Town Pop. 28,874

Living in Heywood: Liveability Score 53/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Heywood is 53/100, built from 9 categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 77/100 against a national town median of 18/100. Safety falls furthest short: 18/100 where the typical UK town reaches 88/100.

Heywood places 3rd of 4 in the BL9 postcode district. Against the wider BL9 district average of 61/100, that is 8 points below. On the national picture that lands Heywood in the top quarter of all the places we score. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the BL9 postcode district.

53
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.

Heywood scores 53 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Heywood.
Or compare:
BL9 0AD BL9 5AB BL9 6AB BL9 7AF BL9 8AA BL9 9AA BL9 M24 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
65
Air Quality NO₂ 12.6 · PM2.5 7.2 · PM10 12 µg/m³
67
Green Space 60
Parks Ample 32
Sports Pitches Ample 18
Allotments Adequate 3
Golf Courses Ample 3
Tennis Courts Adequate 3
Bowling Greens Ample 6
Playgrounds Ample 12

Services

Schools
71
Top 10 by Ofsted rating · 22 in area · 35 within 4km
3Outstanding14Good4Requires Improvement1Ungraded
  • All Souls Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Outstanding
  • Hopwood Community Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • St Michael's Church of England Primary School, BamfordPrimary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • East Ward Community Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2021
    Good
  • Fairfield Community Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Harwood Park Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • Hazel Wood High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Heap Bridge Village Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England CollegeSecondary · inspected 2022
    Good
  • Matthew Moss High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2024
    Good

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

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

Healthcare
77
A&E departmentsFairfield Hospital0.5 mi
The Royal Oldham Hospital3.5 mi
North Manchester General Hospital3.6 mi
Hospital waitsNorthern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust0.3 mi
Routine referral (median)13 wks
Treated within 18 weeks59.4%
A&E seen within 4 hrs73.6%
5 GP surgeries in area 11 within 4km best 'Good'
GP capacity1,597 patients per GP
7dentists6pharmacies

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
54
Full fibre (FTTP)74.2%
available across Rochdale
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
95.4%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
95.6%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.4%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 736 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
28
Employment rate57.1%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed57.1%Unemployed3.6%Retired20.5%Student4.1%Other inactive14.7%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial29.2%Skilled & technical34%Routine & elementary36.8%
Highest qualification (16+)
No qualifications23.1%Level 1 (1–4 GCSEs)11.3%Level 2 (5+ GCSEs)15.3%Level 3 (A levels)17.6%Level 4+ (degree & above)23.4%Apprenticeship6.8%Other (incl. vocational)2.5%
Home ownership57.1%
Among the most-deprived 28% 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
64
Castleton 2.1 mi
Rochdale 3.5 mi
Mills Hill 3.5 mi
J19 M62 1.2 mi
J19 M62 1.2 mi
J2 M66 1.9 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
44
Pubs & Bars Ample 9
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 15
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 9
Retail Shopping Adequate 16
Takeaways Adequate 6
Fitness Some 1

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House Prices

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

Type Median price Sales
All dwellings £185,000 183
Detached £355,000 31
Semi-detached £230,000 49
Terraced £161,000 96
5-year monthly trend
All Detached Semi Terraced Flat
£129k £207k £286k £364k 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

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

Nearby places

Birch 49 1.4 mi away ⇄
Trub 54 2.3 mi away ⇄
Slattocks 52 2.8 mi away ⇄
Middleton (Rochdale) 65 2.9 mi away ⇄
Simister 55 2.9 mi away ⇄
Rhodes 54 3.1 mi away ⇄
Bury (Bury) 63 3.1 mi away ⇄
Rochdale 61 3.2 mi away ⇄
Whitefield 66 3.8 mi away ⇄
Radcliffe 63 4.4 mi away ⇄
Royton 66 4.6 mi away ⇄
Chadderton 70 4.6 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Heywood a nice place to live?

Heywood is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Heywood is 53/100, 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 Heywood?

Crime levels in Heywood 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 Heywood?

Among the top-rated schools in Heywood are All Souls Church of England Primary School, Hopwood Community Primary School and St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 22 rated schools in Heywood in total.

What are house prices like in Heywood?

The current median house price in Heywood is £185,000, around 35% below the England and Wales average. By property type: detached £355,000, semi-detached £230,000, terraced £161,000. Over the past five years, prices have risen by around 16%. There were 183 sales recorded in the past 12 months.

Heywood in context

See the best places to live in Greater Manchester, ranked

Postcode districts in Heywood

BL9 61 ⇄
M24 63 ⇄
OL10 54 ⇄

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