Area report
Middleton
Rochdale, North West, England
Report completeness: 90%. Score is based on the categories with data loaded for this area.
In short
Middleton scores 68 out of 100 overall, putting it in the top 47 per cent of the 539 UK areas we have scored. Its strongest category is affordability at 86, 22 points above the local median; its weakest is employment at 33.
- Nearest scored area: Oldham, about 3 miles away, scoring 74.
- Median overall score across the 539 areas in our index: 68 out of 100.
- Report completeness 90 per cent: categories without data are excluded rather than estimated.
How detailed is this report?
Open data is published at different levels of detail, and this report always uses the most granular level available rather than pretending otherwise.
- Point-level for this exact location: Weather (nearest Met Office weather station: Bradford, 40 km away); Lifestyle (amenities within about 2 km of this exact point); Healthcare (facilities within about 2 km, hospitals within about 8 km); Transport (stops within 800 m and the nearest railway station); Air quality (the 1 km grid cell containing this point).
- Council-level, covering all of Rochdale: Cost of living, Affordability, Housing, Employment, Broadband. Every postcode and town in the council shares these figures.
Research this area further with trusted open data: police.uk street-level crime map, HM Land Registry sold prices, ONS local area profiles, Ofcom broadband checker. This report is open-source intelligence: everything is built from published government and public datasets you can check yourself.
Affordability
Source: HM Land RegistryEstimate what you could comfortably afford in this area from your own salary and savings.
Guidance only, using standard lending multiples and typical outgoings. Not a mortgage offer or financial advice. TrackPostcode.UK is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority; always seek independent professional advice before financial decisions.
Housing
Source: HM Land RegistryHM Land Registry UK House Price Index for the local authority. The score rewards steady, sustainable price growth; sharp falls and overheating both reduce it.
Crime and safety
Source: police.ukCrime data could not be loaded for this location.
Weather and outdoors
Source: Met OfficeOutdoor suitability
Middleton averages about 1,416 sunshine hours a year, around the middle of the UK range, with typical rainfall for the UK (about 936 mm a year). Summer days typically reach around 20.2°C and winter nights fall to about 2.6°C. All figures are multi-year averages from Met Office station records, not forecasts.
Climate averages over 6 years (2020-2025) from Met Office historic station data, using the nearest long-running station. For context, UK locations typically see roughly 1,100 to 1,750 sunshine hours and 550 to 1,900 mm of rainfall a year. Contains Met Office data © Crown copyright.
Broadband and mobile
Source: Ofcom Connected NationsOfcom Connected Nations fixed coverage for the local authority. Figures are the share of premises able to get each service, not the share subscribed.
Schools and education
Source: DfE and devolved governmentsLocal authority average, key stage 4, state-funded schools. Education statistics are published per nation, so England uses DfE Attainment 8, Scotland uses Scottish Government school leaver attainment and Wales uses the Capped 9 points score; each is stated on the report it applies to. Source: Department for Education.
Healthcare
Source: OpenStreetMapHealthcare facilities near this exact point, counted from OpenStreetMap: GPs, pharmacies and dentists within about 2 km and hospitals within about 8 km. The score weights everyday access (a nearby GP and pharmacy) most heavily, on a diminishing-returns curve. This is point-level, so it reflects this specific location, not a council average. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Employment
Source: ONS / NOMISONS Annual Population Survey for the local authority, via NOMIS. UK local authorities typically range from about 62% to 82% employment among 16 to 64 year olds.
Environment
Source: Defra UK-AIRModelled background air quality for the 1 km grid cell containing this point, from Defra's Pollution Climate Mapping model (Crown copyright). The score compares fine particulates (60% weight) and nitrogen dioxide (40%) against World Health Organization 2021 guideline levels; meeting both guidelines scores 100.
Transport
Source: DfT NaPTANPublic transport access points from the DfT NaPTAN dataset, measured for this exact point. The score combines stop density within a short walk (twelve or more stops scores full marks, on a diminishing-returns curve) with distance to the nearest railway station (full marks within 1 km, fading to zero at 15 km). Northern Ireland is not covered by NaPTAN.
Cost of living
Source: ONSCost of living is proxied by average private rent from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents - the largest and most locally variable living cost. ONS analysis shows most other prices vary little across UK regions, so rent is the honest single indicator of how expensive an area is to live in.
Lifestyle and amenities
Source: OpenStreetMapWhat is nearby
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Food and drink | 38 |
| Shops | 47 |
| Health services | 6 |
| Schools and learning | 27 |
| Parks and sport | 297 |
| Culture and community | 11 |
Everyday amenities within about 2 km of this exact point, counted from OpenStreetMap. This is point-level, so it genuinely reflects how well-served this specific location is. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Who this area suits
Of the 3 profiles we score, Middleton suits remote workers best, at 71 out of 100.
Middleton looks strong for
- Remote workers
- Students
- Retirees
Stands out on
- Cost of living
- Affordability
- Housing
- Transport
- Broadband
Worth checking carefully
- Employment
- Healthcare
- Education
Suggestions are generated only from categories with data. As more sources load, this becomes more complete.
How Middleton compares
| Category | Middleton | England median | UK median | Difference | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 80 | 71 | 72 | +9 | top 33% |
| Affordability | 86 | 64 | 68 | +22 | top 24% |
| Weather | 64 | 72 | 72 | -8 | bottom 19% |
| Employment | 33 | 61 | 59 | -28 | bottom 5% |
| Housing | 88 | 87 | 87 | +1 | top 43% |
| Transport | 82 | 75 | 75 | +7 | top 21% |
| Broadband | 93 | 88 | 88 | +5 | top 31% |
| Environment | 80 | 89 | 91 | -9 | bottom 13% |
| Healthcare | 33 | 54 | 52 | -21 | bottom 15% |
| Education | 20 | 39 | 40 | -19 | bottom 3% |
| Lifestyle | 56 | 59 | 58 | -3 | bottom 46% |
Medians are taken across the 539 areas currently in our index, not across every place in Britain, and "position" is where this area sits in that distribution. The difference column compares against the England median where we have enough England areas to make one meaningful, and the UK median otherwise. Safety and education are measured differently in each nation, so those two rows compare within a nation only.
What Middleton does well. Measured against everywhere else in the index, the standouts are affordability (86, 22 above the median) and cost of living (80, 9 above the median). Those are the categories where this area is genuinely distinctive rather than simply adequate.
Where it falls short. Employment (33, 28 below), healthcare (33, 21 below) and education (20, 19 below). Whether that matters depends entirely on you, which is the point of the persona scores above: a category that sinks an area for one household barely registers for another.
Near Middleton, and places like it
Of the 6 scored areas within about 50 miles of Middleton, 4 score higher: Oldham (74), Rochdale (71) and Ashton-under-Lyne (71) and 1 more. Middleton scores 68. Oldham is ahead mainly on healthcare (+57), while Middleton keeps the advantage on employment (+8).
| Area | Distance | Where | Overall | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oldham | 3.4 miles | Oldham, North West, England | 74 | Very good |
| Rochdale | 4.9 miles | Rochdale, North West, England | 71 | Very good |
| Bury | 5.1 miles | Bury, North West, England | 68 | Good |
| Manchester | 5.3 miles | Manchester, North West, England | 70 | Very good |
| Ashton-under-Lyne | 5.9 miles | Tameside, North West, England | 71 | Very good |
| Salford | 6.3 miles | Salford, North West, England | 61 | Good |
Straight-line distance from the point this report was built for, so a road journey will be longer. Only areas already in our index appear here; any other place nearby can be searched directly.
| Area | Where | Overall | Average gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batley | Kirklees, Yorkshire and The Humber, England | 70 | 5.3 |
| Ilkley | Bradford, Yorkshire and The Humber, England | 71 | 5.3 |
| Bootle | Sefton, North West, England | 67 | 5.4 |
| Willenhall | Walsall, West Midlands, England | 64 | 5.4 |
| Dewsbury | Kirklees, Yorkshire and The Humber, England | 71 | 6.4 |
Ranked by the average difference across every category both areas have data for, so a smaller gap means a closer match. Places immediately next door are excluded, because the town twenty minutes away being similar is not news. These are matches on the shape of the data rather than on character: two areas can score alike and feel nothing like each other.
What a home in Middleton actually costs
Source: HM Land Registry UK HPIWhat the numbers above mean in cash. The average home in Middleton is £208,286, 23 per cent below the median of the areas we have scored, which puts the deposit at £20,829 at ten per cent and roughly 5.3 years of saving a tenth of gross pay.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average property price | £208,286 (May 2026) |
| Change over 12 months | +4.3% — rising |
| Against our index median | 23% below the £270,320 median across every area we have scored |
| 10% deposit | £20,829 |
| 15% deposit | £31,243 |
| Price to earnings | 5.3 times UK median full-time earnings of £39,039 |
| Years to save the 10% deposit | 5.3 years, saving a tenth of gross pay |
Prices are the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index average for this local authority, so they cover every property type together and an individual home will differ. Earnings are the UK median for full-time employees (April 2025 (ONS ASHE)), not a local figure, so the multiple compares areas on a common basis rather than describing what a local worker earns. This is illustrative arithmetic to help you compare places. It is not a mortgage assessment or financial advice, and TrackPostcode.UK is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The affordability calculator works the same sums against your own salary and savings.
Air quality in Middleton, against the limits
Source: Defra modelled background mapsMeasured against the published thresholds rather than against other areas: in Middleton, fine particulates at 7.5 sit inside the UK 2040 target of 10 but above the World Health Organization guideline of 5, which is true of most of Britain and nitrogen dioxide at 13.8 is well inside the UK limit of 40, though above the WHO guideline of 10.
| Pollutant | Middleton | UK objective | WHO guideline | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine particulates (PM2.5) | 7.5 | 10 | 5 | Inside the UK target, above the WHO guideline |
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) | 13.8 | 40 | 10 | Inside the UK limit, above the WHO guideline |
Annual mean background concentrations from the Defra modelled 1 km grid, so this is the air across the neighbourhood rather than at the kerb of a busy road, where readings are consistently higher. The UK figures are the legal limit for nitrogen dioxide and the 2040 target for fine particulates; the World Health Organization 2021 guidelines are health-based recommendations rather than law, and most of the United Kingdom sits between the two.
Who Middleton suits
Middleton is a markedly better fit for some households than others. It ranks in the top 31% of the 539 areas we have scored for retirees, and the bottom 36% for young professionals. That gap comes from the same twelve categories weighted differently, which is why one overall score can never answer the question on its own.
| Household | Score | Standing | What it weights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retirees | 70 | top 31% | Weighted towards healthcare, safety, environment and cost of living. |
| Students | 71 | top 32% | Weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. |
| Remote workers | 71 | top 41% | Weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather. |
| Families | 64 | bottom 44% | Weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare. |
| Young professionals | 65 | bottom 36% | Weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband. |
Each persona is the same twelve category scores recombined with different weights, ranked against every area in our index. The relocation quiz does the same thing with weights you choose yourself.
Questions about Middleton
Is Middleton a good place to live?
Middleton has an overall liveability score of 68 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 90% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on broadband and housing. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.
What is the crime rate in Middleton?
Recorded crime for Middleton is shown in the crime and safety section, from police.uk for England and Wales or Scottish Government statistics for Scotland.
What is the weather like in Middleton?
Middleton averages 1,416 sunshine hours and about 936 mm of rain a year, giving an outdoor score of 64 out of 100. Summer highs average 20.2°C and winter lows 2.6°C. Based on Met Office data from the Bradford weather station (40 km away).
How expensive is it to live in Middleton?
Average private rent in the Rochdale area is about £836 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Middleton a cost-of-living score of 80 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.
What are house prices like in Middleton?
The average property price in Rochdale is about £208,286 (2026-05, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +4.3% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.
Can I afford to buy a house in Middleton?
The average property in Rochdale costs about £208,286, which is 5.3 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 86 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. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.
How fast is broadband in Middleton?
About 99% of premises in Rochdale can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 90.3% 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.
What is the job market like in Middleton?
67.1% of 16 to 64 year olds in Rochdale are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Aug 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 33 out of 100. Unemployment stands at 7.5%. 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.
Are the schools good in Middleton?
Rochdale records 41.7 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 20 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.
What is the air quality like in Middleton?
For the 1 km grid square containing Middleton, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 7.49 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 13.78 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 80 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.
What is there to do in Middleton?
Within about two kilometres of this point there are 426 mapped amenities, including 38 places to eat and drink, 47 shops, 297 parks and sports facilities and 11 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 56 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.
Are there GPs and dentists near Middleton?
Within about two kilometres of this point there are 4 GP surgeries and 2 dentists. 10 hospitals are within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 33 out of 100. Facilities are counted from OpenStreetMap and the score describes how close services are, not waiting times, capacity or clinical quality.
Does Middleton have good transport links?
The nearest railway station is Mills Hill (Manchester) Rail Station, about 1.7 km away, and there are 64 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 82 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.
Which council area is Middleton in?
Middleton is in the Rochdale local authority, North West, England. It falls within the South Middleton ward and the Heywood and Middleton North 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 Rochdale shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.
Is Middleton a good place for remote workers?
Middleton scores 71 out of 100 on our remote workers profile, which is weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather. That is 3 points above its general score of 68, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-remote-workers/.
Is Middleton a good place for students?
Middleton scores 71 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 68, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.
How does Middleton compare with the rest of England?
Middleton sits in the top 47% of the 539 UK areas we have scored. The median area in the index scores 68 out of 100. It is furthest above the benchmark for its nation on affordability and cost of living. It is furthest below on employment, healthcare and education. 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.
What are the best places to live near Middleton?
Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Middleton, the highest are Oldham (74 out of 100, about 3 miles away), Rochdale (71 out of 100, about 5 miles away) and Ashton-under-Lyne (71 out of 100, about 6 miles away). Middleton itself scores 68. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.
Which places are most similar to Middleton?
Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Batley (Kirklees, Yorkshire and The Humber, England), Ilkley (Bradford, Yorkshire and The Humber, England) and Bootle (Sefton, North West, England). 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.
What area does this report cover?
Weather, crime, local amenities, transport access and air quality are measured for this exact point. Cost of living, affordability, housing, employment, broadband and education come from official statistics for the Rochdale council area, so nearby postcodes and towns in the same council share those figures. The "How detailed is this report" section explains each level.