Located to the north of Greater Manchester, the seatís main towns of Darwen, Rawtenstall, Bacup and Whitworth grew up at the time of the industrial revolution. However, traditional employment in the textiles industry has now virtually disappeared and the south of the constituency in particular has become a commuting base for Manchester.
Darwen, a former mining town in the north eastern corner of the seat, still has an industrial base with jobs provided in engineering and in the manufacture of paint, plastics and wallpaper.
Pleasant countryside outside the towns attracts visitors who provide employment in tourism. In common with most of Lancashire, home ownership is high. However, unlike most of the old Lancashire mill areas, the Asian population is small, at just over 1% of constituents.