Overton’s story
9 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Overton’s built-up area.
15% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
OvertonLancashire
A village of 1,016 in Lancashire, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,016
Census 2021 · Lancaster council
Median home
£223K
41 sales in 3 years
Median age
52.4
27% are 65+ · Lancashire 20%
Degree level
33%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Overton a good place to live?
Overton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its weakest is jobs & income (D−): mean household income £44,477; 3.6% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. The median home sold for £223,000 in the last three years, 5.1 times what households in the Lancaster council area earn in a year.
What makes Overton stand out
The 3 things Overton does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
9% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St. Helen; 3.6 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
27% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How Overton grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Overton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeD−Open →Hazard risk4.6% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaDOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 17% of towns in EnglandDOpen →WalkabilityC−Open →HealthLife expectancy 77.1 for men, 80.5 for womenC−Open →Cost of livingCOpen →SafetyC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryB−Open →Outdoors0% live within 400 m of a park; 0.1 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsDOpen →Civic life3 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryC+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Lancaster Castle and 16 more in and around Overton
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Overton. Best known first.
CastleLancaster Castle4.8 km outside town, to the northeast
Abbey or prioryCockersand Abbey3.7 km outside town, to the south
MuseumJudges' Lodgings Museum4.9 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumLancaster City Museum4.9 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseThurnham Hall3.6 km outside town, to the southeast
Art galleryPeter Scott Gallery4.5 km outside town, to the eastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Lancaster Castle: The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cockersand Abbey: John Darch, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Judges' Lodgings Museum: The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lancaster City Museum: The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thurnham Hall: Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Peter Scott Gallery: Photograph by Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent. (www.clemrutter.net)., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Overton.
Who lives here
Children make up only 12% of Overton, fewer than in both Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
Aged 15 to 24: one in ten residents. 27% of residents are 65 or over, above Lancashire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The middle age in Overton is 52.4.
52.4median age
OvertonLancashireEngland
Ages · share of residents
27%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications17%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level33%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Overton | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.5% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsD
Overton’s schools fall behind 88% of towns in England on results
54% of pupils at the 2 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). There is one school here; it is shown below. Its one primary school teaches 161 pupils.
DSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overton St Helen's Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 161 | C− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Only 9% of commuters in Overton go to work without a car, fewer than in both Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 25% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For 30% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. 88% of commuters drove, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). There are 0.6 jobs in Overton for each resident in work.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot6%
Bicycle2%
Bus1%
30%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
25%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£44K
mean household income, before tax
3.6%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C−
Walkability: more walkable than 17% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
Overton’s life expectancy trails 88% of UK towns
Overton has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3 miles away. 78% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below both Lancashire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%). Disability touches just over a fifth of the town’s population.
78%good or very good healthC−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Overton | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.3% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 20% | 17% |
77.1
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
80.5
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
HousingCost of living grade C
Most households in Overton own their home: 79%, more than in both Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
3% live in social housing, below Lancashire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £823 a month across the Lancaster council area. Also worth knowing: half of the 41 standard sales inside Overton’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £223,000.
£223Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Overton£223K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £300,000 | 19 |
| Semi-detached | £172,500 | 18 |
79%
of households own their home · England 61%
18%
rent privately · England 21%
£823
average private rent a month, Lancaster council area
£2,491
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
Homes in Overton see more burglary and damage than in Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns: 13.1 per 1,000 a year
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 11.8 reports per 1,000, lower than Lancashire’s towns (17.3) yet higher than England’s towns (7.8). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 48 crimes and 7 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Overton’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences were 60% of the crimes.
23.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 22% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual29
Damage & arson5
Burglary5
Other crime3
Public order2
Other theft2
Vehicle crime2
Shoplifting0
Anti-social7
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.
23.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
48
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.
History
Overton’s listed buildings include the Church of St. Helen, Grade II*
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
For its size, Overton has 89 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. 15% of its homes were built before 1919, below Lancashire’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (16%) alike.
9listed buildingsB−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II8
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St. Helen Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
15%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
89
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Overton
14pages on Overton
The big questions
SafetyC+23.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingCMedian home £223K · rent £823 a monthHousing11 sold in 12 months · busiest street Chapel ViewSchoolsD1 state schoolHealthC−Life expectancy 77.1 (men), 80.5 (women)Work & commuteD−43% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsD4.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Overton’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
HeyshamBailriggGalgateLancasterMorecambeHaltonPillingOverton
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overton | 1,016 | — | — | C | C+ | C− |
| Heysham | 16,593 | 2.8 | D | C+ | C− | D |
| Bailrigg | 4,788 | 3.1 | A | D | A+ | B |
| Galgate | 2,085 | 3.3 | — | C | B+ | B |
| Lancaster | 52,646 | 3.5 | C+ | B− | D | C− |
| Morecambe | 32,745 | 3.8 | D− | C+ | D | D |
| Halton | 2,652 | 6.2 | B− | D | A− | A |
| Pilling | 1,699 | 6.2 | — | D | A | C+ |
Galgate 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 Overton
How many listed buildings are there in Overton?
That is 3.6 times the typical UK town for its size.
Does Overton flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Are schools in Overton good?
Primary results trail 83% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Lancashire council.
About Overton
Village in Lancashire, England
Overton is a built-up area of 1,016 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
- Population
- 1,016 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Lancaster
- County
- Lancashire
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000580
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.