At 53°34′39″N 2°5′32″W (53.5777°, -2.0928°) Shaw and Crompton lies along the eastern edge of the ancient Lancashire border; Saddleworth and the Pennines are close to the east.
The larger towns of Rochdale and Oldham lie to the northwest and south respectively; Royton is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) west-southwest.
There are no motorways in Shaw and Crompton, though a light rail line bisects the town from north to south.
The town has a post office under the Oldham post town.
The territory of the civil parish is given as 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²).
For purposes of the Office for National Statistics, Shaw and Crompton forms part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area, with Manchester city centre itself 8.7 miles (14.0 km) southwest of Shaw and Crompton.

Described in Samuel Lewis's A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) as located in "a bleak situation", Shaw and Crompton is in the valley of the River Beal, which runs northward through the town towards the village of Newhey.
The land to the east of the town steadily rises, reaching a height of 1,283 feet (391 m) at the summit of Crompton Moor.
To the west, the land reaches around 699 feet (213 m) at High Crompton and 825 feet (251 m) at Whitfield, and from these highpoints the surface slopes away in all directions.
The River Irk rises on Shaw and Crompton's western boundary with Royton.
The geology is represented by carboniferous coal measures.
The soils of the town are broadly sterile, the poorest being in the upland moors.
Rainfall rises steadily from the Cheshire Plain in a northeasterly direction, and totals are between 51 inches (1,295 mm) to 67 inches (1,702 mm) a year in Shaw and Crompton, which is well above the UK average of  45.4 inches (1,153 mm) and compares to about 33 inches (838 mm) a year at Ringway.

Shaw and Crompton's built environment is similar to the urban structure of most towns in England, consisting of residential dwellings centred on a High Street in the town centre, which is the local centre of commerce.
There is a mixture of low-density urban areas, suburbs, semi-rural and rural locations in Shaw and Crompton, but overwhelmingly the land use in the town is residential; industrial areas and terraced houses give way to suburbs and rural greenery as the land rises out of the town.
Generally, property in the centre, west, and south of the town is older and smaller in comparison to that found in the east and north.

Shaw and Crompton is divided into two political wards, named "Shaw" and "Crompton" (to the east and west respectively), and residential suburbs, including High Crompton, Rushcroft, Buckstones, Clough, Jubilee, Shaw Side, Wrens Nest, Cowlishaw, Low Crompton, Nook, Goats, Wood End and Shore Edge.
At 53°34′39″N 2°5′32″W (53.5777°, -2.0928°) Shaw and Crompton lies along the eastern edge of the ancient Lancashire border; Saddleworth and the Pennines are close to the east. The larger towns of Rochdale and Oldham lie to the northwest and south respectively; Royton is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) west-southwest. There are no motorways in Shaw and Crompton, though a light rail line bisects the town from north to south. The town has a post office under the Oldham post town. The territory of the civil parish is given as 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²). For purposes of the Office for National Statistics, Shaw and Crompton forms part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area, with Manchester city centre itself 8.7 miles (14.0 km) southwest of Shaw and Crompton.
Described in Samuel Lewis's A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) as located in "a bleak situation", Shaw and Crompton is in the valley of the River Beal, which runs northward through the town towards the village of Newhey. The land to the east of the town steadily rises, reaching a height of 1,283 feet (391 m) at the summit of Crompton Moor. To the west, the land reaches around 699 feet (213 m) at High Crompton and 825 feet (251 m) at Whitfield, and from these highpoints the surface slopes away in all directions. The River Irk rises on Shaw and Crompton's western boundary with Royton. The geology is represented by carboniferous coal measures. The soils of the town are broadly sterile, the poorest being in the upland moors. Rainfall rises steadily from the Cheshire Plain in a northeasterly direction, and totals are between 51 inches (1,295 mm) to 67 inches (1,702 mm) a year in Shaw and Crompton, which is well above the UK average of  45.4 inches (1,153 mm) and compares to about 33 inches (838 mm) a year at Ringway.
Shaw and Crompton's built environment is similar to the urban structure of most towns in England, consisting of residential dwellings centred on a High Street in the town centre, which is the local centre of commerce. There is a mixture of low-density urban areas, suburbs, semi-rural and rural locations in Shaw and Crompton, but overwhelmingly the land use in the town is residential; industrial areas and terraced houses give way to suburbs and rural greenery as the land rises out of the town. Generally, property in the centre, west, and south of the town is older and smaller in comparison to that found in the east and north.
Shaw and Crompton is divided into two political wards, named "Shaw" and "Crompton" (to the east and west respectively), and residential suburbs, including High Crompton, Rushcroft, Buckstones, Clough, Jubilee, Shaw Side, Wrens Nest, Cowlishaw, Low Crompton, Nook, Goats, Wood End and Shore Edge.
Shaw and Crompton