What it's like to live in Goole

Goole sits in a county where home ownership dominates. Across the East Riding, 73.1% of homes are owned outright or with a mortgage, 16.9% are privately rented and just 9.4% are socially rented. That is well below the England figure of 17.1%, so social homes here are in demand and worth hanging on to once you have one.

Rents are modest. Average weekly social rents in the council area in 2024/25 were about £87 for a one bed, £100 for a two bed and £109 for a three bed. East Riding of Yorkshire Council is by far the biggest social landlord with 11,412 homes, followed by Together Housing with 654, Vico Homes with 631, Karbon Homes with 487 and Yorkshire Housing with 460.

The population skews older than England as a whole: 26.4% are 65 or over and 29% are aged 45 to 64, with 15.7% under 16. In 2024-25 the council let 1,036 social homes and 48 council homes changed hands through mutual exchange, with 5,453 households on the housing register at March 2025. A register is not a simple queue.

There is a decent spread of primary schools close in. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is the nearest at about a third of a mile, with Boothferry Primary and Kingsway Primary both around half a mile, Marshlands Primary just under a mile and Parkside Primary about a mile out. For most families in town, a walk to primary school is realistic.

For older children, Goole Academy is about half a mile from the centre and Goole College is a similar distance, so staying local for sixth form or training is possible. Riverside Special School, also around half a mile away, serves children with additional needs.

For weekends and school holidays, Bartholomew Gardens is the closest park, with West Park, Sandhall Park and Hook Park giving more room to run about. The Library and Museum in town is a free indoor option. Goole and District Hospital is under a mile away, which matters with young children. Village halls at Airmyn, Hook, Scholfield and Swinefleet often host local groups, so it is worth asking what runs near you.

Goole station is roughly a hundred metres from the town centre, which is unusual for a town this size and genuinely useful if you do not drive. Saltmarshe station is about 2.8 miles away and serves the Howden side of the area. Between them, rail is the main way of getting out of Goole without a car.

The town itself is compact and mostly flat, so walking covers a lot of ground. Supermarkets, pharmacies, the library and museum, pubs and the Junction cinema and theatre are all within about half a mile of the middle. Schools and the hospital sit a little further out but are still short journeys.

If you have a car, the surrounding villages such as Airmyn, Hook and Swinefleet are only a mile or two out, and Howden is under three miles. Parking and driving are straightforward in a town of this size. Do check current bus timetables for your own street before you commit, especially if you will rely on them for school runs or shift work.

For a town of around 20,500, Goole does reasonably well. The Junction is a theatre and cinema in one, right in the centre, so a night out does not have to mean a long trip. The Library and Museum is on the doorstep too, and Howden Library is a short hop away.

Pubs are concentrated in the middle of town. City and County, including the Wetherspoons, The Old George, The Mulberry and The Counting House are all within a few minutes' walk of each other, which makes for an easy evening without worrying about getting home.

Outdoors, Bartholomew Gardens is the nearest green space, with West Park and Sandhall Park about a mile out and Hook Park and Saltmarshe Park further afield for a proper walk or bike ride. The flat countryside and riverside around the villages suit steady walking. Community centres and village halls at Airmyn, Hook, Swinefleet and Scholfield are where a lot of clubs and classes happen, so they are worth a look if you want to meet people.

Across the East Riding of Yorkshire council area, 54.2% of adults are in work, a little below the England figure of 57.4%. That partly reflects the age profile: more than a quarter of residents in the wider area are 65 or over. Unemployment in the council area is low at 2.3%, against 3.5% for England.

Benefit claims tell a similar story. In September 2026, 2.2% of people aged 16 to 64 in the East Riding claimed unemployment-related benefits, compared with 4% across England. On paper, this is an area where people who want work tend to find it, though these figures cover the whole county and not Goole alone.

Locally, the port, the hospital, the schools and college, and the supermarkets in town are all visible sources of work. Goole College sits half a mile from the centre for training and courses. The railway station in town also makes commuting out a realistic option if your trade is based in a bigger centre.