162 schools →

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C⁻

Benefit claims run higher in Manchester, 6.6% of 16 to 64s, than in Greater Manchester’s towns or across England’s towns

The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 33% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.

Manchester sits above both Greater Manchester’s towns (3.6%) and England’s towns (2.3%) on this measure. 55% of commuters drove to work at the census.

41%walk, cycle or ride

How commuters got to work · March 2021

Driving55%

Bus16%

On foot15%

Bicycle5%

Underground, tram4%

Train2%

51%

of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%

33%

worked mainly from home in March 2021

£44K

mean household income, before tax

6.6%

of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)

A⁺

Walkability: more walkable than almost every UK town

Full pageManchester’s work & commute pageOpen the page

Jobs based here393,900 jobs based here · Professional, scientific and technical is the biggest, 14%Commute map41% walk, cycle or ride Household income£44K a year · Mean household income Getting to work51% go under 5 km · Short trips to work

ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL

HousingCost of living grade D⁻

Home ownership in Manchester, 36%, runs below Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns

That puts Manchester below both Greater Manchester’s towns (58%) and England’s towns (61%). 27% of households live in social housing.

£255Kmedian sale

Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026

Manchester£255K

Typical UK town£277K

By type	Median	Sales
Detached	£380,000	369
Semi-detached	£303,650	2,968
Terraced	£238,000	3,232
Flat or maisonette	£235,250	5,099

36%

of households own their home · England 61%

36%

rent privately · England 21%

£1,373

average private rent a month, Manchester council area

£2,312

council tax, Band D, 2026–27

Full pageManchester’s housing & cost pageOpen the page

House pricesMedian sale £255,000 Renting£1,373 a month · Average private rent Council tax£2,312 Band D · Council tax, 2026–27 Owners and renters36% own their home

HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL

Health

Life expectancy in Manchester is shorter than in 95% of UK towns

Women here live to 79.7 on average and men to 75 (2019–23). 72 GP practices serve the town; 78% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 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.

83%good or very good healthDHealth Grade

General health, self-reported

Good or very good 83%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 6%

Census 2021	Manchester	Greater Manchester	England
Good or very good health	83%	81%	82%
Bad or very bad health	5.7%	5.9%	5.2%
Disabled (Equality Act)	17%	18%	17%

life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)

79.7

life expectancy at birth, women

Full pageManchester’s health pageOpen the page

Health GradeLife expectancy: women 79.7, men 75 Getting care0.5 miles to A&E · Manchester Royal Infirmary GP practices72 GP practices · 78% rate their practice good Census health83% in good health

ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL

History

797 listed buildings, 13 of them Grade I

The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.

Manchester has 797 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 13 Grade I, 72 Grade II*. Manchester’s listed buildings include Albert Memorial, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 25% of the total, above both Greater Manchester’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (16%).

797listed buildingsA⁻History Grade

Listed buildings by grade · Historic England

Grade I13

Grade II*72

Grade II712

Among them · Grade I

Albert Memorial Grade I
Bank of England Trustee Savings Bank Grade I
Cathedral Church of St Mary Grade I
Chethams Hospital and Attached Wall Grade I

scheduled monuments

registered parks and gardens

25%

of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%

listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24

Full pageManchester’s history pageOpen the page

Listed buildings797 listed buildings Homes by age25% built before 1919 · Older homes Vs. the neighboursAhead of all 7 graded neighbours Questions“How many listed buildings are there in Manchester?”

Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Manchester

15pages on Manchester

The big questions

SafetyNo police.uk data for Greater Manchester Cost of livingD⁻Median home £255K · rent £1,373 a month Housing3,241 sold in 12 months · busiest street Silvercroft Street SchoolsB⁻162 state schools HealthDLife expectancy 75 (men), 79.7 (women)Work & commuteC⁻75% of working residents work in the town Flood & hazardsC⁻1.9% of homes at high or medium flood risk

Out and about

OutdoorsB⁻85% live within 400 m of a park AttractionsClimateJuly highs of 21°C (70°F), 922 mm of rain a year Weather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 30.4 · 470,395 people HistoryA⁻797 listed buildings, 13 Grade I Town Hall & politicsCouncil area: Manchester Famous people2,047 born here, among them Joseph John Thomson

Landmarks

797 listed buildings in Manchester, 13 of them Grade I.

All landmarks →

Cathedral Church of St MaryGrade I listed

Manchester Art GalleryGrade I listed

Chethams Hospital and Attached WallGrade I listed

Brunswick MillGrade II listed

Photo credits

Cathedral Church of St Mary: Photo: 瑞丽江的河水 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Manchester Art Gallery: Photo: David Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Chethams Hospital and Attached Wall: Photo: Mike Peel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Brunswick Mill: Photo: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent · CC BY-SA 3.0

Famous people from Manchester

2,047 notable people were born in Manchester.

See all 2,047 →

Joseph John ThomsonBritish physicist (1856-1940)

David Lloyd GeorgePrime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922 · 1863–1945

Marcus RashfordEnglish footballer (born 1997)

Emmeline PankhurstEnglish suffragist · 1858–1928

Frances Hodgson BurnettEnglish-American playwright and author (1849–1924)

Arthur HardenBritish biochemist · 1865–1940

Photo credits

Joseph John Thomson: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain · David Lloyd George: Harris & Ewing, Public domain · Marcus Rashford: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Emmeline Pankhurst: Adam Cuerden, Public domain · Frances Hodgson Burnett: Herbert Rose Barraud (1845-1896), Public domain · Arthur Harden: Nobel Foundation, Public domain

Manchester’s neighbours

The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →

All towns in Greater Manchester →

Old TraffordSalfordDroylsdenReddishFailsworthStretfordAudenshawManchester

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Manchester	470,395	—	—	D⁻	—	D
Old Trafford	21,442	2.1	—	B⁻	—	D
Salford	108,431	2.9	—	D	—	D⁻
Droylsden	23,916	3.3	—	D	—	D
Reddish	22,189	3.3	—	C⁺	—	D
Failsworth	19,962	3.9	—	D	—	D
Stretford	28,010	3.9	—	C	—	C⁻
Audenshaw	13,397	3.9	—	D⁻	—	C⁻

Old Trafford, Salford, Droylsden, Reddish, Failsworth, Stretford and Audenshaw have no Safety Grade: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish to police.uk. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.

Questions about Manchester

Does Manchester flood?

Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.

Is Manchester safe?

We can’t say from police.uk: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime data there, so Manchester has no Safety Grade. Greater Manchester Police’s own figures cover whole boroughs, not towns.

About Manchester

City in Greater Manchester, England

Manchester is a built-up area of 470,395 people, in the Manchester 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: 470,395 (Census 2021)
Council: Manchester (mostly)
County: Greater Manchester
Region: North West
Area: 29.1 sq mi (75.4 km²)
ONS code: E63001295

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.