Town Pop. 367

Living in Birch: Liveability Score 49/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Birch is 49/100, built from 9 categories. Healthcare is where Birch most outperforms the national norm: 66/100 against a median of 18/100 across UK towns. Furthest below the national norm is safety, at 18/100 against a town median of 88/100.

Of the 3 places sharing the OL10 postcode district, Birch scores lowest. Against the wider OL10 district average of 54/100, that is 5 points below. On healthcare specifically, Birch sits 10 points below the OL10 district figure of 76/100. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the OL10 postcode district.

49
OUT OF 100
Below Avg
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

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Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

Birch scores 49 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Birch.
Or compare:
OL10 1AA OL10 2AA OL10 3AA OL10 4AA OL10 9AN OL10

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
18
111.1 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents · year ending Dec 2025

The police force covering this area doesn't publish street-level crime data, so this is a district-level estimate based on Home Office recorded-crime totals for Rochdale. It's a different source from the rest of the map and can't be broken down by location or crime type.

Source: data.police.uk · England & Wales only

Environment
67
Air Quality NO₂ 14.1 · PM2.5 7.4 · PM10 13.2 µg/m³
64
Green Space 67
Parks Ample 44
Sports Pitches Adequate 2
Allotments None
Golf Courses Adequate 2
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds None

Services

Schools
63
4 schools in area · 43 within 4km
1Outstanding1Good2Requires Improvement
  • Bowlee Park Community Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Outstanding
  • St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, MiddletonPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Edgar Wood AcademySecondary · inspected 2023
    Requires Improvement
  • Newhouse AcademySecondary · inspected 2023
    Requires Improvement

Score reflects proximity-weighted access to rated schools within 4km: areas with more nearby schools score higher regardless of settlement boundary.

Healthcare
66
A&E departmentsFairfield Hospital2.2 mi
North Manchester General Hospital3 mi
The Royal Oldham Hospital4.1 mi
Hospital waitsNorthern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust1 mi
Routine referral (median)13 wks
Treated within 18 weeks59.4%
A&E seen within 4 hrs73.6%
Nearest GP surgeryWoodside Medical Centre1 mi
GP capacity3,588 patients per GP
0dentists0pharmacies

Score reflects proximity to CQC-rated GP surgeries and hospitals, not facility count. Dentists and pharmacies are shown for context but don't affect the score.

Broadband
18
Full fibre (FTTP)74.2%
available across Rochdale
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
73%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
73%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
74.5%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 10 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
63
Employment rate63.2%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed63.2%Unemployed2.4%Retired21.5%Student4%Other inactive8.8%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial42.4%Skilled & technical34.9%Routine & elementary22.6%
Highest qualification (16+)
No qualifications16.6%Level 1 (1–4 GCSEs)8.9%Level 2 (5+ GCSEs)14.1%Level 3 (A levels)19%Level 4+ (degree & above)32.7%Apprenticeship6.2%Other (incl. vocational)2.5%
Home ownership81.9%
Among the least-deprived 37% of areas in England
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
34
Council tax Rochdale · 2026-27
A £1,734
B £2,023
C £2,312
D £2,601
E £3,179
F £3,757
G £4,335
H £5,202
Energy North West England region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band D
Water United Utilities
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
61
Mills Hill 2.6 mi
Castleton 2.7 mi
Moston 3.9 mi
J19 M62 0.7 mi
J19 M62 1.4 mi
J18 M62 1.5 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
51
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes Some 3
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 4
Retail Shopping Some 2
Takeaways Adequate 6
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not enough recent sales

Fewer than 10 sales were recorded in Birch in the last 12 months, which isn't enough for a reliable median. Smaller villages often fall below this in any given year. Figures come from HM Land Registry Price Paid data and are updated monthly, so this may fill in later.

Nearby places

Heywood 53 1.4 mi away ⇄
Simister 55 1.6 mi away ⇄
Rhodes 54 1.7 mi away ⇄
Middleton (Rochdale) 65 1.8 mi away ⇄
Trub 54 2.4 mi away ⇄
Slattocks 52 2.4 mi away ⇄
Whitefield 66 2.9 mi away ⇄
Prestwich 66 3.4 mi away ⇄
Bury (Bury) 63 3.5 mi away ⇄
Chadderton 70 3.7 mi away ⇄
Radcliffe 63 4.1 mi away ⇄
Rochdale 61 4.2 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Birch a nice place to live?

Birch has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Birch is 49/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

How safe is Birch?

Crime levels in Birch are high relative to the national average. Our safety score is 18/100. There were 24,843 crimes recorded in the area over the past 12 months.

What are the best schools in Birch?

Among the top-rated schools in Birch are Bowlee Park Community Primary School and St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Middleton, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 4 rated schools in Birch in total.

Birch in context

See the best places to live in Greater Manchester, ranked

Postcode districts in Birch

OL10 54 ⇄

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