Living in Oldham
Homes sell for a median of about £2,357 per m², well below the typical council in England and Wales (£3,342). 21.2% of households rent from the council or a housing association, above the UK average of 17.5%. About 7.2% of homes are in areas where road or rail noise reaches 65 dB, against 6.9% across Great Britain. 48% of homes are within a five-minute walk of a public park (Great Britain: 56%).
Oldham at a glance
| Measure | Oldham | Comparison | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social housing (share of households) | 21.2% | UK 17.5% | 68th highest of 374 |
| Homes in areas with 65 dB+ road or rail noise | 7.2% | GB 6.9% | 275th quietest of 363 |
| Homes within 400 m of a public park | 48% | GB 56% | 209th of 363 |
| Homes within 400 m of a play space | 56% | GB 60% | |
| Median house price per m² | £2,357 | E&W council median £3,342 | 254th highest of 314 |
| Schools rated Good or Outstanding | 77% | E&W 87% | |
| Median broadband speed available | 1,000 Mbit/s | Council median 1,000 Mbit/s |
How much crime is there in Oldham?
There is no reliable annual figure for Oldham. Greater Manchester Police does not publish street-level crime data to data.police.uk: the latest archive has no Greater Manchester records. Rather than show a misleadingly low number, this page leaves crime out.
How much social housing is there in Oldham?
Oldham ranks 68th of 374 UK local authorities by social-housing share. Of its 93,113 households, 19,740 are social homes (21.2%) — renting from the council or a housing association, according to the 2021–22 Census.
How does Oldham compare with the UK average?
At +3.7 percentage points versus the UK average of 17.5%, Oldham sits above the national level.
How noisy is Oldham?
In Oldham, about 7.2% of homes are in areas where modelled road or rail noise reaches 65 dB Lden or more — the level Defra and the WHO treat as high. The Great Britain average is 6.9%, and Oldham is the 275th quietest of 363 councils mapped.
Estimated from the official strategic noise maps: the share of each census area at 65 dB or more, weighted by its households. See noisy roads and railways on the map →
How close are parks in Oldham?
48% of homes in Oldham are within 400 m — about a five-minute walk — of a public park or garden, and 56% are that close to a children's play space. Across Great Britain the figures are 56% and 60%, which puts Oldham 209th of 363 councils for access to a park.
Straight-line distance from the centre of each census area to the edge of the nearest site in OS Open Greenspace, weighted by households. See parks and play spaces on the map →
Schools, prices and more in Oldham
What the map's other datasets say about Oldham.
Schools
On the Department for Education's register, Oldham has 127 schools — 109 state-funded and 18 independent. That includes 86 primary and 14 secondary schools. Of the 47 with a published Ofsted grade, 77% are Good or Outstanding.
Nurseries
There are 129 nurseries and pre-schools on Ofsted's childcare register in Oldham, offering about 5,357 registered childcare places. Childminders are not counted — Ofsted withholds their addresses.
Deprivation
The median neighbourhood in Oldham sits in decile 2 of 10 on its nation's deprivation index, and 50% of its 142 neighbourhoods fall in the most-deprived national fifth.
House prices
The median neighbourhood price is about £2,357 per m², from Land Registry sold prices matched to EPC floor areas.
Broadband
Median available download speed is about 1,000 Mbit/s — what can be ordered, not what residents have bought (Ofcom Connected Nations).
Explore Oldham on the map
Areas with a similar share of social housing
Sources: 2021–22 Census (social housing); strategic noise maps, Round 4 (noise); OS Open Greenspace (parks) · Page updated 27 September 2026 · Download the data (CSV, all 374 councils).