Pilling’s story
3 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Pilling’s built-up area.
26% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PillingLancashire
A village of 1,699 in Lancashire, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,699
Census 2021 · Wyre council
Median home
£275K
55 sales in 3 years
Median age
49.7
27% are 65+ · Lancashire 20%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Pilling a good place to live?
Pilling has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is safety (A): 14.3 violent and sexual offences and 3.7 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Its weakest is walkability (D): 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. The median home sold for £275,000 in the last three years, 6.6 times what households in the Wyre council area earn in a year.
What makes Pilling stand out
The 3 things Pilling does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Homes built before 1919
History
26% of homes built before 1919
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
27% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How Pilling grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Pilling is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
WalkabilityDOpen →Cost of livingDOpen →SafetyAOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 29% of towns in England; secondary results beat 30% of towns in EnglandCOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £48,734; 2.1% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsCOpen →HealthLife expectancy 80 for men, 83.2 for womenC+Open →Hazard risk0.1% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History3 listed buildingsC+Open →Outdoors46% live within 400 m of a park; 4.2 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC+Open →Civic life2.4 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryCOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Pilling.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Under 5 km to work: 16% in Pilling, fewer than in both Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 26% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Jobs per working resident: 0.5. The car took nine in ten commuters, above both Lancashire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). About 9% of its commuters stay in Pilling for work.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot4%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
16%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
26%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£49K
mean household income, before tax
2.1%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D
Walkability: more walkable than 7% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
SchoolsC
Exam results at Pilling’s schools trail 75% of towns in England
Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 43.4, and nearly two in five pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. 57% of pupils at the town’s 2 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
CSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 93 | B+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 2 schools →
HousingCost of living grade D
Private renting is less common in Pilling than in Lancashire’s towns or across England’s towns: 11%
Owners make up three quarters of households, above both Lancashire’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £743 a month across the Wyre council area. The £275,000 median rests on 55 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
£275Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Pilling£275K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £325,000 | 23 |
| Semi-detached | £225,350 | 26 |
| Terraced | £208,750 | 6 |
75%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£743
average private rent a month, Wyre council area
£2,521
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Who lives here
Few people in Pilling are 15 to 24: 8.1%, fewer than in both Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
People 65 and over make up 27% of the town, above Lancashire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The median resident of Pilling is 49.7 years old. Graduates make up 31% of adults.
49.7median age
PillingLancashireEngland
Ages · share of residents
27%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship9%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Pilling | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.1% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.7% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Safety
Pilling records less crime per resident than 87% of UK towns
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 51 crimes and 16 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Pilling’s built-up area. Of all the crimes, 49% were violence and sexual offences. There were 17.9 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), close to Lancashire’s towns (17.2) and above England’s towns (7.8).
14.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearASafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 76% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual25
Public order5
Vehicle crime5
Other crime5
Damage & arson3
Other theft3
Drugs2
Weapons2
Anti-social16
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.
14.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
17.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
51
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 Pilling live with a disability than in Lancashire’s towns or across England’s towns: 21%
The nearest A&E to Pilling is Royal Lancaster Infirmary, 8.1 miles away. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 2.7 miles off. Also worth knowing: at the census, 80% of people in Pilling called their health good or very good, near Lancashire’s towns (80%) and lower than England’s towns (82%).
80%good or very good healthC+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Pilling | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.6% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
80
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Pilling keeps more of its old housing than Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns: 26% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Pilling counts 3 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 2 Grade II*. Scaled to its population, that is 18 listed buildings for every 10,000 people here.
3listed buildingsC+History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*2
Grade II1
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St John the Baptist Grade II*
- Old Church of St John Baptist Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
26%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
18
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 Pilling
13pages on Pilling
The big questions
SafetyA14.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingDMedian home £275K · rent £743 a monthHousing13 sold in 12 months · busiest street Garstang RoadSchoolsC2 state schoolsHealthC+Life expectancy 80 (men), 83.2 (women)Work & commuteC49% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB−0.1% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Pilling’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Preesall and Knott End-on-SeaStalmineHambletonFleetwoodThorntonGreat EcclestonGarstangPilling
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilling | 1,699 | — | — | D | A | C+ |
| Preesall and Knott End-on-Sea | 4,679 | 2.7 | D− | C+ | C | C |
| Stalmine | 1,193 | 2.7 | — | D | A− | C |
| Hambleton | 2,428 | 4.1 | — | C− | B | C |
| Fleetwood | 26,224 | 5 | D | B | D | D |
| Thornton | 19,263 | 5.3 | C | B− | C+ | C |
| Great Eccleston | 2,073 | 5.3 | — | D− | B+ | C+ |
| Garstang | 5,804 | 5.4 | B | D | B+ | B− |
Stalmine, Hambleton and Great Eccleston have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Pilling
How many listed buildings are there in Pilling?
3 on Historic England’s list, 2 of them Grade II*.
Who lives in Pilling?
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 27% of residents were 65 or over and 29% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 17% were under 15.
Are schools in Pilling good?
GCSE results trail 70% of towns in England, and primary results trail 71% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Pilling has 2 state schools; places are handled by Lancashire council.
About Pilling
Village in Lancashire, England
Pilling is a built-up area of 1,699 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
- 1,699 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wyre
- County
- Lancashire
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000635
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.