Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Lancashire, North West has a population of 6,728.
Recorded crime is low: 12.6 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 5.3 home and vehicle crimes. Overall, Bolton-le-Sands earns a B: better than 61% of UK towns, and #15 of 65 in Lancashire. People here tend to be in good health: men here can expect to live to 81.2, women to 84.5. What counts against it is cost of living — a typical home costs £287,500 and rent runs £823 a month.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Bolton-le-Sands 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 Bolton-le-Sands is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 47 buildings inside Bolton-le-Sands’s built-up area, 3 of them Grade II*.
10% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bolton-le-Sands. Best known first.
CastleLancaster Castle3.5 km outside town, to the south
CathedralLancaster Cathedral3.9 km outside town, to the south
MuseumJudges' Lodgings Museum3.5 km outside town, to the south
MuseumLancaster City Museum3.7 km outside town, to the south
MuseumLancaster Maritime Museum3.1 km outside town, to the southPierPierStone Jetty3.8 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bolton-le-Sands.
3% of households rent from a council or housing body. Owners make up 88% of households, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). Half of the 298 standard sales inside Bolton-le-Sands’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £287,500.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £370,000 | 134 |
| Semi-detached | £252,500 | 131 |
| Terraced | £217,500 | 22 |
| Flat or maisonette | £170,000 | 11 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Bolton-le-Sands’s two primaries have 491 pupils between them. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 2 primary schools: 65% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton-le-Sands Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 290 | B− |
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 190 offences in Bolton-le-Sands and 36 cases of nuisance behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 7.7 reports per 1,000, about level with England’s towns (7.8) and below Lancashire’s towns (17.3). Violence and sexual offences accounted for 48% of recorded crime.
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.
There is no GP practice in Bolton-le-Sands: the nearest is 2.5 miles off. Asked at the census, 82% of residents of Bolton-le-Sands said they were in good or very good health. The nearest A&E to Bolton-le-Sands is Royal Lancaster Infirmary, 4.8 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Bolton-le-Sands | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.5% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 20% | 17% |
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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.1% of 16 to 64s in 2026. 88% of commuters drove, above both Lancashire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). For 33% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Work in town: 7% of resident commuters.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Before 1919: that is when 10% of homes were built. For its size, Bolton-le-Sands has 70 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (15) and England’s towns (39). Grade II* covers 3 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
37% of adults hold a degree, above both Lancashire’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%). Children under 15 make up 13% of residents. The middle age in Bolton-le-Sands is 53.9. Those aged 15 to 24 account for nearly one in ten residents.
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bolton-le-Sands | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 32% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
47 listed buildings in Bolton-le-Sands.
Manor House: Photo: Humphrey Bolton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hawkshead Farmhouse: Photo: Steve Houldsworth · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph · Blue Anchor Hotel: Photo: Alexander P Kapp · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Meeting Hall (Former Free Grammar School): Photo: Karl and Ali · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton-le-Sands | 6,728 | — | B | D | A | A− |
| Halton | 2,652 | 2 | B− | D | A− | A |
| Carnforth | 5,852 | 2.2 | C | C+ | C+ | C+ |
| Morecambe | 32,745 | 3.1 | D− | C+ | D | D |
| Lancaster | 52,646 | 3.4 | C+ | B− | D | C− |
| Warton (Lancaster) | 1,801 | 3.6 | — | D | A | B− |
| Caton | 2,552 | 3.7 | B+ | D | A− | A |
| Silverdale | 1,056 | 5 | — | D− | A | B− |
Warton (Lancaster) and Silverdale have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2.9 times the typical UK town for its size.
Band D council tax in Bolton-le-Sands is £2,501 for 2026–27, more than in 65% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Town in Lancashire, England
Bolton-le-Sands is a built-up area of 6,728 people, in the Lancaster 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.