Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
4,416 people call this town in Lancashire, North West home.
Pupils here do less well than most: primary results beat 48% of towns in England; secondary results beat 2% of towns in England. Overall, Earby earns a C: better than 33% of UK towns, and #36 of 65 in Lancashire. It lags on hazard risk as well: nearly one in ten homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. Homes are affordable: homes sell for a median £159,950, about 3.9 times local household income. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for safety and B for walkability.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021.
The 3 things Earby 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 Earby is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 4 buildings inside Earby’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
51% 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 Earby.
Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 35, with 22% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. There is one school here; it is shown below. 61% of pupils at the 8 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earby Springfield Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 126 | B |
The nearest A&E to Earby is Airedale General Hospital, 7.5 miles away. The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.7 miles away. Also worth knowing: a disability affects 20% of people in the town.
| Census 2021 | Earby | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.9% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 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.
Social housing holds 11% of households, below Lancashire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The median sale, £159,950, comes from 218 standard sales inside Earby’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026. Private rents average £670 a month across the Pendle council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £285,000 | 21 |
| Semi-detached | £210,000 | 45 |
| Terraced | £135,000 | 147 |
| Flat or maisonette | £65,000 | 5 |
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.
At the census, 16% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below Lancashire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (27%) alike. Home was the main workplace for 20% of workers at the census. Of the commuters living in Earby, 9% work in the town itself. Unemployment benefit claims reached 2.8% of 16 to 64s in 2026.
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.
Conservation areas cover 36% of Earby’s land, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (2%) and England’s towns (7%). The town counts 4 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade II*. Per 10,000 residents, Earby counts 9 listed buildings.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 63% of recorded crime. Over the year to August 2026, 213 offences were reported in Earby, along with 73 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 17.8 reports per 1,000, near Lancashire’s towns (17.2) and higher than 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.
Just over a quarter of adults hold a degree, below both Lancashire’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%). Half of Earby is older than 44.9, half younger. People 65 and over make up 21% of the town.
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Earby | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.3% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earby | 4,416 | — | C | B | B− | C |
| Barnoldswick | 10,915 | 1.8 | C+ | B | B− | C |
| Foulridge | 1,212 | 2.9 | — | C | B+ | B |
| Colne | 18,914 | 4 | D | B+ | D | D |
| Carleton-in-Craven | 1,060 | 4.5 | — | B+ | A | A |
| Cowling | 1,439 | 4.7 | — | B+ | B | A− |
| Trawden | 1,204 | 4.9 | — | C+ | C | B |
| Gargrave | 1,502 | 5 | — | C+ | A | A− |
Foulridge, Carleton-in-Craven, Cowling, Trawden and Gargrave 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.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £159,950, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £65,000, terraced houses £135,000, semi-detached houses £210,000 and detached houses £285,000.
GCSE results trail 98% of towns in England, and primary results trail 52% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Lancashire council.
Town in Lancashire, England
Earby is a built-up area of 4,416 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.