Is Bilston a good place to live?

Bilston has an overall liveability score of 66 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 75% 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.

Recorded crime for Bilston is shown in the crime and safety section, from police.uk for England and Wales or Scottish Government statistics for Scotland.

The weather section shows annual sunshine, rainfall and typical temperatures for Bilston from Met Office climate data for the location.

Average private rent in the Wolverhampton area is about £938 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Bilston a cost-of-living score of 74 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Wolverhampton is about £216,668 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +8.2% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

The average property in Wolverhampton costs about £216,668, which is 5.6 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 82 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 £1,256 a month at 6% over 25 years, £318 more than the £938 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 99.4% of premises in Wolverhampton can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 98.2% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 98 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.

69.8% of 16 to 64 year olds in Wolverhampton are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 40 out of 100. Unemployment stands at 6.1%. 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.

Wolverhampton 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 Bilston, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 7.91 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 14.83 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 76 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 194 mapped amenities, including 26 places to eat and drink, 50 shops, 81 parks and sports facilities and 2 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 45 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.

The nearest railway station is Coseley Rail Station, about 2.1 km away, and there are 48 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 75 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.

Bilston is in the Wolverhampton local authority, West Midlands, England. It falls within the Bilston North ward and the Wolverhampton South East 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 Wolverhampton shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Bilston scores 68 out of 100 on our students profile, which is weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. That is close to its general score of 66, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.

Bilston scores 62 out of 100 on our young professionals profile, which is weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband. That is 4 points below its general score of 66, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently.

Bilston sits in the bottom 44% 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 affordability and broadband. It is furthest below on housing, employment and environment. 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 Bilston, the highest are Walsall (71 out of 100, about 4 miles away), Dudley (70 out of 100, about 4 miles away) and West Bromwich (68 out of 100, about 5 miles away). Bilston itself scores 66. 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 Birkenhead (Wirral, North West, England), Wallasey (Wirral, North West, England) and Lytham St Anne's (Fylde, North West, 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 Wolverhampton 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.