Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,852 in Lancashire, North West.
Carnforth grades C overall against UK towns: better than 26% of UK towns, and #40 of 65 in Lancashire. Its strongest subject is walkability (B+): 18% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is schools (D): primary results beat 7% of towns in England; secondary results beat 27% of towns in England. The median home sold for £190,000 in the last three years, 4.3 times what households in the Lancaster council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Carnforth 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 Carnforth is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 16 buildings inside Carnforth’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
29% 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 Carnforth.
At the town’s 3 primary schools, 49% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Of its 4 schools, two are shown below, each with the reason. GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: 37% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 43.5.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnforth Christ Church, Church of England, Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 113 | C− |
| Carnforth High SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 657 | C |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 18% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Before tax, the average household brings in £45K a year. 80% of commuters drove, above Lancashire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Of the commuters living in Carnforth, 19% work in the town itself. The town counts 0.9 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds 6% of households, below Lancashire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Renting privately is how 17% of households live. Also worth knowing: the £190,000 median rests on 307 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £301,250 | 102 |
| Semi-detached | £195,000 | 62 |
| Terraced | £155,000 | 130 |
| Flat or maisonette | £125,000 | 13 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The nearest A&E to Carnforth is Royal Lancaster Infirmary, 6.9 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 83% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Nearly a fifth of residents have a disability, near Lancashire’s towns (20%) and higher than England’s towns (17%).
| Census 2021 | Carnforth | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.1% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · 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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. Carnforth counts 16 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade II*. Conservation areas cover 9% of the town’s land, near both Lancashire’s towns (2%) and England’s towns (7%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 335 recorded crimes inside Carnforth’s built-up area, and 92 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 17.4 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), near Lancashire’s towns (17.2) and higher than England’s towns (7.8). 51% 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.
16% are under 15, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 23% of residents. Carnforth has a median age of 46. Among adults, 28% have a degree.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Carnforth | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.9% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 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 Carnforth. Best known first.
Historic houseLeighton Hall, Lancashire2.7 km outside town, to the northPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustHeald Brow3.6 km outside town, to the northwestPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustJack Scout4 km outside town, to the northwestPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustLambert's meadow4.3 km outside town, to the northwestCastleCastleMotte and Bailey4.8 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
16 listed buildings in Carnforth.
Former signal box, north end of platform at Carnforth Station, NGR SD 49692 70834: Photo: Robert Powell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Shovel Inn: Photo: Raymond Knapman · CC BY-SA 2.0
4 notable people were born in Carnforth.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnforth | 5,852 | — | C | C+ | C+ | C+ |
| Warton (Lancaster) | 1,801 | 1.4 | — | D | A | B− |
| Bolton-le-Sands | 6,728 | 2.2 | B | D | A | A− |
| Halton | 2,652 | 3.3 | B− | D | A− | A |
| Silverdale | 1,056 | 3.6 | — | D− | A | B− |
| Caton | 2,552 | 4.2 | B+ | D | A− | A |
| Burton-in-Kendal | 1,341 | 4.5 | — | D− | A+ | A+ |
| Morecambe | 32,745 | 5.2 | D− | C+ | D | D |
Warton (Lancaster), Silverdale and Burton-in-Kendal have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £190,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £125,000, terraced houses £155,000, semi-detached houses £195,000 and detached houses £301,250.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Lancashire, England
Carnforth is a built-up area of 5,852 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.
