Town Pop. 82,437

Living in Wigan: Liveability Score 65/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Wigan is 65/100, built from 9 categories. Healthcare is where Wigan most outperforms the national norm: 84/100 against a median of 18/100 across UK towns. Furthest below the national norm is safety, at 31/100 against a town median of 88/100.

No other settlement in the WN1 postcode district scores higher. Wigan leads all 4. That sits 15 points above the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the top 5% of the towns and villages we score. Broadband (90) and transport (82) also clear 80/100. For the surrounding area, see WN1 postcode district.

OUT OF 100

Good

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.

Wigan scores 65 but individual postcodes tell the full story

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

Or compare:

WN1 1AA WN1 2AA WN1 3AA WN1 9BQ WN1 WN2 WN3 WN4

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety

95.3 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 Wigan. 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 10.6 · PM2.5 6.6 · PM10 10.9 µg/m³

Green Space 56

Parks Ample 33

Sports Pitches Ample 53

Allotments Ample 10

Golf Courses Ample 4

Tennis Courts Adequate 4

Bowling Greens Ample 23

Playgrounds Ample 38

Services

Schools

Top 10 by Ofsted rating · 38 in area · 40 within 4km

5Outstanding23Good2Requires Improvement8Ungraded

Douglas Valley Nursery SchoolNursery · inspected 2024
Outstanding
Holy Family Catholic Primary School, New Springs, WiganPrimary · inspected 2025
Outstanding
Hope SchoolSpecial · inspected 2025
Outstanding
St Mary and St John Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
Outstanding
Winstanley Community Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
Outstanding
Beech Hill Community Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
Good
Britannia Bridge Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
Good
Canon Sharples Church of England Primary School and NurseryPrimary · inspected 2023
Good
Highfield St Matthew's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
Good
Ince CofE Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
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

A&E departmentsChildren's A&E7.4 mi

Warrington Hospital8.6 mi

Aintree University Hospital10.8 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%

12 GP surgeries in area 15 within 4km best 'Outstanding'

GP capacity2,544 patients per GP

12dentists17pharmacies

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)85.1%

available across Wigan

Gigabit-capable · incl. cable

96.4%

Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)

96.6%

Superfast (30+ Mbps)

99.7%

Ofcom Connected Nations · 1,702 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health

Employment rate57.3%

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

Economic activity (16+)

Employed57.3%Unemployed3.3%Retired21.9%Student3.7%Other inactive13.8%

Occupation mix

Professional & managerial29.9%Skilled & technical31.6%Routine & elementary38.4%

Highest qualification (16+)

No qualifications22.9%Level 1 (1–4 GCSEs)10.9%Level 2 (5+ GCSEs)15.5%Level 3 (A levels)16.8%Level 4+ (degree & above)24.4%Apprenticeship7%Other (incl. vocational)2.5%

Home ownership61.1%

Among the most-deprived 39% of areas in England

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

Bills

Council tax Wigan · 2026-27

A £1,435

B £1,675

C £1,914

D £2,153

E £2,631

F £3,110

G £3,588

H £4,306

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

Wigan Wallgate 0.7 mi

Wigan North Western 0.7 mi

Pemberton 1.1 mi

J6 M58 1.9 mi

J26 M6 2 mi

J6 M58 2.1 mi

Lifestyle

Pubs & Bars Ample 60

Restaurants & Cafes Ample 47

Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 57

Retail Shopping Ample 285

Takeaways Ample 53

Fitness Ample 10

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House Prices

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

Type	Median price	Sales
All dwellings	£175,000	490
Detached	£285,000	74
Semi-detached	£190,000	222
Terraced	£141,250	170
Flat / Maisonette	£128,500	24

5-year monthly trend

All Detached Semi Terraced Flat

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

Frequently asked questions

Is Wigan a nice place to live?

Yes, Wigan is a nice place to live. Our liveability score for Wigan is 65/100, placing it among one of the better-scoring areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

How safe is Wigan?

Wigan has above-average crime levels. Our safety score is 31/100. There were 31,818 crimes recorded in the area over the past 12 months.

What are the best schools in Wigan?

Among the top-rated schools in Wigan are Douglas Valley Nursery School, Holy Family Catholic Primary School, New Springs, Wigan and Hope School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 38 rated schools in Wigan in total.

What are house prices like in Wigan?

The current median house price in Wigan is £175,000, around 39% below the England and Wales average. By property type: detached £285,000, semi-detached £190,000, terraced £141,250, flat £128,500. Over the past five years, prices have risen by around 18%. There were 490 sales recorded in the past 12 months.