Wardley’s story
No listed buildings inside Wardley’s built-up area
16% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
WardleyGreater Manchester
Mortgage-free owners make up 48% of households. In Greater Manchester, North West, this village has 2,298 residents.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Keith Williamson · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,298
Census 2021 · Salford council
Median home
£239K
90 sales in 3 years
Median age
49
27% are 65+ · Greater Manchester 16%
Degree level
25%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
18%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Wardley a good place to live?
Where it does best is hazard risk (A). Walking, cycling and public transport work well here: on the way to work, 18% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. The weak point is cost of living — homes sell for a median £239,000, about 5.4 times local household income. It lags on health as well — men here can expect to live to 76.8, women to 82.5.
Figures: flood risk, Environment Agency · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · life expectancy, ONS. Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime to police.uk, so Wardley has no Safety Grade and, without it, no overall grade. Every other subject still has a grade below.
What makes Wardley stand out
The 3 things Wardley does most differently from other towns.
Rent against income, UK towns
Renting
£1,170 a month
Average private rent, 32% of what households in the area earn: more than in 97% of UK towns
ONS private rents, Salford council area.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
27% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Own outright
Housing
48% own outright
How Wardley grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Wardley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime to police.uk, so Wardley has no Safety Grade and, without it, no overall grade. Every other subject still has a grade below.
Cost of livingRent £1,170 a monthD−Open →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →HealthResidents’ health trails most townsC−Open →WalkabilityBetter than most of the towns comparedB+Open →Jobs & income3.7% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsCOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 71% of towns in England; secondary results beat 46% of towns in EnglandBOpen →
SafetyNo police.uk data–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsDOpen →Outdoors88% live within 400 m of a park; 0.6 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC−Open →Civic life0.4 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Wardley.
HousingCost of living grade D−
Most households in Wardley own their home: 78%, more than in both Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns
Private tenants account for 15% of households. Social housing holds 7% of households, below Greater Manchester’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Behind the median of £239,000: 90 standard sales inside Wardley’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026.
£239Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Wardley£239K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £285,750 | 8 |
| Semi-detached | £259,000 | 46 |
| Terraced | £193,000 | 23 |
| Flat or maisonette | £135,000 | 13 |
78%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,170
average private rent a month, Salford council area
£2,594
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
School results in Wardley are better than in 61% of towns in England
Attainment 8 at the 7 secondary schools within 3 km averages 45.4, and 44% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. Its two schools are listed below. Some 1,297 pupils attend Wardley’s one primary and one secondary.
BSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wardley CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 219 | A+ |
| St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,078 | C+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 2 schools →
History
No listed buildings in Wardley
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 16% of the total, lower than Greater Manchester’s towns (20%) and near England’s towns (16%). Historic England’s list has no building inside Wardley’s built-up area.
0listed buildingsDHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
16%
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
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Wardley than in Greater Manchester’s towns or England’s towns: 13% are under 15
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8.2% of the population. 27% of residents are 65 or over, above both Greater Manchester’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). At 49, the median resident of Wardley sits in the middle of the age range. Degrees are held by a quarter of adults.
49median age
WardleyGreater ManchesterEngland
Ages · share of residents
27%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications21%
Apprenticeship9%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level25%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Wardley | Greater Manchester | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.2% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 24% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 16% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.6% | 5.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 25% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Greater Manchester and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Health
Only 79% of people in Wardley say their health is good or very good, fewer than in both Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns
Men in Wardley can expect to live to 76.8, women to 82.5 (2019–23). Seeing a GP means leaving Wardley: the nearest practice is 0.9 miles away. Nearly a fifth of residents in Wardley live with a disability.
79%good or very good healthC−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 79%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Wardley | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.7% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
76.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.5
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
The car carries 80% of commuters in Wardley, more than in both Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 29% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For every resident in work, Wardley has 1 jobs. Two in five commuters travelled under 5 km, below Greater Manchester’s towns (47%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. Before tax, the average household brings in £41K a year.
18%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving80%
Bus10%
On foot6%
Bicycle1%
Train1%
40%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£41K
mean household income, before tax
3.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B+
Walkability: more walkable than 72% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →RHS Garden Bridgewater and 2 more in and around Wardley
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Wardley. Best known first.
Garden · RHSRHS Garden Bridgewater2.9 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic house · RHSWorsley New Hall3 km outside town, to the southwestArt galleryArt galleryEccles Community Art Gallery3.8 km outside town, to the southPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- RHS Garden Bridgewater: Amanda Slater from Coventry, West Midlands, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Worsley New Hall: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Wardley
14pages on Wardley
The big questions
SafetyNo police.uk data for Greater ManchesterCost of livingD−Median home £239K · rent £1,170 a monthHousing28 sold in 12 months · busiest street Manchester RoadSchoolsB2 state schoolsHealthC−Life expectancy 76.8 (men), 82.5 (women)Work & commuteC45% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Wardley’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
SwintonCliftonKearsleyWalkdenEcclesPendleburyWorsleyWardley
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wardley | 2,298 | — | — | D− | — | C− |
| Swinton | 22,886 | 1 | — | D− | — | C− |
| Clifton | 17,748 | 1.3 | — | D | — | C− |
| Kearsley | 11,117 | 1.7 | — | C | — | C− |
| Walkden | 18,684 | 1.9 | — | D− | — | C |
| Eccles | 41,116 | 2.5 | — | D− | — | D− |
| Pendlebury | 1,768 | 2.5 | — | D− | — | D |
| Worsley | 11,958 | 2.5 | — | D− | — | A− |
Pendlebury has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Swinton, Clifton, Kearsley, Walkden, Eccles, Pendlebury and Worsley have no Safety Grade: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish to police.uk. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Wardley
Is Wardley safe?
We can’t say from police.uk: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime data there, so Wardley has no Safety Grade. Greater Manchester Police’s own figures cover whole boroughs, not towns.
Does Wardley flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Wardley
Village in Greater Manchester, England
Wardley is a built-up area of 2,298 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
- 2,298 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Salford
- County
- Greater Manchester
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001225
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.