Abram & Bickershaw
Wigan 026 · 5 sub-areas · 8,657 residents
Wigan 026 is a residential area within Wigan, home to around 8,600 people and significantly more affordable than most of the North West. A typical two-bedroom home lets for around £686 a month — well below the UK national median for a 2-bed — and you can save a deposit in roughly two and a half years on a local salary.
Abram & Bickershaw is a settled residential pocket of Wigan. The bigger gravitational centre is Liverpool, around 76 minutes away by direct train, but most days don't require leaving — local life is what people are here for.
Overview
What's it like to live in Abram & Bickershaw?
Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; there's effectively nothing within walking distance — eating out, drinking and shopping mean a drive; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; Transport links are limited — a car or e-bike is a practical assumption for most regular trips; rents are below the national norm, with a typical home letting at around £732 a month; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Abram & Bickershaw in Wigan
Living in Abram & Bickershaw
This part of Wigan is squarely owner-occupier territory. Nearly two thirds of residents own their home, which gives the area a settled, neighbourhood feel rather than the transient churn you get in more renter-heavy parts of Greater Manchester. Greenspace is close — the nearest park or open land is typically under 400 metres away, and nearly six in ten residents live within easy walking distance of green space.
The cost picture is one of the most compelling reasons to consider this area. At around £686 a month for a two-bedroom home, rents are a fraction of what you'd pay in Manchester city centre or London, and roughly half the UK national median for a 2-bed. That said, rents rose 7.2% in the past year, so the gap is closing gradually. Council tax (Band D) runs about £2,153 a year — in line with the wider Wigan borough.
The population skews slightly younger than you might expect for a predominantly owner-occupied area: about one in four residents is aged 18 to 34, and just under a quarter of households are single-person. Families with children make up around a fifth of households. The degree-qualified share sits at roughly 22%, which is below the national average but not dramatically so. The area is notably homogeneous by UK standards — over 94% of residents were born in the UK.
Practically speaking, the nearest mainline rail station is about 3.6 km away — a roughly 45-minute walk or short drive. Most residents get around by car: around 68% commute that way, and only about 5% use public transport. One standout: broadband coverage is 100% gigabit-capable, with no premises below the minimum speed threshold. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on specific pockets within the area.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Wigan 026 a nice place to live?
- It's a quiet, settled area with very low crime and good access to green space — nearly six in ten residents live within easy walking distance of parks or open land. It suits people who want affordable, owner-occupier-style neighbourhoods without city-centre noise. The trade-off is limited public transport and a school Ofsted picture that's below the national average.
- What is the rent in Wigan 026?
- A one-bedroom home runs around £531 a month, a two-bedroom around £686, and a three-bedroom around £821. These are estimates based on borough-level data adjusted for local sale prices. Rents rose about 7.2% in the past year, but this area remains well below the UK national median for equivalent properties.
- Is Wigan 026 safe?
- Very much so. The recorded crime rate is around 0.6 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — a fraction of the UK national rate. The settled, owner-occupied character of the area contributes to that low figure. There are no specific crime hotspots flagged in the data for this neighbourhood.
- What's the commute from Wigan 026 to Manchester city centre?
- By public transport, you're looking at around 78 minutes to Manchester. Most residents drive — about 68% commute by car — partly because the nearest mainline rail station is roughly 3.6 km away. If you need Manchester regularly, factor in whether you're happy to drive to the station or rely on a car for the full journey.
- Who lives in Wigan 026?
- Mostly working households — a mix of families with children (around 21% of households) and single-person homes (27%). Owner-occupation is high at 64%, yet about a quarter of residents are aged 18 to 34. It's a predominantly UK-born, working-class to lower-middle-income community, with a degree-qualified share of around 22%.
- What schools are near Wigan 026?
- There are 28 schools within typical catchment distance, but only around 34% are rated Good or Outstanding — well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 2.5 km away. It's worth researching individual school catchments carefully if education is a key factor in your decision.
- How affordable is buying a home in Wigan 026?
- Very affordable by UK standards. The median sale price is around £159,000, and on a typical local salary you'd save a deposit in roughly two and a half years. That's among the faster deposit timelines in Greater Manchester. Residents earning the local median of around £31,600 a year spend about 37% of take-home pay on rent if renting.