Town Pop. 21,440

Living in Westhoughton: Liveability Score 60/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Westhoughton is 60/100, built from 9 categories. Transport is where Westhoughton most outperforms the national norm: 76/100 against a median of 21/100 across UK towns. Furthest below the national norm is safety, at 24/100 against a town median of 88/100.

That makes it the 6th highest-scoring of the 9 places in the BL5 postcode district. That is 10 points above the national benchmark of 50, the top 10% of all UK towns and villages. Also scoring 80 or better: broadband (97). For the surrounding area, see BL5 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.

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.

Westhoughton scores 60 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Westhoughton.
Or compare:
BL5 1AA BL5 2AA BL5 3AA BL5 BL6

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
24
102 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 Bolton. 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
72
Air Quality NO₂ 9.7 · PM2.5 6.7 · PM10 10.6 µg/m³
71
Green Space 77
Parks Ample 11
Sports Pitches Ample 15
Allotments Adequate 3
Golf Courses Ample 3
Tennis Courts Adequate 3
Bowling Greens Ample 4
Playgrounds Ample 13

Services

Schools
69
10 schools in area · 39 within 4km
2Outstanding7Good1Requires Improvement
  • Eatock Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Sacred Heart R.C. Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hindley GreenPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • St Bartholomew's CofE Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2025
    Good
  • St George's CofE Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2021
    Good
  • St James CofE Primary School, Daisy HillPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • St Thomas CofE Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
    Good
  • The Gates Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Washacre Primary AcademyPrimary · inspected 2020
    Good
  • Westhoughton High SchoolSecondary · 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
55
A&E departmentsWarrington Hospital9.7 mi
Fairfield Hospital10.3 mi
North Manchester General Hospital11.1 mi
Hospital waitsBolton NHS Foundation Trust0.1 mi
Routine referral (median)12 wks
Treated within 18 weeks62.1%
A&E seen within 4 hrs68.1%
2 GP surgeries in area 8 within 4km best 'Good'
GP capacity1,782 patients per GP
2dentists4pharmacies

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
97
Full fibre (FTTP)88.1%
available across Bolton
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
98.9%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
99.1%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.7%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 471 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
55
Employment rate60%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed60%Unemployed2.5%Retired24.8%Student3.3%Other inactive9.4%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial40.3%Skilled & technical33.9%Routine & elementary25.8%
Highest qualification (16+)
No qualifications16.7%Level 1 (1–4 GCSEs)9.7%Level 2 (5+ GCSEs)14.5%Level 3 (A levels)18.5%Level 4+ (degree & above)31.2%Apprenticeship7.3%Other (incl. vocational)2.2%
Home ownership75.5%
Around the England average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
53
Council tax Bolton · 2026-27
A £1,600
B £1,867
C £2,133
D £2,400
E £2,933
F £3,467
G £4,000
H £4,800
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
76
Daisy Hill 0.5 mi
Westhoughton 0.7 mi
Hag Fold 1.4 mi
J5 M61 1.3 mi
J5 M61 1.6 mi
J6 M61 1.9 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
57
Pubs & Bars Ample 14
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 15
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 16
Retail Shopping Ample 112
Takeaways Ample 18
Fitness Adequate 2

Places like Westhoughton 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 Westhoughton, 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 £220,000 147
Detached £345,000 37
Semi-detached £225,000 61
Terraced £180,000 37
Flat / Maisonette £110,000 12
5-year monthly trend
All Detached Semi Terraced Flat
£105k £193k £284k £373k 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

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

Nearby places

Wingates 51 1.0 mi away ⇄
Chew Moor 63 1.5 mi away ⇄
Hunger Hill (Bolton) 64 1.6 mi away ⇄
Atherton 66 1.8 mi away ⇄
Hindley 61 1.9 mi away ⇄
Bickershaw 56 2.8 mi away ⇄
Aspull 50 3.0 mi away ⇄
Higher Folds 65 3.2 mi away ⇄
Leigh (Wigan) 65 3.2 mi away ⇄
Horwich 49 3.3 mi away ⇄
Bottom o' th' Moor 51 3.5 mi away ⇄
Ince-in-Makerfield 65 3.5 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Westhoughton a nice place to live?

Westhoughton is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Westhoughton 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 Westhoughton?

Crime levels in Westhoughton are high relative to the national average. Our safety score is 24/100. There were 30,504 crimes recorded in the area over the past 12 months.

What are the best schools in Westhoughton?

Among the top-rated schools in Westhoughton are Eatock Primary School and Sacred Heart R.C. Primary School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 10 rated schools in Westhoughton in total.

What are house prices like in Westhoughton?

The current median house price in Westhoughton is £220,000, around 23% below the England and Wales average. By property type: detached £345,000, semi-detached £225,000, terraced £180,000, flat £110,000. Over the past five years, prices have risen by around 8%. There were 147 sales recorded in the past 12 months.

Westhoughton in context

See the best places to live in Greater Manchester, ranked

Postcode districts in Westhoughton

BL5 60 ⇄
BL6 50 ⇄

Check your exact postcode

Get a personalised score for any UK postcode, tailored to what matters most to you.

Score my postcode