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Bolton

Interactive map displaying Bolton

About

Bolton is a metropolitan district in Greater Manchester, in North West England. The borough includes Bolton town plus Horwich, Farnworth, Westhoughton, Kearsley and Blackrod, and reaches into the West Pennine Moors with a mix of built-up areas, farmland and upland reservoirs. The River Croal and smaller tributaries run through the town centre, and the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal corridor marks part of the district’s industrial-era layout. Local governance is by Bolton Council and the area sits at the junction of the M61 and regional rail routes into Manchester.

Industry shaped much of Bolton’s fabric: textile mills and engineering works clustered along river valleys and railway lines. Horwich hosted a large locomotive works; that site and nearby land now accommodate retail, leisure and the stadium for Bolton Wanderers. Cultural institutions include Bolton Museum with archaeology and local history holdings, and the Octagon Theatre in the town centre. Smithills Hall, a moated manor house with medieval origins, sits on the borough’s northern edge and is part of the district’s long historical record.

Area overview

On average Bolton has high deprivation and very high crime levels, with around 110 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, in line with the North West average of 109 per 1,000. Approximately 19.6% of homes in this area are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. The average income per household in Bolton is £42,403 per year. There are 117 schools in Bolton: 98 primary (16 Outstanding and 76 Good) and 19 secondary (1 Outstanding and 10 Good). Bolton is home to around 295,963 people, with a population density of about 2,117 per km².

Crime rate
10/10
Crimes per 1k residents
110
Deprivation level
7/10
Income level
5/10
Social housing
19.6%
Connectivity
N/A

Area Profile

Bolton Population
295,963
Population density
2,117 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
40.83(+9%)
Anti-social behaviour
21.76(+21%)
Public order
15.88(+57%)
Criminal damage and arson
12.35(+37%)
Vehicle crime
11.57(+93%)
North West average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
203,486
68.75%
Pakistani
27,897
9.43%
Indian
26,238
8.87%
African
9,299
3.14%
Other White
7,133
2.41%
Total population: 295,960

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
63,678
27.41%
No qualifications
52,451
22.58%
Level 3 (A level)
38,190
16.44%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
32,352
13.93%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
24,792
10.67%
Total 16+ residents: 232,287

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns outright
39,475
33.23%
Owns with a mortgage
33,608
28.29%
Private landlord or letting agency
18,776
15.81%
Social rents from council
12,540
10.56%
Other social rented
11,015
9.27%
Total households: 118,790

Property prices in Bolton

Median price£205,000
Price per sq ft£238
Sales (last 12 months)2,711
Typical range (middle 50%)£154K – £270K

Based on 2,711 recent sales, the median property price is £205,000 (about £238 per square foot) in Bolton area, with individual transactions ranging from £35,000 up to £2,600,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Bolton over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached517£355,000£305
Semi-Detached1,015£225,000£258
Terraced935£160,000£194
Flats244£113,596£186

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Bolton

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Bolton.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£237,248£90,000£135,000£90,000
2017£239,595£81,875£140,000£93,000
2018£252,000£87,750£150,000£96,000
2019£261,500£89,748£153,000£100,000
2020£285,000£90,000£165,000£110,000
2021£305,000£105,000£180,000£125,000
2022£335,000£111,940£209,995£138,000
2023£350,000£105,650£205,000£140,000
2024£349,595£112,750£216,000£150,000
2025£360,000£115,000£225,000£160,000
2026£350,000£112,500£220,000£160,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Bolton.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Bolton.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£199£144£155£110
2017£208£136£160£111
2018£217£144£171£116
2019£225£144£177£118
2020£237£160£187£128
2021£260£163£206£146
2022£292£176£237£166
2023£305£170£235£169
2024£303£177£242£181
2025£307£187£252£193
2026£309£179£262£191
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Bolton.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Bolton in the last year.

Frequently asked questions about Bolton

Is Bolton safe?

Bolton records about 110 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a very high crime rate for England: it scores 10 out of 10 on the Area360 crime scale, where 10 is the highest crime level.

What is the average house price in Bolton?

The median sale price in Bolton is £205,000 (about £238 per square foot) based on 2,711 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

Are there good schools in Bolton?

Bolton has 98 primary schools (16 rated Outstanding, 76 Good) and 19 secondary schools (1 rated Outstanding, 10 Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

How deprived is Bolton?

Bolton scores 7 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. The typical neighbourhood in Bolton sits around rank 11,788 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

What is the average household income in Bolton?

The average household income in Bolton is around £42,403 per year, and 20% of homes are social housing (ONS data).

Who are the MPs for Bolton?

Bolton spans 3 parliamentary constituencies, represented by Bolton North East: Kirith Entwistle (Labour Party), Bolton South and Walkden: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour Party) and Bolton West: Phil Brickell (Labour Party).

BL3 2EP

Greenland Road

BL4 0AN

Smethurst Lane

BL5 3LU

Lostock Lane

BL5 3LT

Wingates Lane

BL6 6JA

Aspinall Way

BL1 1FH

Calvin Street

BL1 2TW

Arch Street

BL5 2BP

Long Lane

BL4 4AR

Northgate Close

BL1 1AR

Oxford Street

BL3 6AN

Fletcher Street

BL1 1NR

Back Bradshawgate

BL2 1HA

Rose Hill

BL2 1AU

Lever Grove

BL3 1RP

Aqueduct Road

BL1 2SQ

Cross Street

BL1 1BQ

Lorne Street

BL1 1AQ

Nelson Square

BL2 1DU

Orlando Street

BL3 5AB

Back Baldwin Street North

BL3 5AG

Edmunds Court

BL4 0JL

Redgate Way

BL1 8HH

Back Fairhaven Road

BL2 5NF

Skelton Grove

Data Sources

All data is sourced from official UK government agencies and public datasets. Last updated: 16/07/2026. Read more about how our statistics are calculated.