Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 2,793 residents and lies in Lancashire, North West.
Croston’s overall grade is A−, better than just over four in five UK towns. Its place in the ranking is #6 of 65 in Lancashire. Housing is within reach: a typical home costs £262,500 and rent runs £798 a month. The catch is hazard risk — 6.5% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. It also trails on health (C+): life expectancy is 78.1 for men and 80.4 for women. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for safety, B for jobs & income and C+ for walkability.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency · life expectancy and income, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021.
The 3 things Croston 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 Croston is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 39 buildings inside Croston’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
36% 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 Croston.
GCSE results at the one secondary school within 3 km: 63% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 56.2. Both of its schools are shown below. Trinity and St Michael's VA CofE/Methodist Primary School’s results beat 94% of schools in England like it. Key Stage 2 results at the 3 primary schools within 3 km: 78% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity and St Michael's VA CofE/Methodist Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 210 | A |
| Bishop Rawstorne Church of England AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 958 | A |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Per 10,000 residents, Croston counts 140 listed buildings. Conservation areas cover nearly a quarter of the town’s land, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (2%) and England’s towns (7%). This Lancashire town has 39 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Owners make up 74% of households, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). The social rented sector houses 9% of households. The median sale, £262,500, comes from 106 standard sales inside Croston’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £477,500 | 22 |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | 29 |
| Terraced | £218,885 | 52 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The nearest A&E to Croston is Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, 5.7 miles away. At the census, 85% of people in Croston called their health good or very good, above both Lancashire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%). 4.4% of residents report bad or very bad health. One GP practice serves the town; 88% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Croston | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
Violence and sexual offences accounted for just over three fifths of recorded crime. A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 99 offences in Croston and 26 cases of nuisance behaviour. There were 17.9 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), about level with Lancashire’s towns (17.2) and above England’s towns (7.8).
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 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
13% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.8% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below Lancashire’s towns (2.3%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. Income per household averages £48K a year, before tax. Of the commuters living in Croston, 11% work in the town itself.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
People aged 15 to 24 make up 9.3% of the town. Line up the people of Croston by age and the one in the middle is 47.4. The 65-and-over age group makes up nearly a quarter of residents.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Croston | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.4% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 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 Croston. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustRufford Old Hall2.9 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionCedar Farm4.1 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumSouth Ribble Museum & Exhibition Centre4.8 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
39 listed buildings in Croston.
Croston Town Bridge: Photo: Doug Elliot · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Lord Nelson Public House: Photo: Raymond Knapman · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Yarrow Cottage: Photo: Peter James · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rectory: Photo: Peter James · CC BY-SA 4.0
6 notable people were born in Croston.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croston | 2,793 | — | A− | B+ | B | C+ |
| Wymott | 2,092 | 1.4 | — | A− | B | C− |
| Eccleston | 4,543 | 2.6 | A | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Rufford | 1,562 | 3 | — | C | A | C+ |
| Tarleton and Hesketh Bank | 8,756 | 3.2 | B+ | C+ | A− | B+ |
| Leyland | 39,281 | 3.7 | C+ | A | C− | C− |
| Longton | 10,912 | 4.1 | A+ | B+ | A− | B+ |
| Farington Moss | 2,692 | 4.1 | B | B+ | C+ | C+ |
Wymott and Rufford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Among the strongest in England: GCSE results beat 94% of towns in England, and primary results beat 98% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Croston has 2 state schools; places are handled by Lancashire council.
That is 5.7 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in Lancashire, England
Croston is a built-up area of 2,793 people, in the Chorley 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.