Sough’s story
4 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Sough’s built-up area.
49% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
SoughLancashire
A village in Lancashire, North West, home to 507 people.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Dr Neil Clifton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
507
Census 2021 · Pendle council
Median home
£162K
37 sales in 3 years
Median age
51.6
27% are 65+ · Lancashire 20%
Degree level
27%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Sough a good place to live?
Sough has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. 49% of its homes date from before 1919. On the way to work, 11% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Homes sell for a median £162,000.
What makes Sough stand out
The 3 things Sough does most differently from other towns.
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
11% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
42% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sough.
Work & commute
The car carries 88% of commuters in Sough, more than in both Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
29% of commuters travelled under 5 km, below Lancashire’s towns (49%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. Before tax, the average household brings in £44K a year. In 2026, 1.9% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot6%
Bicycle3%
Bus2%
29%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
22%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£44K
mean household income, before tax
1.9%
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
Schools
The schools around Sough
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. The town has one school, shown below. At the 9 primary schools within 3 km, 61% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelbrook Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 96 | B |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Most households in Sough own their home: 80%, more than in both Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
Social housing holds 4% of households, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). The private rented sector houses 16% of households. Private rents average £670 a month across the Pendle council area.
£162Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Sough£162K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £145,000 | 30 |
80%
of households own their home · England 61%
16%
rent privately · England 21%
£670
average private rent a month, Pendle council area
£2,550
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
Burglary and damage hit Sough harder than Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns: 18.4 per 1,000 residents a year
Violence and sexual offences were 54% of the crimes. 26 crimes and 6 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Sough’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. 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).
19.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual14
Vehicle crime8
Other theft2
Damage & arson1
Burglary1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Drugs0
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.
19.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
18.4
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)
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
Just 3.9% of people in Sough say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in both Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
The nearest A&E to Sough is Airedale General Hospital, 7.6 miles away. 86% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above both Lancashire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%). A disability affects 17% of people here. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 1.6 miles off.
86%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 86%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Sough | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.9% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 20% | 17% |
80.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85
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.
History
All 4 of Sough’s listed buildings are Grade II
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
49%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
79
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Sough than in Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns: 11% are under 15
Degrees are held by 27% of adults, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%). Retirement age and beyond: 27% of residents are 65 or older. Line up the people of Sough by age and the one in the middle is 51.6. Young adults of 15 to 24 are a tenth of the population.
51.6median age
SoughLancashireEngland
Ages · share of residents
27%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar20%
Degree level27%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Sough | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.7% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.9% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sough
14pages on Sough
The big questions
Safety19.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £162K · rent £670 a monthHousing9 sold in 12 months · busiest street Colne RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 80.2 (men), 85 (women)Work & commute41% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Sough’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
EarbyBarnoldswickFoulridgeColneTrawdenCowlingBarrowfordSough
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sough | 507 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Earby | 4,416 | 0.6 | C | B | B− | C |
| Barnoldswick | 10,915 | 1.8 | C+ | B | B− | C |
| Foulridge | 1,212 | 2.2 | — | C | B+ | B |
| Colne | 18,914 | 3.4 | D | B+ | D | D |
| Trawden | 1,204 | 4.3 | — | C+ | C | B |
| Cowling | 1,439 | 4.6 | — | B+ | B | A− |
| Barrowford | 5,887 | 4.8 | C+ | B | C+ | A− |
Foulridge, Trawden and Cowling have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Sough
How many listed buildings are there in Sough?
That is 3.2 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Sough?
Band D council tax in Sough is £2,550 for 2026–27, more than in 76% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Sough
Village in Lancashire, England
Sough is a built-up area of 507 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
- Population
- 507 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Pendle
- County
- Lancashire
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000672
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.