The Shires, Blackburn, BB2 4SF

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding BB2 4SF has a slightly higher male population, with 51.8% of residents being male. Several factors can contribute to this, including areas with industries or sectors that predominantly employ men, proximity to universities or technical schools with a higher enrollment of male students, presence of all-male or predominantly male institutions (military academies, boarding schools).

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	49.1%	48.2%	-0.9%	51.0%	-2.8%
Male	50.9%	51.8%	0.9%	49.0%	2.8%

Partnership Status

Across the UK, the average relationship status breakdown is roughly 44% married, 38% single, 9% divorced, 6% widowed, and 2% separated.

In the immediate vicinity of BB2 4SF there is a very large concentration of residents that are married - 61.4% of the resident population. In contrast, the average marriage rate across the census is about 44%.

Areas with a high percentage of married residents are typically suburban neighborhoods, towns with good schools and family-friendly amenities, and regions with affordable, spacious housing options. Additionally, such areas can be popular among retirees.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	27%	30.3%	3.3%	37.9%	-7.6%
Married: Opposite sex	63.7%	61.4%	-2.3%	44.2%	17.2%
Separated	0.8%	0.4%	-0.4%	2.2%	-1.8%
Divorced	7.3%	5.7%	-1.6%	9.1%	-3.4%
Widowed	1.2%	2.3%	1.1%	6.1%	-3.8%

Health

Across the UK, the average 48.4% rated their health as Very Good, 33.6% as Good, 12.7% as Fair, 4% as Bad, and 1.2% as Very Bad.

Population age significantly impacts residents' health. Additionally, socioeconomic status plays a crucial role: higher income levels and lower poverty rates are linked to better health outcomes. Affluent areas benefit from higher living standards, access to private healthcare, and healthier lifestyle choices.

This area has a high percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (94.2%) compared to the average (82%). This typically indicates either a younger population or more affluent area.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	64.9%	58.5%	-6.4%	48.4%	10.1%
Good health	29.5%	35.7%	6.2%	33.6%	2.1%
Fair health	5.7%	5.5%	-0.2%	12.7%	-7.2%
Very bad health	0%	0.3%	0.3%	1.2%	-0.9%

Education and Qualifications

During the 2021 census, the educational qualifications of residents across the UK were as follows: 18.2% had no qualifications, 9.6% had 1-4 GCSEs, 13.4% had 5 or more GCSEs and 1-2 A/AS Levels, 16.9% had 2 or more A Levels, 33.8% held a degree (or equivalent), and 5.4% had completed an apprenticeship.

In the area around BB2 4SF this area, 6.8% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 18.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	4.4%	6.8%	2.4%	18.2%	-11.4%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	17.3%	9.9%	-7.4%	9.6%	0.3%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	16.5%	17.9%	1.4%	13.4%	4.5%
Apprenticeship	6.5%	5.7%	-0.8%	5.3%	0.4%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	15.7%	21.3%	5.6%	16.9%	4.4%
Degree or Similar	36.7%	36.9%	0.2%	33.8%	3.1%
Other	2.8%	1.5%	-1.3%	2.8%	-1.3%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is predominantly white, with 93.1% identifying as such, significantly higher than the UK average of 81.4%. This indicates a lower level of ethnic diversity compared to the broader UK population.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Chinese	0.6%	0%	-0.6%	0.7%	-0.7%
Indian	1.8%	0%	-1.8%	3.1%	-3.1%
Pakistani	1.5%	5.1%	3.6%	2.7%	2.4%
Other Asian	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	1.6%	-1.6%
Mixed White and Asian	0%	1.8%	1.8%	0.8%	1.0%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.9%	-0.9%
White	95.5%	93.1%	-2.4%	81.4%	11.7%

Country of Birth

In this area, 97% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is higher than the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	95.5%	97%	1.5%	83.2%	13.8%
European Union	0.9%	0.6%	-0.3%	6.1%	-5.5%
Africa	0.9%	0.3%	-0.6%	2.7%	-2.4%
Middle East and Asia	2.4%	2.1%	-0.3%	5.6%	-3.5%
Oceania	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	95.5%	97%	1.5%	83.2%	13.8%
10+ Years	0%	2.4%	2.4%	9.8%	-7.4%
5-10 Years	0.3%	0.6%	0.3%	2.9%	-2.3%
2-5 Years	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	2.2%	-2.2%
Less than 2 years	3.9%	0%	-3.9%	1.9%	-1.9%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	95.1%	76.7%	18.4%
Other EU countries	0.6%	1.5%	-0.9%
Southern Asia	0.3%	1.2%	-0.9%
No passport held	4%	13.5%	-9.5%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	20.4%	37.2%	-16.8%
Christian	67.7%	46.2%	21.5%
Buddhist	0.3%	0.5%	-0.2%
Muslim	6.1%	6.5%	-0.4%
Other religion	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
Not answered	5.2%	6.0%	-0.8%

Safety

Is The Shires Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around The Shires was 18.4 per 1,000 residents, which is 75.4% lower than the Blackburn South & Lower Darwen average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

The Shires has the 3rd lowest crime rate of 22 local areas in Blackburn South & Lower Darwen and the 22nd lowest crime rate of 440 local areas in Blackburn with Darwen .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 12.2 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -65.0%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a similar level level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 60% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£47,500

Income Rank
6/10

Household Income in BB2 4SF, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 2/10 (very low )
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is used to classify the relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of the area. It considers the following domains:
Income Deprivation Domain - 1/10 (very low )
The Income Deprivation Domain measures the percentage of people in the population who are experiencing poverty due to having a low income. It includes both those who are unemployed and those who are employed but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Employment Deprivation Domain - 2/10 (very low )
The Employment Deprivation Domain measures the proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market. This includes people who would like to work but are unable to do so due to unemployment, sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Education, Skills and Training Domain - 2/10 (very low )
The Education, Skills, and Training Deprivation Domain measures the lack of education and skills in a local area. It has two parts: one for children and young people, and one for adults. The part for children and young people looks at their school achievements ('flow'), while the part for adults looks at the number of adults without qualifications ('stock').
Health Deprivation and Disability Domain - 6/10 (average )
The Health Deprivation and Disability Domain measures the risk of early death and poor quality of life due to bad physical or mental health. It looks at illness, disability, and early death, but not at behaviors or environments that might affect future health.
Crime Domain - 6/10 (average )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Barriers to Housing and Services Domain measures how easy or hard it is to access housing and local services. It has two parts: one looks at how close local services are, and the other looks at issues like how affordable housing is.
Living Environment Deprivation Domain - 2/10 (very low )
The Living Environment Deprivation Domain measures the quality of the local environment. It has two parts: the "indoors" part looks at housing quality, and the "outdoors" part looks at air quality and road traffic accidents.
Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) - 1/10 (very low )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) measures how many children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income families. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low incomes. This includes both those who are unemployed and those who work but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - 2/10 (very low )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) measures the percentage of people aged 60 or older who have low income. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low income, including both unemployed people and those with low-paying jobs (and who satisfy the respective means tests).

Property Prices

Average property prices on The Shires are based on 37 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Blackburn With Darwen.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for The Shires, Blackburn, BB2 4SF

Estimated Average Property Prices for BB2 4SF

Average Price
£265,079

Semi-Detached
£235,607

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£272,939

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for The Shires

Average Price
£267,478

Semi-Detached
£239,635

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£272,867

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on The ShiresStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
23 The Shires, Blackburn, Blackburn With Darwen Detached, an established residential building	£240,000	2024-06-14	£264,240
11 The Shires, Blackburn, Blackburn With Darwen Detached, an established residential building	£290,000	2023-11-10	£320,894
6 The Shires, Blackburn, Blackburn With Darwen Detached, an established residential building	£245,000	2023-09-11	£271,101
12 The Shires, Blackburn, Blackburn With Darwen Detached, an established residential building	£225,000	2021-10-22	£265,514
4 The Shires, Blackburn, Blackburn With Darwen Detached, an established residential building	£189,950	2019-04-05	£257,873

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for BB2 4SF

Employment

BB2 4SF area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 3% residents of this area were unemployed, while the average in the UK was 4.83%. A low level of unemployment in an area indicates a strong job market, where most people who are seeking work can find employment. This generally reflects a healthy economy in the area.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	146
Retired	36
Part-Time Employee	25
Self-Employed	25
Student (economically inactive)	11
Unemployed	7
Other	5
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	4
Long-Term Sick or disabled	2
Looking after home or family	1

Employment Industry

Manufacturing	44
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	38
Human health and social work activities	35
Education	23
Construction	22
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	15
Other	9
Administrative and support service activities	6
Accommodation and food service activities	6
Information and communication	5
Transport and storage	4
Professional, scientific and technical activities	4
Real estate activities	3
Financial and insurance activities	3
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	1

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Longshaw Nursery School Crosby Road , BB2 3NF	3out of 4	1,228 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Darwen Childrens Centre Winterton Road , BB3 0ER	- not rated	2,758 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Brunel Nursery School Cambridge Street , BB1 1ES	3out of 4	3,335 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Ashworth Nursery School Addison Close , BB2 1QU	3out of 4	3,416 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Turncroft Nursery School Highfield Road , BB3 2DN	4out of 4	3,804 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Blackburn the Redeemer CofE Primary Jack Walker Way , Fernhurst Farm BB2 4JJ	- not rated	650 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
St Bartholomew's CofE Primary School Bolton Road , BB2 4JQ	- not rated	929 yd	Voluntary aided school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Holmbrook Close , BB2 3UG	3out of 4	1,005 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Blackburn Road , BB3 0AA	3out of 4	1,088 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
St Edward's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Blackburn Road , BB3 0AA	- not rated	1,088 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Darwen Vale High School Blackburn Road , BB3 0AL	- not rated	589 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Darwen Vale High School Blackburn Road , BB3 0AL	3out of 4	1,426 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Everton High School Manxman Road , BB2 3ER	- not rated	1,882 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn Green Lane , BB2 4SR	- not rated	2,298 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
Blackburn Central High School Haslingden Road , BB2 3HJ	- not rated	2,637 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Blackburn College Blackburn College , Harrison Centre BB2 1LH	- not rated	3,465 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St Mary's College Shear Brow , BB1 8DX	- not rated	4,898 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Eden School Heys Lane , BB2 4NW	3out of 4	801 yd	Free schools special	No	Mixed	More About School
The Heights Blackburn Heys Lane , BB2 4NW	3out of 4	907 yd	Free schools alternative provision	No	Mixed	More About School
Fernhurst Secondary SEBD School Heys Lane , BB2 4NW	- not rated	933 yd	Community special school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bank Hey School Heys Lane , BB2 4NW	- not rated	1,037 yd	Community special school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Dame Evelyn Fox Special School Roman Road , BB1 2LA	- not rated	1,873 yd	Community special school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Splash @ Riverside	Splash At Riverside, Riverside House, Branch Road	649 yd
The Little Lancashire Village	1a Branch Road	786 yd
Costa Coffee	Blackburn Services M65, Commercial Road	839 yd
McDonalds Restaurant Ltd	Mcdonalds Restaurants, J4 M65 Blackburn Interchange	840 yd
No 3 Espresso Bar	3 Albert Place	902 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
The Golden Cup	The Golden Cup Inn, 610 Blackburn Road	723 yd
The Fernhurst	466 Bolton Road	757 yd
Oakenhurst Farm Brewers Fayre	Brewsters, Riversway Drive	958 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Munchies	23 Branch Road	738 yd
Chopstix Noodle Bar	M65 Junction 4 Blackburn Interchange, Commercial Road	839 yd
Bamboo House	9 Fore Street	927 yd
Yip's Chippy	454 Blackburn Road	937 yd
India 2 U	6 Fore Street	960 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Nisa Local Store	594 Blackburn Road		587 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Poppy-Mai Fc Ground Branch Road	grass pitches	504 yd
Darwen Cricket Club (Sandy Lane) UNITY MILL UNITY MILL KINGSTON PLACE	grass pitches	526 yd
Darwen Vale Community Leisure Centre (Closed) Blackburn Road	grass pitches, health and fitness suite	585 yd
Darwen Vale High School BLACKBURN ROAD	artificial grass pitch, health and fitness suite, tennis courts	588 yd
Regency Gym At Darwen Vale (Closed) Blackburn Road	health and fitness suite	589 yd
The Mill Gym Brook Mill Complex Brook Mill Complex Branch Road	health and fitness suite	631 yd
Blackburn Rovers Community Trust STEWART STREET	artificial grass pitch	820 yd
Bank Hey Pool (Closed) Heys Lane	swimming pool	836 yd
The Heights Free School HEYS LANE	health and fitness suite	893 yd
Our Lady Of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School HOLMBROOK CLOSE	grass pitches	1,003 yd

Broadband

Technology Aviability

Percentage of premises that have Superfast Broadband (30Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (100Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	100.0%

Speed Aviability

Percentage of premises unable to receive 2Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 5Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 10Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s	0.0%

Download Speed

Median download speed	76.6 Mbit/s
Average download speed	137.7 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	1000 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	1000 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	19.4 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	50 Mbit/s

Broadband statistics are based on Ofcom's Communications Market Report (CMR) 2022.

Overview of BB2 4SF