Town Pop. 107,642

Living in Rochdale: Liveability Score 61/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Rochdale comes out at 61/100 on the 9 categories we can score here. Healthcare is where Rochdale most outperforms the national norm: 83/100 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.

No other settlement in the OL10 postcode district scores higher. Rochdale leads all 3. It scores 7 points above the OL10 postcode district as a whole, which averages 54/100. That sits 11 points above the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the top 10% of the towns and villages we score. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the OL10 postcode district.

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.

Loading map…

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.

Rochdale scores 61 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Rochdale.

Or compare:

OL10 1AA OL10 2AA OL10 3AA OL10 4AA OL10 9AN OL10 OL11 OL12 OL15

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety

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

Air Quality NO₂ 10.9 · PM2.5 6.9 · PM10 10.8 µg/m³

Green Space 80

Parks Ample 44

Sports Pitches Ample 41

Allotments Ample 10

Golf Courses Ample 5

Tennis Courts Ample 8

Bowling Greens Ample 20

Playgrounds Ample 47

Services

Schools

Top 10 by Ofsted rating · 50 in area

4Outstanding37Good5Requires Improvement1Inadequate3Ungraded

All Souls Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
Outstanding
Caldershaw Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
Outstanding
Kentmere Primary AcademyPrimary · inspected 2024
Outstanding
St Michael's Church of England Primary School, BamfordPrimary · inspected 2024
Outstanding
Alice Ingham Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyPrimary · inspected 2024
Good
All Saints Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2025
Good
Ashfield Valley Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
Good
Bamford AcademyPrimary · inspected 2023
Good
Belfield Community SchoolPrimary · inspected 2025
Good
Brimrod Community Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
Good

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

Healthcare

A&E departmentsFairfield Hospital1.5 mi

The Royal Oldham Hospital2.7 mi

North Manchester General Hospital5.1 mi

Hospital waitsNorthern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust0.6 mi

Routine referral (median)13 wks

Treated within 18 weeks59.4%

A&E seen within 4 hrs73.6%

17 GP surgeries in area 18 within 4km best 'Good'

GP capacity1,711 patients per GP

15dentists26pharmacies

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

Full fibre (FTTP)74.2%

available across Rochdale

Gigabit-capable · incl. cable

93.3%

Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)

94.3%

Superfast (30+ Mbps)

99.8%

Ofcom Connected Nations · 2,334 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health

Employment rate51.9%

Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+

Economic activity (16+)

Employed51.9%Unemployed4%Retired19%Student6.2%Other inactive18.9%

Occupation mix

Professional & managerial32.1%Skilled & technical33.7%Routine & elementary34.2%

Highest qualification (16+)

No qualifications23.8%Level 1 (1–4 GCSEs)10.5%Level 2 (5+ GCSEs)13.6%Level 3 (A levels)16.3%Level 4+ (degree & above)27.1%Apprenticeship5.6%Other (incl. vocational)3.2%

Home ownership59.7%

Among the most-deprived 27% of areas in England

Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD

Bills

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

Rochdale 0.6 mi

Castleton 1.6 mi

Smithy Bridge 2.4 mi

J4 A627(M) 1.1 mi

J20 M62 1.9 mi

J3 A627(M) 1.9 mi

Lifestyle

Pubs & Bars Ample 35

Restaurants & Cafes Ample 20

Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 35

Retail Shopping Ample 115

Takeaways Ample 19

Fitness Ample 8

Places like Rochdale Pro

Pick the categories you want to beat. Pro members see the most similar settlements that score higher in all of them.

Find somewhere like Rochdale, but with a higher score in …

ProSimilar settlements is a Pro featureUpgrade to Pro

House Prices

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

Type	Median price	Sales
All dwellings	£195,000	503
Detached	£323,000	115
Semi-detached	£207,000	161
Terraced	£155,000	198
Flat / Maisonette	£105,000	29

5-year monthly trend

All Detached Semi Terraced Flat

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

Frequently asked questions

Is Rochdale a nice place to live?

Rochdale is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Rochdale is 61/100, 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 Rochdale?

Crime levels in Rochdale 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 Rochdale?

Among the top-rated schools in Rochdale are All Souls Church of England Primary School, Caldershaw Primary School and Kentmere Primary Academy, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 50 rated schools in Rochdale in total.

What are house prices like in Rochdale?

The current median house price in Rochdale is £195,000, around 32% below the England and Wales average. By property type: detached £323,000, semi-detached £207,000, terraced £155,000, flat £105,000. Over the past five years, prices have risen by around 25%. There were 503 sales recorded in the past 12 months.