Withnell’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Withnell’s built-up area.
66% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
WithnellLancashire
A village of 853 in Lancashire, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
853
Census 2021 · Chorley council
Median home
£226K
46 sales in 3 years
Median age
45.5
21% are 65+ · Lancashire 20%
Degree level
40%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Withnell a good place to live?
Withnell has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Withnell stand out
The 3 things Withnell 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
12% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Own outright
Housing
42% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Withnell.
Work & commute
Work tends to be further away for Withnell: 14% commute under 5 km, below Lancashire’s towns and 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.
Household income came to £57K a year before tax, above Lancashire’s towns (£48K) and close to England’s towns (£55K). At the census, just over one in ten commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train. 1.5% of people aged 16 to 64 were on unemployment benefits in 2026.
12%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving84%
On foot8%
Bus2%
Train1%
Bicycle1%
14%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
28%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£57K
mean household income, before tax
1.5%
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 Withnell
62% of pupils at the 5 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell’s results beat nearly nine in ten schools in England like it. There is one school here; it is shown below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, WithnellLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 92 | A |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Most households in Withnell own their home: 81%, more than in Lancashire’s towns and across England’s towns
Social housing holds 6% of households, below both Lancashire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). Just over one in ten households are private tenants. The median sale, £225,500, comes from 46 standard sales inside Withnell’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
£226Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Withnell£226K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £377,000 | 6 |
| Terraced | £210,500 | 37 |
81%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£798
average private rent a month, Chorley council area
£2,431
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
Withnell records less violent crime per resident than Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns, at 14.1 per 1,000 a year
19 crimes and 1 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Withnell’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. There were 4.3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both Lancashire’s towns (17.3) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences were 47% of the crimes.
14.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual9
Damage & arson3
Public order2
Burglary2
Other theft1
Vehicle crime1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social1
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.
14.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
19
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
Bad health is less common in Withnell than in Lancashire’s towns or across England’s towns: 4% of residents
At the census, 84% of people in Withnell called their health good or very good, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%). One GP practice serves the town; 96% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. A disability affects 17% of people here.
84%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Withnell | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 20% | 17% |
80.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Old homes shape Withnell: 66% were built before 1919, more than in Lancashire’s towns and across England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Withnell has 1 listed building on Historic England’s list, all Grade II. For its size, Withnell has 12 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (15) and England’s towns (39).
1listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
66%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
12
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
Few people in Withnell are 15 to 24: 8.8%, fewer than in Lancashire’s towns and across England’s towns
Two in five adults hold a degree. People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). Under 15: 16% of residents. Line up the people of Withnell by age and the one in the middle is 45.5.
45.5median age
WithnellLancashireEngland
Ages · share of residents
21%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar21%
Degree level40%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Withnell | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.8% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 40% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Withnell
12pages on Withnell
The big questions
Safety14.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £226K · rent £798 a monthHousing16 sold in 12 months · busiest street Bury LaneSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 80.9 (men), 84.4 (women)Work & commute43% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Withnell’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BrinscallWhittle-le-WoodsGregson LaneDarwenCoup GreenChorleyBlackburnWithnell
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Withnell | 853 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brinscall | 1,332 | 0.6 | — | B | A− | A− |
| Whittle-le-Woods | 4,388 | 3.3 | A− | B | B− | B+ |
| Gregson Lane | 2,073 | 3.6 | — | A | A− | B+ |
| Darwen | 27,897 | 3.7 | D | B+ | D | D |
| Coup Green | 1,208 | 4.1 | — | A− | A− | B+ |
| Chorley | 39,539 | 4.2 | B− | A | D | D |
| Blackburn | 124,958 | 4.5 | C− | B | D | D |
Brinscall, Gregson Lane and Coup Green have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Withnell
How many listed buildings are there in Withnell?
1 on Historic England’s list.
Is Withnell expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £225,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £210,500 and detached houses £377,000. Private rents in the Chorley council area averaged £798 a month in August 2026.
Who lives in Withnell?
At the 2021 Census, 8.8% of Withnell’s 853 residents were 15 to 24 and 21% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
About Withnell
Village in Lancashire, England
Withnell is a built-up area of 853 people, in the Chorley 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
- 853 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Chorley
- County
- Lancashire
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000954
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.