Rainford, #1 on this list · Photo: Rept0n1x · CC BY-SA 3.0

Merseyside rankings · Civic life

Towns with the most civic life in Merseyside

Rainford ranks first on civic life among Merseyside’s 25 towns of 2,500+; 4 of the 25 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The Civic life Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): local registered charities per 1,000 residents and the share living within 1 km of a public library. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

Rainford

5,573 people

Better than 88% of UK towns·#302 of 2,156 in England and Wales

West Kirby

13,383 people

A⁻

Better than 81% of UK towns·#533 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Heswall

29,082 people

A⁻

Better than 80% of UK towns·#556 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 25 towns, ranked

Civic life grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in Merseyside →

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25 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Rainford5,573 peopleA#302 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 88% of UK towns

2West Kirby13,383 peopleA⁻#533 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns

3Heswall29,082 peopleA⁻#556 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 80% of UK towns

4Greasby9,175 peopleA⁻#574 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 80% of UK towns

5Formby22,892 peopleB⁺#728 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 71% of UK towns

6Aintree6,212 peopleB#874 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 62% of UK towns

7Liverpool506,564 peopleB⁻#1,178 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 47% of UK towns

8Bebington57,607 peopleC⁺#1,277 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 43% of UK towns

9Crosby50,218 peopleC⁺#1,336 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns

10Hoylake5,311 peopleC⁺#1,389 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 38% of UK towns

11Wallasey85,619 peopleC⁺#1,392 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 38% of UK towns

12Birkenhead109,854 peopleC⁺#1,414 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 37% of UK towns

T13Billinge4,963 peopleC⁺#1,428 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns

T13Haydock16,143 peopleC⁺#1,428 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 36% of UK towns

15Prescot39,227 peopleC#1,468 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 34% of UK towns

16Bootle53,722 peopleC#1,550 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 31% of UK towns

17Southport94,438 peopleC#1,563 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 30% of UK towns

18Meols5,023 peopleC#1,611 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns

19St Helens107,684 peopleC#1,665 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 26% of UK towns

20Newton-le-Willows24,651 peopleC⁻#1,736 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 23% of UK towns

21Huyton with Roby59,844 peopleC⁻#1,827 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 19% of UK towns

22Kirkby45,559 peopleC⁻#1,863 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 16% of UK towns

23Lydiate6,516 peopleD#2,006 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 9% of UK towns

24Maghull20,367 peopleD#2,044 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 7% of UK towns

25Litherland18,752 peopleD#2,067 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 6% of UK towns

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which town in Merseyside has the most civic life?

Rainford ranks first on civic life among 25 towns, with an A: better than 88% of UK towns. West Kirby and Heswall follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The Civic life Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): local registered charities per 1,000 residents and the share living within 1 km of a public library. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Merseyside’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Merseyside is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Merseyside lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Merseyside rankings →

Best places to live25 towns · #1 Greasby Most affordable towns25 towns · #1 Birkenhead Safest towns25 towns · #1 Greasby Towns with the best schools25 towns · #1 Hoylake Healthiest towns25 towns · #1 West Kirby Best towns for jobs & income25 towns · #1 Meols Most walkable towns25 towns · #1 Liverpool Towns with the lowest flood risk25 towns · #1 Aintree and 4 more Best towns for the outdoors25 towns · #1 Litherland Most historic towns25 towns · #1 Southport Towns with the highest household incomes25 towns · #1 FormbyDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax25 towns · #1 Haydock and Newton-le-WillowsDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters25 towns · #1 HoylakeDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers25 towns · #1 St HelensDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers25 towns · #1 FormbyDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts25 towns · #1 MeolsDescribed, no letters Driest towns25 towns · #1 Hoylake and MeolsDescribed, no letters Wettest towns25 towns · #1 BillingeDescribed, no letters

Sources: 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.