Rankings
Best places to live in the UK
Every indexed area ranked on one overall liveability score, built from twelve weighted categories of open government data.
In short
The best places to live in the UK on this page are ranked by a single 0 to 100 liveability score combining twelve open-data categories. The current top three are Sunderland (76), Boston (75) and Chesterfield (75).
- Overall score: all twelve categories, weighted and renormalised over whatever data exists for each area.
- Ranked from 539 indexed UK areas, rebuilt daily from the latest published figures.
- Every area links to a full report with the source behind each figure.
| # | Area | Nation | Score | Cost of living | Safety | Weather | Broadband |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunderland | England | 76 | 88 | 41 | 78 | 96 |
| =2 | Boston | England | 75 | 82 | 47 | 77 | 80 |
| =2 | Chesterfield | England | 75 | 86 | 45 | 65 | 95 |
| =2 | Ilkeston | England | 75 | 80 | 51 | 81 | 97 |
| =2 | Stockton-on-Tees | England | 75 | 86 | 38 | 78 | 94 |
| =6 | Burton upon Trent | England | 74 | 80 | 50 | 81 | 84 |
| =6 | Chester-le-Street | England | 74 | 92 | 53 | 78 | 88 |
| =6 | Gateshead | England | 74 | 83 | 38 | 78 | 92 |
| =6 | Hartlepool | England | 74 | 97 | 39 | 78 | 97 |
| =6 | Perth | Scotland | 74 | 86 | 59 | 67 | 60 |
Category scores are 0 to 100 and a dash means that dataset has not loaded for the area yet, in which case it is excluded from the overall score rather than guessed at. Open any area for the full report and its sources.
Best places to live in the UK: the full ranking
Showing only areas measured on all twelve categories. 386 otherwise-eligible areas are hidden because at least one category has no data - most often crime, which Greater Manchester Police do not publish at street level. Show all areas.
Best in Scotland
Best in England
Best in Wales
Ranked from 539 indexed areas by TrackPostcode.UK scores. Coverage grows as more areas are indexed.
About this ranking
How are the best places to live ranked?
Each area is scored from 0 to 100 across twelve categories from open government data, weighted and combined into one overall score. Places are then ranked by that overall score. Every figure links to its public source. Right now the highest are Sunderland (76/100), Boston (75/100), Chesterfield (75/100).
Is this ranking based on opinion?
No. It is built only from published datasets - ONS, HM Land Registry, police.uk, the Met Office, Ofcom and others - using a scoring method we publish in full. Nothing is editorial or sponsored.
How often does the ranking update?
The area index rebuilds daily from the latest available data, so rankings move as new house prices, crime figures and other statistics are published.
Every ranking
The same index ordered by a different measurement each time, from the same twelve category scores and rebuilt daily. Each one states on its own page what it measures and what it does not.
What this ranking measures: Overall score: all twelve categories, weighted and renormalised over whatever data exists for each area. Read the full methodology before quoting a figure.
Primary sources: Office for National Statistics, HM Land Registry, police.uk and Met Office HadUK-Grid 1 km climate data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.