Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
5,887 people call this town in Lancashire, North West home.
Strong in places, weak in others. Overall, Barrowford earns a C+: better than two fifths of UK towns, and #29 of 65 in Lancashire. Its weakest is schools: primary results beat 15% of towns in England; secondary results beat 14% of towns in England. It also trails on hazard risk — 14.9% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. Residents are healthier than most: life expectancy 83 for men, 85.2 for women. Homes sell for a median £178,750, about 4.4 years of what households in the Pendle council area earn.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Barrowford does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Barrowford is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 25 buildings inside Barrowford’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
44% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Barrowford.
Below are its two schools. Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary School’s results beat 92% of schools in England like it. Secondary results at the 4 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 40.6, with 34% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrowford SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 312 | D |
| Barrowford St Thomas Church of England Primary SchoolTop results in townPrimary | Primary | 121 | A |
Men in Barrowford can expect to live to 83, women to 85.2 (2019–23). A disability affects 16% of people here. The nearest A&E to Barrowford is Airedale General Hospital, 11 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 89% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Barrowford | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.3% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 20% of Barrowford’s land, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (2%) and England’s towns (7%). The town has 25 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 2 Grade II*. One scheduled monument lies here.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Violence came to 27.5 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (24.3) and England’s towns (22). A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 313 offences in Barrowford and 117 cases of nuisance behaviour. 52% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
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.
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 25% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
8% of commuters who live in Barrowford also work there. At the census, 12% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (27%). This Lancashire town counts 0.5 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
7% live in social housing, below Lancashire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Half of the 350 standard sales inside Barrowford’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £178,750. Private rents average £670 a month across the Pendle council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £359,950 | 67 |
| Semi-detached | £220,000 | 84 |
| Terraced | £139,000 | 185 |
| Flat or maisonette | £107,000 | 14 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
36% of adults hold a degree, above Lancashire’s towns (29%) and close to England’s towns (34%). The share aged 15 to 24 is 9.1%. Half the people of Barrowford are older than 47.4. One measure of family life: 16% of residents are under 15.
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Barrowford | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.1% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.9% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Barrowford. Best known first.
MuseumPendle Heritage Centrein town · 100K visitors a year
CastleCastercliff2.4 km outside town, to the east
MuseumBancroft Mill4.6 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumQueen Street Mill Textile Museum3.5 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumBritish in India1.3 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
25 listed buildings in Barrowford.
Lamb Working Mens Club: Photo: Trappedinburnley · CC BY-SA 4.0 · White Bear Inn: Photo: Peter McDermott · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Crowtrees Farmhouse, barn, associated cobble surface and stone water tank: Photo: Trappedinburnley · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Toll House: Photo: Alexander P Kapp · CC BY-SA 2.0
5 notable people were born in Barrowford.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrowford | 5,887 | — | C+ | B | C+ | A− |
| Nelson | 33,808 | 1 | C− | B+ | D | D |
| Fence | 1,585 | 1.8 | — | C− | A | A− |
| Brierfield | 10,723 | 1.9 | D | B | D | C− |
| Colne | 18,914 | 2.2 | D | B+ | D | D |
| Foulridge | 1,212 | 2.7 | — | C | B+ | B |
| Trawden | 1,204 | 3.4 | — | C+ | C | B |
| Burnley | 78,266 | 3.9 | D | B+ | D− | D |
Fence, Foulridge and Trawden have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
That is 1.7 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
GCSE results trail 86% of towns in England, and primary results trail 85% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Barrowford has 2 state schools; places are handled by Lancashire council.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £178,750, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £107,000, terraced houses £139,000, semi-detached houses £220,000 and detached houses £359,950.
Town in Lancashire, England
Barrowford is a built-up area of 5,887 people, in the Pendle 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
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.