Town Pop. 104,391

Living in St Helens (St. Helens): Liveability Score 61/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

St Helens (St. Helens) scores 61/100 overall, across 9 scored categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 78/100 against a national town median of 18/100. Safety falls furthest short: 27/100 where the typical UK town reaches 88/100.

St Helens (St. Helens) places 3rd of 5 in the L34 postcode district. It scores 8 points below the L34 postcode district as a whole, which averages 69/100. That is 11 points above the national benchmark of 50, the top 10% of all UK towns and villages. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the L34 postcode district.

61
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.

St Helens (St. Helens) scores 61 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with St Helens (St. Helens).
Or compare:
L34 0BA L34 1AA L34 2AA L34 3AB L34 4AA L34 5AB L34 6AB L34 7HA L34 WA10 WA11 WA5

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
27
127.2 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 5,430 crimes
↑ 56% above national average
Public order 1,333 crimes
↑ 97% above national average
Drugs 1,149 crimes
↑ 233% above national average
Anti-social behaviour 1,148 crimes
↓ 28% below national average
Criminal damage and arson 1,143 crimes
↑ 60% above national average
other 3,078 crimes
Highest-crime locations
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  1. 1 Supermarket 524 crimes
  2. 2 Parking Area 416 crimes
  3. 3 Nightclub 350 crimes

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

Environment
64
Air Quality NO₂ 11.5 · PM2.5 6.8 · PM10 11 µg/m³
69
Green Space 53
Parks Ample 53
Sports Pitches Ample 60
Allotments Ample 7
Golf Courses Ample 5
Tennis Courts Ample 17
Bowling Greens Ample 28
Playgrounds Ample 40

Services

Schools
63
Top 10 by Ofsted rating · 43 in area
4Outstanding29Good4Requires Improvement6Ungraded
  • Bleak Hill Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Mill Green SchoolSpecial · inspected 2025
    Outstanding
  • Parish Church of England Primary School, St HelensPrimary · inspected 2022
    Outstanding
  • Rainhill Community NurseryNursery · inspected 2021
    Outstanding
  • Allanson Street Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • Ashurst Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
    Good
  • Carr Mill Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Cowley International CollegeSecondary · inspected 2021
    Good
  • Eaves Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Eccleston Mere Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2025
    Good

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

Healthcare
78
A&E departmentsWarrington Hospital4 mi
Aintree University Hospital6.1 mi
Children's A&E6.9 mi
Hospital waitsWarrington And Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust0.4 mi
Routine referral (median)11 wks
Treated within 18 weeks65.3%
A&E seen within 4 hrs65.7%
16 GP surgeries in area best 'Good'
GP capacity2,621 patients per GP
16dentists27pharmacies

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
91
Full fibre (FTTP)92.4%
available across St. Helens
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
97.1%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
97.1%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.4%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 2,528 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
32
Employment rate54.2%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed54.2%Unemployed3.4%Retired23.2%Student3.7%Other inactive15.5%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial31%Skilled & technical31.1%Routine & elementary37.9%
Highest qualification (16+)
No qualifications22.9%Level 1 (1–4 GCSEs)10.7%Level 2 (5+ GCSEs)14.8%Level 3 (A levels)17.2%Level 4+ (degree & above)25.6%Apprenticeship6.3%Other (incl. vocational)2.6%
Home ownership60.3%
Among the most-deprived 33% of areas in England
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
53
Council tax St Helens · 2026-27
A £1,602
B £1,869
C £2,136
D £2,403
E £2,937
F £3,471
G £4,005
H £4,806
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
79
St Helens Central 0.4 mi
Thatto Heath 1.3 mi
Lea Green 1.4 mi
J7 M62 2.8 mi
J7 M62 3.4 mi
J2 M57 3.8 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
55
Pubs & Bars Ample 52
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 33
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 47
Retail Shopping Ample 166
Takeaways Ample 38
Fitness Ample 11

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House Prices

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

Type Median price Sales
All dwellings £168,000 579
Detached £296,000 75
Semi-detached £190,000 255
Terraced £127,500 223
Flat / Maisonette £90,000 26
5-year monthly trend
All Detached Semi Terraced Flat
£71k £157k £246k £332k 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

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

Nearby places

Prescot 72 2.8 mi away ⇄
Haydock 57 3.2 mi away ⇄
Burtonwood 53 3.4 mi away ⇄
Billinge 60 3.5 mi away ⇄
Cronton 65 4.1 mi away ⇄
Rainford 58 4.2 mi away ⇄
Newton-le-Willows 61 4.2 mi away ⇄
Knowsley 55 4.8 mi away ⇄
Ashton-in-Makerfield 59 4.9 mi away ⇄
Huyton with Roby 70 5.1 mi away ⇄
Widnes 60 5.3 mi away ⇄
Land Gate 59 5.6 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is St Helens (St. Helens) a nice place to live?

St Helens (St. Helens) is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for St Helens (St. Helens) 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 St Helens (St. Helens)?

Crime levels in St Helens (St. Helens) are high relative to the national average. Our safety score is 27/100. There were 13,281 crimes recorded in the area over the past 12 months.

What are the best schools in St Helens (St. Helens)?

Among the top-rated schools in St Helens (St. Helens) are Bleak Hill Primary School, Mill Green School and Parish Church of England Primary School, St Helens, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 43 rated schools in St Helens (St. Helens) in total.

What are house prices like in St Helens (St. Helens)?

The current median house price in St Helens (St. Helens) is £168,000, around 41% below the England and Wales average. By property type: detached £296,000, semi-detached £190,000, terraced £127,500, flat £90,000. Over the past five years, prices have risen by around 15%. There were 579 sales recorded in the past 12 months.

St Helens (St. Helens) in context

See where St Helens (St. Helens) ranks among the best places to live in Merseyside

Postcode districts in St Helens (St. Helens)

L34 69 ⇄
WA10 60 ⇄
WA11 57 ⇄
WA5 62 ⇄
WA9 57 ⇄

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