Is Barnsley a good place to live?

Barnsley has an overall liveability score of 73 out of 100 (very good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 100% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on broadband and cost of living. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

About 606 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of Barnsley in 2026-08 (police.uk), giving a safety score of 42 out of 100. Town and city centres naturally record more than residential streets.

Barnsley averages 1,377 sunshine hours and about 888 mm of rain a year, giving an outdoor score of 65 out of 100. Summer highs average 21.3°C and winter lows 3.1°C. Based on the Met Office Sheffield station, 19 km away.

Average private rent in the Barnsley area is about £686 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Barnsley a cost-of-living score of 89 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Barnsley is about £175,733 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +6% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Barnsley scores 42 out of 100 for safety - fair - measured from recorded crime within about a mile of this point for the latest published month (police.uk). That puts it in the bottom 15% of every area in our index. A safety score is a comparison with other areas rather than a guarantee about a street. Town and city centres record more crime than residential suburbs largely because more people pass through them, so compare places of a similar type before drawing a conclusion.

The average property in Barnsley costs about £175,733, which is 4.5 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 94 out of 100. Mainstream lenders usually cap borrowing at around four to four and a half times income, so a ratio above that generally means a larger deposit, a second income or a cheaper property than the local average. With a ten per cent deposit, repaying the rest costs about £1,019 a month at 6% over 25 years, £333 more than the £686 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 99.4% of premises in Barnsley can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 88.7% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 92 out of 100 (Ofcom Connected Nations). These are council-area availability figures - the share of premises able to order each service, not the speed any single line achieves - so check the exact address with the Ofcom broadband checker before committing to it.

72.3% of 16 to 64 year olds in Barnsley are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 47 out of 100. Unemployment stands at 2.6%. UK local authorities typically range from about 62% to 82%. This is a whole-authority figure, so it describes the local labour market rather than any one town within it.

Barnsley records 45.9 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 37 out of 100. Each nation publishes its own attainment measure and they are not interchangeable, so education scores compare within England, Scotland or Wales and not across them. Attainment is published for the whole council or county rather than for a school catchment, so check individual schools with the inspectorate before deciding.

For the 1 km grid square containing Barnsley, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 7.25 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 11.83 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 84 out of 100; an area meeting both guideline levels scores 100. These are modelled background concentrations for the square, not a reading taken at the roadside.

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 817 mapped amenities, including 173 places to eat and drink, 409 shops, 159 parks and sports facilities and 12 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 81 out of 100. Counts come from OpenStreetMap and are measured at this exact location rather than averaged across the council, so they reflect how well served this particular spot is. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 19 GP surgeries, 8 pharmacies and 14 dentists. 3 hospitals are within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 87 out of 100. Facilities are counted from OpenStreetMap and the score describes how close services are, not waiting times, capacity or clinical quality.

The nearest railway station is Barnsley Rail Station, about 0.4 km away, and there are 69 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 85 out of 100. Stops come from the DfT NaPTAN dataset and are counted for this exact point, so the figure measures access rather than how frequently anything runs.

Barnsley is in the Barnsley local authority, Yorkshire and The Humber, England. It falls within the Central ward and the Barnsley North parliamentary constituency. Cost of living, housing, affordability, employment, broadband and education figures in this report are published at local-authority level, so every postcode and town inside Barnsley shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Barnsley scores 76 out of 100 on our retirees profile, which is weighted towards healthcare, safety, environment and cost of living. That is 3 points above its general score of 73, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-for-retirement/.

Barnsley scores 76 out of 100 on our students profile, which is weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. That is 3 points above its general score of 73, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.

Barnsley sits in the top 10% of the 539 UK areas we have scored. The median area in the index scores 67 out of 100. It is furthest above the benchmark for its nation on healthcare, affordability and lifestyle. It is furthest below on employment, housing and safety. Categories are compared against the area's own nation where the samples allow it, because crime and school attainment are measured differently either side of the border.

Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Barnsley, the highest are Wakefield (73 out of 100, about 9 miles away), Rotherham (73 out of 100, about 10 miles away) and Pontefract (72 out of 100, about 12 miles away). Barnsley itself scores 73. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.

Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Grimsby (North East Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and The Humber, England), Huddersfield (Kirklees, Yorkshire and The Humber, England) and Gateshead (Gateshead, North East, England). Similarity is the average gap across every category both areas have data for, with immediate neighbours excluded, so these are places that score alike rather than places that look alike or sit nearby.

Weather, crime, local amenities, healthcare access, transport access and air quality are measured for this exact point. Cost of living, affordability, housing, employment and broadband come from official statistics for the Barnsley council area, so nearby postcodes and towns in the same council share those figures. Education comes from the local authority, or from the county where attainment is only published at county level. The "How detailed is this report" section explains each level.