Town Pop. 78,516

Living in Burnley: Liveability Score 60/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Burnley comes out at 60/100 on the 9 categories we can score here. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 76/100 against a national town median of 18/100. The biggest shortfall against other towns is safety: 20/100 versus a median of 88/100.

Among the 4 scored places sharing the BB10 postcode district, Burnley ranks 2nd. That is 10 points above the national benchmark of 50, the top 10% of all UK towns and villages. Wider context for the surrounding area: BB10 postcode district.

60
OUT OF 100
Average
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.

Burnley scores 60 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Burnley.
Or compare:
BB10 1AA BB10 2AA BB10 3AA BB10 4AA BB10 BB11 BB12

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
20
165.3 crimes per 1,000 residents · last 12 months Above the England & Wales average of 94.3
Crime rate vs national average · last 12 months
Violence and sexual offences 4,287 crimes
↑ 64% above national average
Anti-social behaviour 3,183 crimes
↑ 166% above national average
Shoplifting 1,087 crimes
↑ 77% above national average
Criminal damage and arson 958 crimes
↑ 79% above national average
Burglary 670 crimes
↑ 143% above national average
other 2,791 crimes
Highest-crime locations
Loading map…
  1. 1 Parking Area 635 crimes
  2. 2 Petrol Station 626 crimes
  3. 3 Supermarket 351 crimes

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

Environment
74
Air Quality NO₂ 7.9 · PM2.5 6.3 · PM10 9.6 µg/m³
74
Green Space 76
Parks Ample 98
Sports Pitches Ample 47
Allotments Ample 7
Golf Courses Ample 3
Tennis Courts Ample 8
Bowling Greens Ample 18
Playgrounds Ample 47

Services

Schools
77
Top 10 by Ofsted rating · 51 in area
8Outstanding33Good5Requires Improvement5Ungraded
  • Basnett Street Nursery SchoolNursery · inspected 2025
    Outstanding
  • Broadfield Specialist SchoolSpecial · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Holly Grove SchoolSpecial · inspected 2023
    Outstanding
  • Ightenhill Nursery SchoolNursery · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Rockwood Nursery SchoolNursery · inspected 2025
    Outstanding
  • Rosegrove Nursery SchoolNursery · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Stoneyholme Nursery SchoolNursery · inspected 2023
    Outstanding
  • Whitegate Nursery SchoolNursery · inspected 2025
    Outstanding
  • Barden Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • Burnley Brunshaw Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
    Good

Ungraded: inspected, but Ofsted no longer issues a single overall grade (since Sept 2024).

Healthcare
76
A&E departmentsBurnley General Hospitalin area
Airedale General Hospital11 mi
Fairfield Hospital11.8 mi
Hospital waitsEast Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust0.1 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks70%
A&E seen within 4 hrs81.3%
10 GP surgeries in area 11 within 4km best 'Good'
GP capacity2,849 patients per GP
12dentists19pharmacies

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
77
Full fibre (FTTP)89.3%
available across Burnley
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
97.5%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
97.5%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.2%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 1,589 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
29
Employment rate53%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed53%Unemployed3.5%Retired21.7%Student4.9%Other inactive16.9%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial29.5%Skilled & technical31.9%Routine & elementary38.7%
Highest qualification (16+)
No qualifications24.5%Level 1 (1–4 GCSEs)11%Level 2 (5+ GCSEs)13.7%Level 3 (A levels)16.6%Level 4+ (degree & above)24.8%Apprenticeship6.4%Other (incl. vocational)3.1%
Home ownership61.5%
Among the most-deprived 27% of areas in England
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
39
Council tax Burnley · 2026-27
A £1,699
B £1,983
C £2,266
D £2,549
E £3,115
F £3,682
G £4,248
H £5,098
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
73
Burnley Central 0.1 mi
Burnley Barracks 0.5 mi
Burnley Manchester Road 0.5 mi
J10 M65 0.5 mi
J11 M65 0.7 mi
J10 M65 1.4 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
62
Pubs & Bars Ample 34
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 26
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 20
Retail Shopping Ample 82
Takeaways Ample 14
Fitness Ample 6

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House Prices

Current median sale prices · last 12 months · England & Wales only

Type Median price Sales
All dwellings £133,000 466
Detached £310,000 74
Semi-detached £182,000 127
Terraced £95,000 252
Flat / Maisonette £85,000 13
5-year monthly trend
All Detached Semi Terraced Flat
£69k £149k £231k £311k 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (OGL v3.0)

Nearby places

Brierfield 62 2.3 mi away ⇄
Worsthorne 49 2.3 mi away ⇄
Hapton 49 2.6 mi away ⇄
Padiham 50 2.7 mi away ⇄
Higham (Pendle) 54 2.9 mi away ⇄
Fence 58 3.0 mi away ⇄
Cliviger 39 3.2 mi away ⇄
Nelson (Pendle) 61 3.5 mi away ⇄
Simonstone 46 3.9 mi away ⇄
Altham 47 4.1 mi away ⇄
Barrowford 60 4.2 mi away ⇄
Huncoat 46 4.3 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Burnley a nice place to live?

Burnley is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Burnley is 60/100, placing it among an average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

How safe is Burnley?

Crime levels in Burnley are high relative to the national average. Our safety score is 20/100. There were 12,976 crimes recorded in the area over the past 12 months.

What are the best schools in Burnley?

Among the top-rated schools in Burnley are Basnett Street Nursery School, Broadfield Specialist School and Holly Grove School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 51 rated schools in Burnley in total.

What are house prices like in Burnley?

The current median house price in Burnley is £133,000, around 53% below the England and Wales average. By property type: detached £310,000, semi-detached £182,000, terraced £95,000, flat £85,000. Over the past five years, prices have risen by around 16%. There were 466 sales recorded in the past 12 months.

Burnley in context

See where Burnley ranks among the best places to live in Lancashire

Postcode districts in Burnley

BB10 59 ⇄
BB11 56 ⇄
BB12 54 ⇄

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