Last updated May 2026

Area guide · Greater Manchester

Living in Manchester

A snapshot of life in Manchester, North West — house prices, crime, schools, broadband and more, drawn straight from official UK datasets.

At a glance

Manchester is a city in Greater Manchester, North West with a population of 470,736. The average house price is £319,011 and the overall crime rate is 143.2 per 1,000 residents.

Where Manchester ranks

Population

470,736

Avg House Price

£319,011

Crime Rate

143.2/1k

Top-Two School Inspection Bands

88.3%

Avg Download Speed

468 Mbps

EPC Rating

Median Income

£28,386

Median Age

34.7

House Prices (2025)

Average Price by Property Type (2025)

Manchester's detached homes (£473,031) command roughly 2.1× the price of a flat (£224,609).

Price Trend (11 Years)

Manchester prices have risen 38% over the last 9 years (£231,328 → £319,011).

Property Type	Average	Median	Sales Count
Detached	£473,031	£389,950	219
Semi-Detached	£336,015	£295,000	1560
Terraced	£254,080	£225,000	1907
Flat	£224,609	£205,000	1955

Crime & safety

The overall crime rate in Manchester is 143.2 per 1,000 residents.

Crime Rate by Category (per 1,000 residents)

Most common offence in Manchester: violent crime (36% of all recorded crimes).

Schools & Education

School Inspection Breakdown

88.3% of 146 schools (118 primary, 28 secondary) sit in the top two inspection bands.

School Details

Total Schools	146
Primary	118
Secondary	28
% Top two bands	88.3%

Schools in this area

School	Phase	Rating
Abbey Hey Primary Academy	Primary	Good
Abbott Community Primary School	Primary	Outstanding
Abraham Moss Community School	Secondary	No rating available
Acacias Community Primary School	Primary	Good
All Saints C of E Primary School	Primary	Good
All Saints Primary School	Primary	Good
Alma Park Primary School	Primary	Good
Armitage CofE Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Ashbury Meadow Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Barlow Hall Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Beaver Road Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Birchfields Primary School	Primary	Good
Bowker Vale Primary School	Primary	Good
Briscoe Lane Academy	Primary	Good
Broad Oak Primary School	Primary	Good
Brookburn Community School	Primary	Good
Burnage Academy for Boys	Secondary	Outstanding
Cavendish Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Cedar Mount Academy	Secondary	Requires improvement
Chapel Street Community Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Charlestown Community Primary School	Primary	Good
Cheetham CofE Community Academy	Primary	Good
Cheetwood Primary School	Primary	Good
Chorlton CofE Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Chorlton High School	Secondary	Good
Chorlton Park Primary	Primary	Good
Christ The King RC Primary School Manchester	Primary	Good
CHS South	Secondary	Good
Claremont Primary School	Primary	Good
Co-op Academy Belle Vue	Secondary	Outstanding
Co-op Academy Broadhurst	Primary	Good
Co-op Academy Manchester	Secondary	Good
Co-op Academy Medlock	Primary	Requires improvement
Co-op Academy New Islington	Primary	No rating available
Co-op Academy North Manchester	Secondary	Good
CofE School of the Resurrection	Primary	Good
Crab Lane Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Cravenwood Primary Academy	Primary	Good
Cringle Brook Primary School	Primary	Outstanding
Crosslee Community Primary School	Primary	Inadequate
Crowcroft Park Primary School	Primary	Good
Crown Street Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Crumpsall Lane Primary School	Primary	Good
Dean Trust Ardwick	Secondary	Good
Didsbury CofE Primary School	Primary	Good
Didsbury High School	Secondary	Outstanding
E-ACT Blackley Academy	Primary	Good
Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Manchester	Secondary	Good
Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester	Secondary	Good
Gorton Primary School	Primary	Good
Green End Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Heald Place Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Higher Openshaw Community School	Primary	Good
Holy Name Roman Catholic Primary School Manchester	Primary	Outstanding
Holy Trinity CofE Primary School	Primary	Requires improvement
Irk Valley Community School	Primary	Good
King David Primary School	Primary	Outstanding
Ladybarn Primary School	Primary	Good
Levenshulme High School	Secondary	Outstanding
Lily Lane Primary School	Primary	Inadequate
Longsight Community Primary	Primary	No rating available
Loreto High School Chorlton	Secondary	Requires improvement
Manchester Academy	Secondary	Good
Manchester Communication Academy	Secondary	Good
Manchester Communication Primary Academy	Primary	Good
Manchester Enterprise Academy Central	Secondary	Good
Manley Park Primary School	Primary	Outstanding
Mauldeth Road Primary School	Primary	Good
Moston Fields Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Moston Lane Community Primary School	Primary	Good
Mount Carmel RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	Primary	No rating available
New Moston Primary School	Primary	Good
Oasis Academy Aspinal	Primary	Good
Oasis Academy Harpur Mount	Primary	Good
Oasis Academy Temple	Primary	Good
Old Hall Drive Academy	Primary	Good
Old Moat Primary School	Primary	Outstanding
Oswald Road Primary School	Primary	Good
Our Lady's RC High School	Secondary	Good
Our Lady's RC Primary School Manchester	Primary	Good
Park View Community Primary Academy	Primary	Requires improvement
Parrs Wood High School	Secondary	No rating available
Pike Fold Primary School	Primary	Good
Plymouth Grove Primary School	Primary	Good
Ravensbury Community School	Primary	Outstanding
Rolls Crescent Primary School	Primary	Good
Rushbrook Primary Academy	Primary	Good
Sacred Heart RC Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Saviour CofE Primary School	Primary	Requires improvement
Seymour Road Academy	Primary	Good
St Agnes C of E Primary School	Primary	Good
St Ambrose RC Primary School	Primary	Good
St Andrew's CofE Primary School	Primary	Good
St Anne's RC Primary School	Primary	No rating available
St Anne's RC Primary School Crumpsall Manchester	Primary	Good
St Augustine's CofE Primary School	Primary	No rating available
St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy	Primary	Good
St Bernard's RC Primary School Manchester	Primary	Good
St Brigid's RC Primary School	Primary	Good
St Catherine's RC Primary School	Primary	Good
St Chad's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	Primary	Requires improvement
St Chrysostom's CofE Primary School	Primary	Good
St Clare's RC Primary School	Primary	Good
St Clement's CofE Primary School	Primary	Good
St Cuthbert's RC Primary School	Primary	Good
St Dunstan's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	Primary	Good
St Edmund's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	Primary	Good
St Francis RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy	Primary	Inadequate
St James' CofE Primary School Gorton	Primary	Good
St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme	Primary	Good
St John Bosco RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	Primary	Requires improvement
St John's CofE Primary School	Primary	Good
St John's RC Primary School	Primary	Good
St Joseph's RC Primary School Manchester	Primary	No rating available
St Kentigern's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	Primary	Outstanding
St Luke's CofE Primary School	Primary	Good
St Malachy's RC Primary School	Primary	Good
St Margaret Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	Primary	Good
St Margaret's CofE Primary School	Primary	Good
St Mary's CofE Junior and Infant School	Primary	Outstanding
St Mary's CofE Primary School Moston	Primary	Good
St Mary's RC Primary School Manchester	Primary	Outstanding
St Matthew's RC High School	Secondary	No rating available
St Patrick's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	Primary	Good
St Paul's CofE Primary School	Primary	Good
St Peter's RC High School	Secondary	Good
St Philip's Church of England Primary School	Primary	Good
St Richard's RC Primary School	Primary	Good
St Wilfrid's CofE Junior and Infant School	Primary	Good
St Wilfrid's RC Primary School	Primary	Good
St Willibrord's RC Primary School	Primary	Good
Stanley Grove Primary Academy	Primary	No rating available
The Barlow RC High School and Specialist Science College	Secondary	Good
The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School	Primary	Requires improvement
The East Manchester Academy	Secondary	No rating available
The King David High School	Secondary	Requires improvement
The Olive School, Manchester	Primary	No rating available
Trinity CofE High School	Secondary	Good
Unity Community Primary	Primary	Requires improvement
Varna Community Primary School	Primary	No rating available
Webster Primary School	Primary	Good
West Didsbury CE Primary School	Primary	Good
Whalley Range 11-18 High School	Secondary	Good
Wilbraham Primary School	Primary	Good
William Hulme's Grammar School	Secondary	Good
Wright Robinson College	Secondary	Outstanding

Broadband & Connectivity

Manchester averages 468 Mbps — 368% above the typical UK download speed.

Energy Efficiency & Running Costs

Most Manchester homes sit at band C on the EPC scale. 79.1% of homes reach band C or above.

Average EPC Rating	C
Average EPC Score	74.1
% Rated C or Above	79.1%
Avg Energy Cost (per year)	£915

Demographics & Economy

Population	470,736
Median Age	34.7
Median Household Income	£28,386
Employment Rate	53.5%
Owner Occupied	37.2%
Degree-Level Qualified	37.6%

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

What is the average house price in Manchester?

The average house price in Manchester is £319,011 based on Land Registry sales in 2025.

What is the cheapest type of property to buy in Manchester?

The most affordable entry point in Manchester is a flat, with an average price of £224,609.

Is Manchester a safe place to live?

Manchester has a recorded crime rate of 143.2 per 1,000 residents. Whether that feels "safe" depends on the comparison — see how it stacks up against nearby towns in the rankings below.

How are the schools in Manchester?

Manchester has 146 schools in total, with 88.3% rated in the top two inspection bands by the relevant inspectorate.

What broadband speeds are available in Manchester?

Average broadband download speeds in Manchester are around 468 Mbps. Superfast (30 Mbps+) coverage reaches 98.5% of premises.

How big is Manchester?

Manchester is a settlement in Greater Manchester with a population of approximately 470,736.

Most compared with

How does Manchester stack up against its neighbours?

Alderley Edge

Manchester

House price: £725,204 · £319,011
Crime rate: 60.3 · 143.2
Distance: 11.9 mi

Altrincham

Manchester

House price: £488,148 · £319,011
Crime rate: 73.9 · 143.2
Distance: 7.5 mi

Ashton-under-Lyne

Manchester

House price: £214,995 · £319,011
Crime rate: 95.4 · 143.2
Distance: 5.5 mi

Astley

Manchester

House price: £276,658 · £319,011
Crime rate: 92.3 · 143.2
Distance: 9.7 mi

Atherton

Manchester

House price: £190,266 · £319,011
Crime rate: 92.3 · 143.2
Distance: 11.5 mi

Audenshaw

Manchester

House price: £238,857 · £319,011
Crime rate: 95.2 · 143.2
Distance: 4.0 mi

Looking for somewhere different? Browse all towns in North West or start a fresh comparison from the homepage.