# Skelmersdale

Town in West Lancashire, North West.

Skelmersdale is a town in West Lancashire, North West. Median sale price £147,500 in 2025. Recorded crime 96.0 per 1,000 people. About 36,373 people.

Town. Code E63001167. In: [Towns](https://openindex.co.uk/places/towns) › [West Lancashire](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire)

Skelmersdale is an ONS built-up area: the land built up as one town, whatever council it is in. Figures for Skelmersdale add up the census output areas (or, for claimants, the neighbourhoods) that sit mostly inside it, so they are close to, but not exactly, the town’s own.

## Key figures

- **Median sale price: £147,500** (2025). The median price paid for a home in Skelmersdale was £147,500 in 2025. Joint 47th cheapest of 1,092. Source: Worked out by Open Index from HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Published 28 September 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/town/skelmersdale#f-house-sales-median-price
- **Population: 34,921** (2021). Skelmersdale had 34,921 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). 312th most populated of 1,209. Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, 2021. Published 21 July 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/town/skelmersdale#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 92%** (2022). About 92% of people in Skelmersdale live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. UK 44%. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UKHSA and BGS radon atlas and census output areas. Published 1 December 2022. https://openindex.co.uk/town/skelmersdale#f-radon-affected-share
- **Gigabit broadband coverage: 81.0%** (January 2026). In Skelmersdale, 81.0% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026 (Ofcom). UK 87.8%. Source: Connected Nations (Ofcom), January 2026. Published 13 May 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/town/skelmersdale#f-gigabit-coverage

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by town](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=E63001167) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 92% of people in Skelmersdale live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
- [Sales per year by town](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-sales-per-year?place=E63001167) (Worked out by Open Index · 2025): 351 homes were sold in Skelmersdale in 2025.
- [Crime and ASB by town](https://openindex.co.uk/map/recorded-crime?place=E63001167) (Police recorded crime and outcomes (data.police.uk) · August 2026): Crime and anti-social behaviour for Skelmersdale.
- [Population by town](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=E63001167) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Skelmersdale had 34,921 usual residents at the census.

## How Skelmersdale compares

Each town against every other town the measure covers.

| Measure | Skelmersdale | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Median sale price | £147,500 | joint 12th cheapest | 161 towns, North West · 2025 |
| Population | 34,921 | 49th most populated | 161 towns, North West · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 92% | 43rd most people in radon Affected Areas | 161 towns, North West · 2022 |
| Gigabit broadband coverage | 81.0% | 5th lowest | 161 towns, North West · Jan 2026 |

## Is Skelmersdale safe? What police records show

In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in Skelmersdale at a rate of 96.0 per 1,000 people.
That compares with 92.4 per 1,000 people across North West.
Across England as a whole, the recorded crime rate was 96.3 per 1,000 people.
In August 2026 alone, 294 cases of crime and anti-social behaviour were recorded in Skelmersdale.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the most common types were violence and sexual offences (1,433), anti-social behaviour (616) and other crime (591).
A year earlier, the recorded crime rate in Skelmersdale was 107.4 per 1,000 people.
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates.
Rates are per resident, so places that many people work in or visit, such as Westminster, the City of London and other city centres, have far higher rates than their residents alone would suggest.

## Deprivation in Skelmersdale, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

- Deprivation is ranked by neighbourhood, so Skelmersdale has no single figure. Of its 23 neighbourhoods with a rank:
- Decile 1 (England’s most deprived 10%): 4 neighbourhoods
- Decile 2: 8 neighbourhoods
- Decile 3: 3 neighbourhoods
- Decile 4: 5 neighbourhoods
- Decile 6: 1 neighbourhood
- Decile 8: 1 neighbourhood
- Decile 9: 1 neighbourhood

Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025. Decile 1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods in England.

## Neighbourhoods in Skelmersdale

| Area | People (census) | Recorded crime per 1,000 | Deprivation decile | Gigabit broadband |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [West Lancashire 009A](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025468) | 1,676 | 42.5 per 1,000 | 8 | 99.9% |
| [West Lancashire 009B](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025469) | 1,621 | 83.6 per 1,000 | 3 | 70.9% |
| [West Lancashire 009C](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025470) | 1,879 | 38.2 per 1,000 | 9 | 94.3% |
| [West Lancashire 009D](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025522) | 1,098 | 98.6 per 1,000 | 6 | 93.7% |
| [West Lancashire 010A](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025471) | 1,493 | 72.3 per 1,000 | 2 | 75.7% |
| [West Lancashire 010B](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025480) | 1,408 | 89.2 per 1,000 | 2 | 99.4% |
| [West Lancashire 010C](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025481) | 1,605 | 141.6 per 1,000 | 2 | 98.7% |
| [West Lancashire 010D](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025482) | 1,551 | 195.4 per 1,000 | 1 | 85.4% |
| [West Lancashire 010E](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025520) | 1,210 | 52.6 per 1,000 | 2 | 99.6% |
| [West Lancashire 010F](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025521) | 1,610 | 111.5 per 1,000 | 3 | 88.6% |
| [West Lancashire 011A](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025523) | 1,706 | 67.5 per 1,000 | 4 | 92.4% |
| [West Lancashire 011B](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025524) | 1,483 | 106.4 per 1,000 | 2 | 75.9% |
| [West Lancashire 011C](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025525) | 1,636 | 57.0 per 1,000 | 4 | 99.7% |
| [West Lancashire 011D](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025526) | 1,590 | 120.1 per 1,000 | 4 | 96.5% |
| [West Lancashire 013A](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025492) | 1,249 | 60.6 per 1,000 | 4 | 96.6% |
| [West Lancashire 013B](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025527) | 1,473 | 77.6 per 1,000 | 2 | 72.8% |
| [West Lancashire 013C](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025528) | 1,974 | 128.5 per 1,000 | 2 | 92.0% |
| [West Lancashire 013D](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025529) | 1,887 | 45.4 per 1,000 | 3 | 68.4% |
| [West Lancashire 014A](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025493) | 1,618 | 176.8 per 1,000 | 1 | 17.2% |
| [West Lancashire 014B](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025494) | 1,740 | 106.1 per 1,000 | 1 | 55.8% |
| [West Lancashire 014C](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025503) | 1,426 | 107.1 per 1,000 | 2 | 56.9% |
| [West Lancashire 014D](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025504) | 1,147 | 141.1 per 1,000 | 1 | 40.9% |
| [West Lancashire 014E](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/neighbourhood/e01025505) | 1,374 | 89.8 per 1,000 | 4 | 70.1% |

## Your MP

- [West Lancashire](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/west-lancashire): Ashley Dalton (Labour), MP since July 2024.

As of 18 October 2026. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0. Source: UK Parliament, Members API.

## Council

[West Lancashire](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire)

## Postcode districts covering Skelmersdale

[WN8](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/wn8)

## Middle areas in Skelmersdale

[Skelmersdale Ashurst](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/skelmersdale-ashurst), [Skelmersdale Central](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/skelmersdale-central), [Skelmersdale East](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/skelmersdale-east), [Skelmersdale South East](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/skelmersdale-south-east), [Skelmersdale West](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire/skelmersdale-west)

## Towns near Skelmersdale

[Orrell](https://openindex.co.uk/town/orrell), [Ormskirk](https://openindex.co.uk/town/ormskirk), [Burscough](https://openindex.co.uk/town/burscough), [Wigan](https://openindex.co.uk/town/wigan), [St Helens](https://openindex.co.uk/town/st-helens), [Kirkby](https://openindex.co.uk/town/kirkby)

## Skelmersdale in brief

Skelmersdale is a town in West Lancashire, North West.
About 36,373 people lived in Skelmersdale in mid-2024 (worked out by Open Index from ONS small-area estimates); the median price paid for a home was £147,500 in 2025 across 351 sales (HM Land Registry) and police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour at a rate of 96.0 per 1,000 people in the 12 months to August 2026 (police.uk).
The median price paid for a home in Skelmersdale was £147,500 in 2025.
Skelmersdale had 34,921 usual residents at the census.
About 92% of people in Skelmersdale live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
In Skelmersdale, 81.0% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.

## About

- Type: Town
- Code: E63001167
- Constituency: [West Lancashire †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/west-lancashire)
- Council: [West Lancashire †](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lancashire)
- Region: [North West](https://openindex.co.uk/north-west)
- Nation: [England](https://openindex.co.uk/england)
- Area: 11.32 km²
- People, mid-2024: 36,373*
- Neighbourhoods: 23
- Output areas: 113

* People: worked out by Open Index from neighbourhood estimates, shared out by where people lived at the census (by area in Northern Ireland). This area's edges do not follow neighbourhood edges, so the figure is close but not exact.
† Best fit: the constituency and council this town mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow theirs.

## Next door

[Orrell](https://openindex.co.uk/town/orrell), [Ormskirk](https://openindex.co.uk/town/ormskirk), [Burscough](https://openindex.co.uk/town/burscough), [Wigan](https://openindex.co.uk/town/wigan), [St Helens](https://openindex.co.uk/town/st-helens), [Kirkby](https://openindex.co.uk/town/kirkby)

## Latest updates for Skelmersdale

- Dental practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026.
- GP practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Department for Education · Oct 2026.

The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/E63001167

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/town/skelmersdale, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/town/skelmersdale#f-house-sales-median-price.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.8, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23508850. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/town/skelmersdale