Barrow’s story
No listed buildings inside Barrow’s built-up area
22% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BarrowLancashire
A village of 1,388 in Lancashire, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Alexander P Kapp · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,388
Census 2021 · Ribble Valley council
Median home
£359K
105 sales in 3 years
Median age
43.3
19% are 65+ · Lancashire 20%
Degree level
44%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Barrow a good place to live?
Barrow has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is jobs & income (A): mean household income £59,095; 1.3% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Its weakest is walkability (D): 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. The median home sold for £359,000 in the last three years, 6.9 times what households in the Ribble Valley council area earn in a year.
What makes Barrow stand out
The 3 things Barrow does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Claimant rate, against UK towns
Work
of 16 to 64s in 2026: fewer than in 93% of UK towns
DWP claimant count, January to August 2026.
Rent against income, UK towns
Renting
£818 a month
Average private rent, 19% of what households in the area earn: less than in 90% of UK towns
ONS private rents, Ribble Valley council area.
How Barrow grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Barrow is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
WalkabilityDOpen →Jobs & incomeAOpen →HealthLife expectancy 81.9 for men, 85.7 for womenAOpen →SafetyCOpen →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaBOpen →Cost of livingBOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 74% of towns in England; secondary results beat 31% of towns in EnglandB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsDOpen →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 27% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeBOpen →Civic life3.6 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 Barrow.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Long commutes are the norm in Barrow: just 25% travel under 5 km, below Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For every resident in work, Barrow has 0.7 jobs. 92% of commuters drove, above Lancashire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Of the commuters living in the town, 2% work in the town itself.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
On foot4%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
Train1%
25%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
32%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£59K
mean household income, before tax
1.3%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D
Walkability: more walkable than 5% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
SchoolsB−
Barrow’s schools outperform 53% of towns in England on results
Attainment 8 at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km averages 43.2, and nearly two in five pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. The town has one school, shown below. At the 5 primary schools within 3 km, 66% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
B−School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow URC Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 206 | B |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
No listed buildings in Barrow
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
22% of its homes were built before 1919, close to Lancashire’s towns (23%) and above England’s towns (16%). Historic England’s list has no building inside Barrow’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
22%
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
Fewer people in Barrow live with a disability than in Lancashire’s towns or across England’s towns: 12%
Barrow has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.4 miles away. 89% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above Lancashire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. At the census, 3.3% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. The nearest A&E to Barrow is Royal Blackburn Hospital, 7.6 miles away.
89%good or very good healthAHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 89%Fair 8%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Barrow | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 89% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 20% | 17% |
81.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.7
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.
Safety
Homes in Barrow see more burglary and damage than in Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns: 13 per 1,000 a year
Police recorded 76 crimes inside Barrow’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 34 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence came to 28.8 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (24.3) and England’s towns (22).
28.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearCSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 16% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual47
Vehicle crime7
Public order5
Other theft4
Drugs4
Damage & arson3
Burglary3
Other crime2
Anti-social34
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
28.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
31.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
76
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
HousingCost of living grade B
Private renting is less common in Barrow than in Lancashire’s towns or across England’s towns: 8%
The owner-occupied share of households is 75%. 10% live in social housing, below Lancashire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £818 a month across the Ribble Valley council area.
£359Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Barrow£359K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £422,500 | 62 |
| Semi-detached | £240,000 | 16 |
| Terraced | £185,000 | 21 |
| Flat or maisonette | £156,000 | 6 |
75%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£818
average private rent a month, Ribble Valley council area
£2,396
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Who lives here
Barrow is a graduates’ town: 44% hold a degree, more than in Lancashire’s towns and across England’s towns
The median resident of Barrow is 43.3 years old. The 15-to-24 age group: 7.4%, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). On top of that, the under-15s are 16% of the population here.
43.3median age
BarrowLancashireEngland
Ages · share of residents
19%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications11%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level44%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Barrow | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.4% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Whalley Abbey and 3 more in and around Barrow
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Barrow. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · English HeritageWhalley Abbey1.5 km outside town, to the south
MuseumClitheroe Castle Museum2.7 km outside town, to the north
Historic houseNorthcote Manor3.9 km outside town, to the southwestHistoric houseHistoric houseMartholme4 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 (3)
- Whalley Abbey: David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Clitheroe Castle Museum: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Northcote Manor: CillaLowe, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Barrow
14pages on Barrow
The big questions
SafetyC28.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingBMedian home £359K · rent £818 a monthHousing31 sold in 12 months · busiest street Barrow Brook CloseSchoolsB−1 state schoolHealthALife expectancy 81.9 (men), 85.7 (women)Work & commuteA43% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Barrow’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WhalleyBillingtonClitheroeOld LanghoSabdenReadLanghoBarrow
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow | 1,388 | — | — | B | C | A |
| Whalley | 3,411 | 1.2 | B | B− | C− | A− |
| Billington | 1,743 | 1.9 | — | A | A | A− |
| Clitheroe | 16,626 | 2.2 | A− | A | B− | C+ |
| Old Langho | 1,072 | 2.6 | — | B− | A+ | A− |
| Sabden | 1,582 | 2.6 | — | A | B− | A− |
| Read | 2,049 | 2.9 | — | A− | A | A |
| Langho | 1,723 | 3.3 | — | A | B | A |
Billington, Old Langho, Sabden, Read and Langho have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Barrow
Is Barrow safe?
Police recorded 76 crimes inside Barrow’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 62% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Is Barrow expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £359,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £156,000, terraced houses £185,000, semi-detached houses £240,000 and detached houses £422,500.
Does Barrow flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Barrow
Village in Lancashire, England
Barrow is a built-up area of 1,388 people, in the Ribble Valley 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
- 1,388 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Ribble Valley
- County
- Lancashire
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000741
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.