Forton’s story
4 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Forton’s built-up area.
28% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
FortonLancashire
A village in Lancashire, North West, home to 440 people.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Humphrey Bolton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
440
Census 2021 · Wyre council
Median home
£310K
35 sales in 3 years
Median age
50.5
30% are 65+ · Lancashire 20%
Degree level
29%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
19%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Forton a good place to live?
Forton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. 4 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. 28% of its homes date from before 1919. Over-65s are 30% of the population.
What makes Forton stand out
The 3 things Forton does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 3.7 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
30% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Forton.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Forton: 30% are 65 or over, above Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
29% of adults hold a degree, near Lancashire’s towns (29%) and lower than England’s towns (34%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 6.8% of the town. The median resident of Forton is 50.5 years old.
50.5median age
FortonLancashireEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications27%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level29%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Forton | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.8% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 27% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.6% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 29% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Only 18% of Forton’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Of the commuters living in Forton, 6% work in the town itself. Nearly four in five commuters drove, about level with Lancashire’s towns (78%) and above England’s towns (70%). Jobs per working resident: 1.3.
19%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving79%
On foot16%
Bus2%
Train1%
Bicycle1%
18%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
28%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
2.1%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Forton’s median sale price: £310,000
Private renters make up nearly a quarter of households, above Lancashire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. The social rented sector houses one in ten households. 66% of households own their home.
£310Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Forton£310K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £382,000 | 18 |
| Semi-detached | £238,000 | 8 |
| Terraced | £183,000 | 8 |
66%
of households own their home · England 61%
24%
rent privately · England 21%
£743
average private rent a month, Wyre council area
£2,466
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violence is recorded more often in Forton than in Lancashire’s towns or across England’s towns: 33.3 per 1,000 residents a year
58% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Homes saw 6.1 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (9.8) and England’s towns (9.4). A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 26 offences in Forton and 6 cases of nuisance behaviour.
33.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual15
Public order4
Other theft3
Damage & arson2
Burglary1
Drugs1
Shoplifting0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social6
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.
33.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
25
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
26
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
More people in Forton live with a disability than in Lancashire’s towns or across England’s towns: 25%
Seeing a GP means leaving Forton: the nearest practice is 3.8 miles away. Three quarters of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below Lancashire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. At the census, 7.5% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. The nearest A&E to Forton is Royal Lancaster Infirmary, 5.4 miles away.
75%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 75%Fair 17%Bad or very bad 8%
| Census 2021 | Forton | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 75% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.5% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 25% | 20% | 17% |
80.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
81.8
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Forton is rich in listed buildings: 91 per 10,000 residents, more than Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
4listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II4
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
28%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
91
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Greenhalgh Castle and 2 more in and around Forton
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Forton. Best known first.
CastleGreenhalgh Castle4.2 km outside town, to the south
Historic houseWyresdale Park1.4 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseThurnham Hall4.5 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Greenhalgh Castle: Dr Greg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wyresdale Park: Craftyvintagedan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thurnham Hall: Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Forton
13pages on Forton
The big questions
Safety33.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £310K · rent £743 a monthHousing14 sold in 12 months · busiest street Umpire DriveSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 80.9 (men), 81.8 (women)Work & commute46% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Forton’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
GalgateGarstangBailriggBondsCatterallOvertonPillingForton
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forton | 440 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Galgate | 2,085 | 2.9 | — | C | B+ | B |
| Garstang | 5,804 | 3.2 | B | D | B+ | B− |
| Bailrigg | 4,788 | 4 | A | D | A+ | B |
| Bonds | 1,237 | 4 | — | D | A+ | B− |
| Catterall | 2,800 | 5.2 | B | C− | B− | B |
| Overton | 1,016 | 5.5 | — | C | C+ | C− |
| Pilling | 1,699 | 5.8 | — | D | A | C+ |
Galgate, Bonds, Overton and Pilling have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Forton
How many listed buildings are there in Forton?
That is 3.7 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Forton expensive to live in?
By type: terraced houses £183,000, semi-detached houses £238,000 and detached houses £382,000. Private rents in the Wyre council area averaged £743 a month in August 2026.
About Forton
Village in Lancashire, England
Forton is a built-up area of 440 people, in the Wyre 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
- Population
- 440 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wyre
- County
- Lancashire
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000623
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.