Waterhead

Oldham · North West · population 7,905 · 5 LSOAs

Approximate neighbourhood (MSOA) boundary. © OpenStreetMap contributors; boundary © ONS / Crown copyright.

6Area Score / 100 ?
  • #6,428 of 6,856 in England
  • #807 of 932 in North West
  • #24 of 34 in Oldham
  • Most deprived 10% in England
Compare this area →

People living here Census 2021

Residents7,751
Median age (est.)38
Density4,759per km²
No qualifications27%
Degree or above20%
No car or van37%

Age

0–14 20%15–24 11%25–44 26%45–64 27%65+ 16%

Tenure

Own outright: 23%Mortgage/shared: 29%Social rent: 32%Private rent: 17%
Own outright 23%Mortgage/shared 29%Social rent 32%Private rent 17%

Households

One person: 36%Couple, no children: 13%Couple with children: 22%Lone parent: 18%Other: 12%
One person 36%Couple, no children 13%Couple with children 22%Lone parent 18%Other 12%

Work (top occupations)

Elementary 14% · Caring & leisure 13% · Skilled trades 13%

All occupation groups
Elementary14%
Caring & leisure13%
Skilled trades13%
Professional12%
Process & plant11%
Associate professional10%
Administrative9%
Sales & customer service9%
Managers & directors9%

Ethnic group

White: 82%Asian: 11%Black: 3%Mixed: 3%Other: 1%
White 82%Asian 11%Black 3%Mixed 3%Other 1%

Religion & identity

Christian 50% · No religion 33% · Muslim 11%

Born outside the UK: 11%

Census 2021 (ONS), Crown copyright, OGL v3.0. Shares are of each question's own respondents (e.g. education is % of residents aged 16+). Figures date from March 2021 and change slowly between censuses.

In summary

Waterhead is one of the most-deprived 10% of neighbourhoods in England, ranked #6,428 of 6,856 neighbourhoods nationally, and #24 of 34 in Oldham. Across the seven themes it scores highest on Housing & access (47) and lowest on Crime (2). Typical homes here, about £187,000 over the past year, have climbed steeply — up 85% in five years (from 71 sales), 12% below the wider Oldham median of £212,500. Typical household take-home income is around £28,113 a year, among England's lowest.

Themed scores ?

Each 0–100, higher = less deprived on that theme. National rank shown.

Income 10 · #6,154
Employment 6 · #6,442
Education 10 · #6,133
Health 8 · #6,277
Crime 2 · #6,702
Housing & access 47 · #3,659
Living environment 20 · #5,482

House prices ?

£187,000median (12m) · +19.1% yr · n=71
TypeMedian (12m)Sales1yr5yr
All homes£187,00071+19.1%+85.1%
Detached£320,00010+14.5%+2.9%
Semi-detached£212,00023+14.0%+47.2%
Terraced£155,00037+14.8%+85.1%
FlatToo few sales to report (n=1)
This area£187,000
Oldham£212,500
North West£225,000
England£300,000
Annual median price, all homes. Small samples can be volatile.

Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Household income

Net household income (a year)£28,113±£3,966 · #6,666 of 6,856
After housing costs (equivalised)£25,628
Price-to-income ?6.7×typical home ÷ net income — less stretched than the England figure of 7.5×

Model-based ONS estimates (FYE 2023) with 95% confidence intervals — a guide to the typical household, not a measurement. How income estimates work →

Affordability-adjusted Score ?

17Affordability-adjusted Score / 100
Best-value areas in England →

Recorded crime

No recorded-crime data: the police force covering Waterhead has not published usable street-level data for this period, so no rate or comparison is shown (a zero here would be misleading, not reassuring).

Official sources

Nearby areas

The closest neighbourhoods on the map, whichever authority they fall in.

Other areas in Oldham

Similar areas across England

Neighbourhoods with the closest Area Score elsewhere in the country, for comparison.