Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 851: a village in Lancashire, North West.
There are no grades for Ribchester: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. Nearly half of its homes date from before 1919. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 14% of commuters.
The 3 things Ribchester does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Ribchester’s built-up area, along with 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 Ribchester.
Those 65 and older account for 24% of residents. Children under 15 make up 16%, below both Lancashire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Add to that, the share aged 15 to 24 is 9.5%. At 49.1, the median resident of Ribchester sits in the middle of the age range.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Ribchester | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.4% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
There is one school here; it is shown below. At the 2 primary schools within 3 km, 53% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). 96 pupils attend Ribchester’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ribchester St Wilfrid's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 96 | D |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
In 2026, 1.1% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits. 83% of commuters drove, above both Lancashire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). Work in town: 8% of resident commuters. There are 0.7 jobs in Ribchester for each resident in work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Households that own their home make up 71%. Half the homes sold went for more than £211K, below Lancashire’s towns (£231K) and England’s towns (£308K) alike. Private rents average £818 a month across the Ribble Valley council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £400,000 | 7 |
| Semi-detached | £250,000 | 8 |
| Terraced | £195,000 | 11 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Police recorded 42 crimes inside Ribchester’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 8 reports of anti-social behaviour. Two fifths of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. There were 13.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Lancashire’s towns (17.3) but above 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.
84% of Ribchester’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%). A disability affects 15% of people here. The nearest A&E to Ribchester is Royal Blackburn Hospital, 6 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Ribchester | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Ribchester has 165 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Its listed buildings include the Church of St Wilfrid, Grade I. Of the town’s land, 51% lies in conservation areas, above both Lancashire’s towns (2%) and England’s towns (7%). It has 14 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Ribchester. Best known first.
MuseumRibchester Roman Museumin town
Historic houseSamlesbury Hall4.9 km outside town, to the southwestHistoric siteHistoric siteF35 Lightning II (replica)3.9 km outside town, to the southwestHistoric siteHistoric siteLightning XS921 (replica)3.9 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
3 notable people were born in Ribchester.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribchester | 851 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Myerscough Smithy | 2,409 | 2.6 | — | A | A | A |
| Longridge | 8,739 | 3 | A− | A | C | C+ |
| Old Langho | 1,072 | 3.3 | — | B− | A+ | A− |
| Langho | 1,723 | 3.5 | — | A | B | A |
| Grimsargh | 2,594 | 4 | C+ | C− | B− | B− |
| Billington | 1,743 | 4.6 | — | A | A | A− |
| Whalley | 3,411 | 4.9 | B | B− | C− | A− |
Myerscough Smithy, Old Langho, Langho and Billington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 6.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Wilfrid. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
By type: terraced houses £195,000, semi-detached houses £250,000 and detached houses £400,000.
Village in Lancashire, England
Ribchester is a built-up area of 851 people, in the Ribble Valley 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.