Is Blackburn a good place to live?

Blackburn has an overall liveability score of 76 out of 100 (very good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 75% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on broadband and cost of living. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

Recorded crime for Blackburn is shown in the crime and safety section, from police.uk for England and Wales or Scottish Government statistics for Scotland.

The weather section shows annual sunshine, rainfall and typical temperatures for Blackburn from Met Office climate data for the location.

Average private rent in the Blackburn with Darwen area is about £712 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Blackburn a cost-of-living score of 88 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Blackburn with Darwen is about £165,882 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +5.8% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

The average property in Blackburn with Darwen costs about £165,882, which is 4.2 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 98 out of 100. Mainstream lenders usually cap borrowing at around four to four and a half times income, so a ratio above that generally means a larger deposit, a second income or a cheaper property than the local average. With a ten per cent deposit, repaying the rest costs about £962 a month at 6% over 25 years, £250 more than the £712 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 98.6% of premises in Blackburn with Darwen can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 91.8% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 93 out of 100 (Ofcom Connected Nations). These are council-area availability figures - the share of premises able to order each service, not the speed any single line achieves - so check the exact address with the Ofcom broadband checker before committing to it.

65.4% of 16 to 64 year olds in Blackburn with Darwen are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 28 out of 100. Unemployment stands at 4.3%. UK local authorities typically range from about 62% to 82%. This is a whole-authority figure, so it describes the local labour market rather than any one town within it.

Blackburn with Darwen records 46.3 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 39 out of 100. Each nation publishes its own attainment measure and they are not interchangeable, so education scores compare within England, Scotland or Wales and not across them. Attainment is published for the whole council or county rather than for a school catchment, so check individual schools with the inspectorate before deciding.

For the 1 km grid square containing Blackburn, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 6.43 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 9.82 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 91 out of 100; an area meeting both guideline levels scores 100. These are modelled background concentrations for the square, not a reading taken at the roadside.

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 555 mapped amenities, including 97 places to eat and drink, 252 shops, 135 parks and sports facilities and 5 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 66 out of 100. Counts come from OpenStreetMap and are measured at this exact location rather than averaged across the council, so they reflect how well served this particular spot is. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The nearest railway station is Blackburn Rail Station, about 0.4 km away, and there are 92 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 93 out of 100. Stops come from the DfT NaPTAN dataset and are counted for this exact point, so the figure measures access rather than how frequently anything runs.

Blackburn is in the Blackburn with Darwen local authority, North West, England. It falls within the Blackburn Central ward and the Blackburn parliamentary constituency. Cost of living, housing, affordability, employment, broadband and education figures in this report are published at local-authority level, so every postcode and town inside Blackburn with Darwen shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Blackburn scores 79 out of 100 on our students profile, which is weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. That is 3 points above its general score of 76, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.

Blackburn scores 70 out of 100 on our young professionals profile, which is weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband. That is 6 points below its general score of 76, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently.

Blackburn sits in the top 1% of the 539 UK areas we have scored. The median area in the index scores 67 out of 100. It is furthest above the benchmark for its nation on affordability, transport and cost of living. It is furthest below on employment and housing. Categories are compared against the area's own nation where the samples allow it, because crime and school attainment are measured differently either side of the border.

Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Blackburn, the highest are Chorley (77 out of 100, about 9 miles away), Leyland (74 out of 100, about 10 miles away) and Rawtenstall (72 out of 100, about 9 miles away). Blackburn itself scores 76. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.

Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Hartlepool (Hartlepool, North East, England), Keighley (Bradford, Yorkshire and The Humber, England) and Dundee (Dundee City, Scotland). Similarity is the average gap across every category both areas have data for, with immediate neighbours excluded, so these are places that score alike rather than places that look alike or sit nearby.

Weather, crime, local amenities, healthcare access, transport access and air quality are measured for this exact point. Cost of living, affordability, housing, employment and broadband come from official statistics for the Blackburn with Darwen council area, so nearby postcodes and towns in the same council share those figures. Education comes from the local authority, or from the county where attainment is only published at county level. The "How detailed is this report" section explains each level.