Living in BL2, Bolton
What the open data says about house prices, schools, crime and flood risk around BL2 in Bolton. Built from the same sources as every property report on this site, not opinion or marketing copy.
- Homes on the streets around central BL2 sold at a median of £182,000 across 84 recorded sales, below the England average of £290,000 (HM Land Registry).
- Prices across Bolton are up 5.9% on a year ago (UK House Price Index).
- Of the 64 schools within about 3 miles, 84% are rated Good or Outstanding, against 90% of state schools in England (Ofsted).
- The centre of BL2 is in flood zone 1 (low probability), on the Environment Agency flood map for planning.
- A Band D household in Bolton pays £2,400 in council tax for 2026-27, every precept included (MHCLG).
Figures gathered 12 October 2026, each from the source named in its section.
House prices
Average price in Bolton: £204,379, up 5.9% on a year ago (July 2026). The wider North West average is £221,445.
Check sold prices for a specific address in BL2 →
See where BL2 ranks across North West →
Council tax at Band D in Bolton: £2,400 a year (2026-27). Running costs by postcode: council tax, energy, tenure, and the estate charge no listing shows →
Compare BL2 with another district
Sold prices, the price trend, schools, flood zone, Band D council tax and crime for BL2 against any other district, each from the source the section below names.
What actually sold around BL2
84 recorded home sales on the streets around central BL2 in the last 2 years, with a median of £182,000 and a range from £38,500 to £425,000. Mostly semi-detached houses.
| Address | Type | Sold for | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Stockley Avenue, BL2 5DA | Semi-detached | £165,000 | 12 Aug 2026 |
| 24 Harden Drive, BL2 5BX | Semi-detached | £320,000 | 31 Jul 2026 |
| 8 Romiley Crescent, BL2 5AT | Semi-detached | £177,000 | 24 Jul 2026 |
| 7 Barchester Avenue, BL2 5EF | Semi-detached | £165,500 | 13 Jul 2026 |
| 39 Ashley Avenue, BL2 5AR | Semi-detached | £220,000 | 6 Jul 2026 |
| 194 Winchester Way, BL2 5LH | Semi-detached | £235,000 | 30 Jun 2026 |
How to read this
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Every sale of a registered property in England and Wales appears here once it completes, so the most recent weeks are always still filling in.
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
Schools nearby
64 schools within 3 miles , of which 84% are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
| Nearest well-rated schools | Stage | Ofsted | Distance | Admitted from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moorgate Primary School | Primary | Outstanding | 0.6 mi away | no figure |
| The Valley Community Primary School | Primary | Outstanding | 1.4 mi away | no figure |
| Eden Boys' School, Bolton | Secondary | Outstanding | 1.7 mi away | 0.66 mi varies |
| Prestolee Primary School | Primary | Outstanding | 3.0 mi away | no figure |
| Tonge Moor Primary Academy | Primary | Good | 0.7 mi away | no figure |
| Castle Hill Primary School | Primary | Good | 0.8 mi away | 0.26 mi varies |
Schools in BL2 with a published admission distance
How far away the last child offered a place lived, as the council published it. Tightest first; each name opens the school's page and its postcode checker.
| School | Stage | Admitted from | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Hill Primary School | Primary | 0.26 mi | varies |
| Blackshaw Primary School | Primary | 0.84 mi | varies |
| Bolton Parish Church, Church of England Primary School | Primary | 0.99 mi | varies |
| Hardy Mill Primary School | Primary | 5.79 mi | varies |
Will an address here get a place? How far Bolton schools admitted from, school by school →
45 state primary and 8 state secondary schools within range, plus 3 fee-paying schools.
Private schools
3 fee-paying schools within 3 miles: Bolton Islamic Girls School, Lord's School, Madrasatul Imam Muhammad Zakariya.
All 3 fee-paying schools near BL2, with ages and admissions →
Fee-paying schools are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted, and the ISI publishes no open data feed. That is why they carry no rating here. A missing grade means we cannot see one, not that the school was judged poorly.
Universities
1 higher education institution within 3 miles: University of Greater Manchester.
Relevant beyond study: a large student population shapes rental demand, and term-time letting is a different market from family letting.
What people here do for work
The most common occupations among working residents, from the 2021 Census. This is occupation rather than industry: it says what people do, not which industries employ them.
| Occupation group | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Elementary occupations | 16.2% |
| Process, plant and machine operatives | 13.9% |
| Caring, leisure and other service | 13.8% |
| Skilled trades | 12.9% |
| Professional occupations | 10.5% |
Source: ONS Census 2021, table TS063, for this district's small area.
How BL2 has changed since 2011
The biggest move: white residents, down 11.9 points since 2011, with England's change beside each line.
How to read this
The census neighbourhood at the centre of BL2 (E01004794, 2,124 residents in 2021, up 19.7% on 2011) on the 2011 and 2021 censuses, with England's own change over the same decade for scale. Each line is a share of the neighbourhood's households or residents, so a growing area and a shrinking one compare fairly. The biggest move here: white residents, down 11.9 points.
| Measure | 2011 | 2021 | Change | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 35.1% | 34.4% | -0.7 pts | -2.0 pts |
| Households renting privately | 6.2% | 7.1% | +0.9 pts | +3.7 pts |
| Households renting socially | 56.8% | 58.3% | +1.5 pts | -0.6 pts |
| Residents under 15 | 27.7% | 31.5% | +3.8 pts | -0.3 pts |
| Residents 65 and over | 9.9% | 10.8% | +0.9 pts | +2.1 pts |
| Adults with a degree or equivalent | 12.0% | 20.0% | +8.0 pts | +6.5 pts |
| Residents born outside the UK | 13.2% | 13.2% | 0.0 pts | +3.6 pts |
| Residents in good or very good health | 75.7% | 76.6% | +0.9 pts | +0.8 pts |
| Residents in a white ethnic group | 89.9% | 78.0% | -11.9 pts | -4.4 pts |
Office for National Statistics, Census 2011 and Census 2021, Open Government Licence. A district holds many neighbourhoods; the full report for an address shows the one it sits in.
Crime
Greater Manchester Police is publishing only a small part of its recorded crime to Police.uk at present, a handful of offences a month where other forces list hundreds. Any count here would make the area look far safer than it is, so none is shown.
Flood risk
Zone 1 (low probability). This is the Environment Agency's flood zone for the area's centre point, an individual property's own risk can differ, especially near a specific watercourse.
Deprivation
This area falls in decile 1 of 10 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (most deprived nationally), based on Bolton's figures.
Buses from the centre of BL2
Best-served stop: Thicketford Brow, with 2.3 buses an hour on weekday daytimes.
Evenings, Sundays and routes
The best-served stop within 800 m of the centre of BL2 is Thicketford Brow: 2.3 buses an hour on a weekday daytime, 1.0 in the evening and 1.0 on Sunday daytime; first bus 05:17, last 00:21 after midnight. Routes there: 562, 911, 918, 924, 928. 5 stops with a scheduled service within that distance.
Departures a passenger can board, from the timetables operators publish to the Department for Transport's Bus Open Data Service, for Tuesday 8 Sep 2026 and Sunday 13 Sep 2026. Scheduled, not observed. Two stops on opposite sides of a road are two stops. The full report does this for the stops within 500 m of an address.
Source: operators' timetables on the Bus Open Data Service (Department for Transport)
GP practices and A&E
3 GP practices within 3.0 km of the centre of BL2. The nearest, The Dunstan Partnership, has 10,054 registered patients and 2,136 patients per fully qualified GP, against an England median of 2,186.
| Practice | From the centre | Patients | Per qualified GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dunstan Partnership | 0.6 mi | 10,054 | 2,136 |
| The Alastair Ross Medical Practice | 0.6 mi | 7,565 | 2,101 |
| Tonge Fold Health Centre | 0.8 mi | 6,971 | 3,734 |
Nearest A&E: Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, where 63.0% of type 1 attendances were seen within four hours in July 2026; then Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust at 63.5%.
How to read this
NHS England: patients registered at a GP practice (1 Aug 2026), the general practice workforce (July 2026), and A&E attendances by provider, monthly. Fully qualified GPs exclude trainees. Practices are matched by postcode.
Source: NHS England, monthly releases
Council tax and the council's finances
A Band D household in Bolton pays £2,400 for 2026-27, all precepts included, a rise of 5.9% on the year before against an England median rise of 4.8%. Every band for Bolton, and how it compares.
| Year | Band D bill | Rise |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | £1,889 | +3.7% |
| 2022-23 | £1,960 | +3.8% |
| 2023-24 | £2,045 | +4.3% |
| 2024-25 | £2,147 | +5.0% |
| 2025-26 | £2,267 | +5.6% |
| 2026-27 | £2,400 | +5.9% |
No exceptional financial support from government since 2020-21 and no section 114 notice on record for Bolton, as at 7 Sep 2026.
How to read this
A home's own band is on its council tax bill, free to look up at gov.uk/council-tax-bands; the report shows every band's bill at the council beside the home's other checks.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, live council tax tables (Band D, area averages) and the Exceptional Financial Support lists published each year; section 114 notices as published by the councils.
Source: MHCLG live council tax tables and Exceptional Financial Support lists
Common questions about BL2
What is the average house price in BL2?
The average sold price in Bolton is £204,379 as of July 2026, according to the UK House Price Index.
Are house prices rising in BL2?
Prices in Bolton are up 5.9% on a year ago (UK House Price Index).
What do houses actually sell for in BL2?
The median of 84 recorded sales around central BL2 in the last 2 years is £182,000, ranging from £38,500 to £425,000 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data).
Are the schools good in BL2?
64 schools sit within 3 miles of central BL2, and 84% are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
Is BL2 at risk of flooding?
Central BL2 sits in Zone 1 (low probability) for river and sea flooding (Environment Agency). Individual addresses vary, so check the full report for a specific property.
Is BL2 a good place to live?
That depends on what you need, so here is what the official data says rather than an opinion: 84% of nearby schools are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted; the median home sells for £182,000; the area sits in decile 1 of 10 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Every one of those figures names its source on this page.
Is BL2 safe?
Greater Manchester Police is publishing only a small part of its recorded crime to Police.uk at present, a handful of offences a month where other forces list hundreds. Any count here would make the area look far safer than it is, so none is shown.
Neighbouring districts
Want the full picture for a specific property?
This page covers BL2 as a whole. For sold price history, EPC rating, exact-address crime and flood risk, school catchment areas and 30+ other checks on one specific property, search its full postcode.