Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A large town of 27,897 in Lancashire, North West.
A town with more to fix than most. Where it falls short is health (D) — life expectancy is 75.3 for men and 80.3 for women. With a D overall, Darwen is better than 6% of UK towns and ranks #58 of 65 in Lancashire. Its strongest is cost of living (B+): homes sell for a median £140,000, about 3.3 times local household income. Fewer journeys need a car (B+): 18% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. It lags on schools as well — primary results beat 18% of towns in England; secondary results beat 4% of towns in England. Safety is weaker too — 48 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 19.3 home and vehicle crimes. Against UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, it has more crime per resident than 86%.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · life expectancy, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026.
The 3 things Darwen 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 Darwen is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 20 buildings inside Darwen’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade II*, and 1 scheduled monument.
49% 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 Darwen.
Just over a fifth of residents have a disability, above Lancashire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 7.5% of the town. 4 GP practices serve the town; 85% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Self-reported good health: 78% of Darwen’s residents.
| Census 2021 | Darwen | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.5% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 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.
54% of pupils at the town’s 10 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below are two of its 15 schools, each with why it was picked. Between them, ten primaries and two secondaries teach 4,178 pupils in Darwen.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avondale Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 400 | B+ |
| Darwen Vale High SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,039 | D |
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
There were 29.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Lancashire’s towns (17.2) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 2,413 recorded crimes inside Darwen’s built-up area, and 607 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 53% 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.
Private rents average £714 a month across the Blackburn with Darwen council area. Behind the median of £140,000: 1,398 standard sales inside the town’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Social renters account for 14% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £280,000 | 225 |
| Semi-detached | £186,250 | 270 |
| Terraced | £117,500 | 863 |
| Flat or maisonette | £90,100 | 40 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 20% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For every resident in work, Darwen has 0.7 jobs. Work in town: a quarter of resident commuters. Also worth knowing: households had £41K a year before tax, below both Lancashire’s towns (£48K) and England’s towns (£55K). 20% of workers did their job mainly from home at the census.
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.
Historic England’s list names 20 listed buildings in Darwen: 2 Grade II*. Relative to its size, Darwen keeps 7 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below both Lancashire’s towns (16) and England’s towns (39). This Lancashire town has one scheduled monument.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Darwen has a median age of 40.6. People aged 15 to 24 make up 11% of the town. 18% of residents are 65 or over, lower than Lancashire’s towns (20%) and near England’s towns (18%).
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Darwen | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
20 listed buildings in Darwen.
India Mill Chimney: Photo: Alexander P Kapp · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Lower Chapel: Photo: David Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Steam tramway reversing triangle: Photo: philandju · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Low Hill House: Photo: Plucas58 · CC BY-SA 4.0
42 notable people were born in Darwen.
John Cryer: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0 · Sam Wadsworth: Harry Pot for Anefo, CC0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darwen | 27,897 | — | D | B+ | D | D |
| Hoddlesden | 1,218 | 1.4 | — | D | A | A− |
| Blackburn | 124,958 | 3.5 | C− | B | D | D |
| Brinscall | 1,332 | 4.2 | — | B | A− | A− |
| Oswaldtwistle | 10,810 | 4.2 | D | B | D | D |
| Edgworth | 1,649 | 4.6 | — | C− | A− | A− |
| Rishton | 6,653 | 5.3 | D | B | D | D |
| Church | 5,030 | 5.5 | D− | B+ | D− | D |
Hoddlesden, Brinscall and Edgworth have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £140,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £90,100, terraced houses £117,500, semi-detached houses £186,250 and detached houses £280,000.
Large town in Lancashire, England
Darwen is a built-up area of 27,897 people, in the Blackburn with Darwen 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.