Area report
Is Mid Suffolk a good place to live?
Mid Suffolk, East of England, England
Report completeness: 90%. Score is based on the categories with data loaded for this area.
In short
Mid Suffolk scores 60 out of 100 overall, which places it below the median of the 539 UK areas we have scored. Its biggest lead is safety, scoring 97 against the English median of 52; its biggest shortfall is lifestyle, 1 against 56.
- Nearest scored area: Stowmarket, about 5 miles away, scoring 62.
- Median overall score across the 539 areas in our index: 67 out of 100.
- Report completeness 90 per cent: categories without data are excluded rather than estimated.
How detailed is this report?
Open data is published at different levels of detail, and this report always uses the most granular level available rather than pretending otherwise.
- Point-level for this exact location: Crime (recorded within about one mile of this exact point); Lifestyle (amenities within about 2 km of this exact point); Healthcare (facilities within about 2 km, hospitals within about 8 km); Transport (stops within 800 m and the nearest railway station); Air quality (the 1 km grid cell containing this point).
- Council-level, covering all of Mid Suffolk: Cost of living, Affordability, Housing, Employment, Broadband, Education. Every postcode and town in the council shares these figures.
- Not scored here: Weather (the nearest Met Office historic station, Cambridge NIAB, is 68 km away), too far to describe this location, so it is left out of the overall score.
Research this area further with trusted open data: police.uk street-level crime map, HM Land Registry sold prices, ONS local area profiles, Ofcom broadband checker. This report is open-source intelligence: everything is built from published government and public datasets you can check yourself.
Affordability
Source: HM Land RegistryWith a ten per cent deposit, the average Mid Suffolk home needs borrowing of 7.4 times a single UK median full-time salary of £39,039, beyond the 4.5 times most lenders will go to, so it takes a second income or a larger deposit. Try your own figures below.
Guidance only, using standard lending multiples and typical outgoings. Not a mortgage offer or financial advice. TrackPostcode.UK is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority; always seek independent professional advice before financial decisions.
Housing
Source: HM Land RegistryUK House Price Index for Mid Suffolk, all property types. Steady growth scores best; sharp falls and overheating both score lower.
Crime and safety
Source: police.ukAll recorded crime by type
| Category | Recorded (2026-08) |
|---|---|
| Other crime | 1 |
Very few crimes were recorded within a mile of this exact point for the month shown. That can mean a genuinely quiet spot, but it can also reflect a gap in the published data - verify on the police.uk street-level map before relying on it.
Recorded crime within about one mile, 2026-08. Busy centres record more than quiet suburbs because more people pass through them than live there, so compare similar types of place. How safety is scored.
Weather and outdoors
Source: Met OfficeNo weather score for Mid Suffolk. The nearest Met Office historic station, Cambridge NIAB, is 68 km away, beyond the 40 km we accept, so its climate would describe somewhere else. Weather is left out of the overall score here rather than borrowed. Why.
Broadband and mobile
Source: Ofcom Connected NationsOfcom Connected Nations coverage for Mid Suffolk: the share of premises that can get each service, not the share that has taken it up.
Schools and education
Source: DfE and devolved governmentsLocal authority average, key stage 4, state-funded schools. Source: Department for Education. Each nation publishes its own measure, so this compares within England only. How education is scored.
Healthcare
Source: OpenStreetMapCounted from OpenStreetMap around this exact point; a nearby GP and pharmacy carry the most weight. How it is scored. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Employment
Source: ONS / NOMISONS Annual Population Survey for Mid Suffolk, via NOMIS. Most UK councils fall between about 62% and 82% employment.
Environment
Source: Defra UK-AIRDefra modelled background air for the 1 km grid cell around this point (Crown copyright), scored against the WHO 2021 guidelines.
Transport
Source: DfT NaPTANDfT NaPTAN stops around this exact point. Twelve or more stops within 800 m, and a station within 1 km, each earn full marks.
Cost of living
Source: ONSAverage private rent, from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents. Rent stands in for cost of living because it is the largest living cost and the one that varies most between places.
Lifestyle and amenities
Source: OpenStreetMapWhat is nearby
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Food and drink | 0 |
| Shops | 0 |
| Health services | 0 |
| Schools and learning | 0 |
| Parks and sport | 1 |
| Culture and community | 0 |
Counted from OpenStreetMap within about 2 km of this exact point; private gardens are not counted. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Who Mid Suffolk suits
Of the 4 profiles we score, Mid Suffolk suits families best, at 61 out of 100. The 4 profiles land within 3 points of each other here, so this is a mild lean rather than a strong fit.
Mid Suffolk suits most households about equally: from the bottom 27% for families to the bottom 11% for young professionals of the 539 areas we have scored.
| Household | Score | Standing | What it weights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Families | 61 | bottom 27% | Weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare. |
| Students | 60 | bottom 20% | Weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. |
| Retirees | 60 | bottom 19% | Weighted towards healthcare, safety, environment and cost of living. |
| Remote workers | 63 | bottom 18% | Weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather. |
| Young professionals | 58 | bottom 11% | Weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband. |
The same twelve scores, weighted per household. Set your own weights in the relocation quiz.
Stands out on
- Safety
- Environment
Worth checking carefully
- Transport
- Healthcare
- Education
- Lifestyle
Built only from the categories with data; 1 is still to load for this area.
How Mid Suffolk compares
| Category | Mid Suffolk | England median | UK median | vs England median | UK position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 71 | 71 | 72 | 0 | bottom 44% |
| Affordability | 53 | 64 | 68 | -11 | bottom 30% |
| Safety | 97 | 52 | 52 | +45 | top 1% |
| Employment | 66 | 61 | 59 | +5 | top 27% |
| Housing | 75 | 83 | 83 | -8 | bottom 36% |
| Transport | 32 | 75 | 75 | -43 | bottom 4% |
| Broadband | 70 | 88 | 88 | -18 | bottom 10% |
| Environment | 89 | 89 | 91 | 0 | bottom 42% |
| Healthcare | 4 | 54 | 52 | -50 | bottom 1% |
| Education | 28 | 39 | 40 | -11 | bottom 10% |
| Lifestyle | 1 | 56 | 54 | -55 | bottom 1% |
Medians and positions are across the 539 areas in our index. Safety and education are measured differently in each nation, so read those two rows against the England median only.
What Mid Suffolk does well. Measured against everywhere else in the index, the standouts are safety (97, 45 above the median).
Where it falls short. Lifestyle (1, 55 below), healthcare (4, 50 below) and transport (32, 43 below).
Near Mid Suffolk, and places like it
Of the 6 scored areas within about 50 miles of Mid Suffolk, 6 score higher: Woodbridge (72), Ipswich (70), Thetford (69) and 3 others. Mid Suffolk scores 60. Woodbridge is ahead mainly on lifestyle (+45).
| Area | Distance | Where | Overall | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stowmarket | 4.9 miles | Mid Suffolk, East of England, England | 62 | Good |
| Diss | 11 miles | South Norfolk, East of England, England | 67 | Good |
| Ipswich | 12 miles | Ipswich, East of England, England | 70 | Very good |
| Woodbridge | 13 miles | East Suffolk, East of England, England | 72 | Very good |
| Bury St Edmunds | 16 miles | West Suffolk, East of England, England | 67 | Good |
| Thetford | 20 miles | Breckland, East of England, England | 69 | Good |
Straight-line distances, so roads are longer. Any place not listed can be searched directly.
| Area | Where | Overall | Average gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilford | Somerset, South West, England | 63 | 6.9 |
| Romford | Dorset, South West, England | 62 | 7.7 |
| Bridgnorth | Shropshire, West Midlands, England | 66 | 10.3 |
| Glastonbury | Somerset, South West, England | 65 | 10.4 |
| Shepton Mallet | Somerset, South West, England | 64 | 10.8 |
Average score gap across every category both areas have, so smaller is closer. Neighbouring areas are left out.
What a home in Mid Suffolk actually costs
Source: HM Land Registry UK HPIThe average home in Mid Suffolk is £320,276, 18 per cent above the median of the areas we have scored. With a ten per cent deposit of £32,028, repaying the rest costs about £1,857 a month, £859 more than renting at the local average of £998, and needs a household income of about £64,100 to borrow.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average property price | £320,276 (June 2026) |
| Change over 12 months | +5.8%, rising |
| Against our index median | 18% above the £270,569 median across every area we have scored |
| 10% deposit | £32,028 |
| 15% deposit | £48,041 |
| Price to earnings | 8.2 times UK median full-time earnings of £39,039 |
| Monthly repayment | £1,857 on a £288,248 mortgage (10% deposit, 6% over 25 years) |
| Against renting | £859 more than the £998 average monthly rent |
| Income to borrow it | About £64,100 a year at 4.5 times income |
Council-wide average across all property types; the multiple uses UK median full-time earnings (April 2025 (ONS ASHE)). Illustrative arithmetic, not a mortgage assessment or financial advice; TrackPostcode.UK is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Air quality in Mid Suffolk, against the limits
Source: Defra modelled background mapsFine particulates, at 6.9, sit inside the UK 2040 target of 10 but above the World Health Organization guideline of 5, as in most of Britain. Nitrogen dioxide, at 5.8, is well inside the UK limit of 40 and inside the WHO guideline of 10.
| Pollutant | Mid Suffolk | UK objective | WHO guideline | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine particulates (PM2.5) | 6.9 | 10 | 5 | Inside the UK target, above the WHO guideline |
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) | 5.8 | 40 | 10 | Inside both |
Neighbourhood background levels from the Defra 1 km model; readings beside a busy road are higher. UK figures are the legal limit (NO₂) and 2040 target (PM2.5); WHO figures are health guidelines, not law.
Questions about Mid Suffolk
Is Mid Suffolk a good place to live?
Mid Suffolk has an overall liveability score of 60 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 90% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on safety and housing. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.
What is the crime rate in Mid Suffolk?
About 1 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of Mid Suffolk in 2026-08 (police.uk), giving a safety score of 97 out of 100. Town and city centres naturally record more than residential streets.
What is the weather like in Mid Suffolk?
The weather section shows annual sunshine, rainfall and typical temperatures for Mid Suffolk from Met Office climate data for the location.
How expensive is it to live in Mid Suffolk?
Average private rent in the Mid Suffolk area is about £998 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Mid Suffolk a cost-of-living score of 71 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.
What are house prices like in Mid Suffolk?
The average property price in Mid Suffolk is about £320,276 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +5.8% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.
Is Mid Suffolk safe?
Mid Suffolk scores 97 out of 100 for safety - excellent - measured from recorded crime within about a mile of this point for the latest published month (police.uk). That puts it in the top 1% 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.
Can I afford to buy a house in Mid Suffolk?
The average property in Mid Suffolk costs about £320,276, which is 8.2 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 53 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 £1,857 a month at 6% over 25 years, £859 more than the £998 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.
How fast is broadband in Mid Suffolk?
About 97% of premises in Mid Suffolk can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 58.2% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 70 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.
What is the job market like in Mid Suffolk?
79.5% of 16 to 64 year olds in Mid Suffolk are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 66 out of 100. 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.
Are the schools good in Mid Suffolk?
Mid Suffolk records 43.8 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 28 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.
What is the air quality like in Mid Suffolk?
For the 1 km grid square containing Mid Suffolk, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 6.85 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 5.8 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 89 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.
What is there to do in Mid Suffolk?
Within about two kilometres of this point there are 1 mapped amenities, including 1 parks and sports facilities, giving a lifestyle score of 1 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.
Does Mid Suffolk have good transport links?
The nearest railway station is Entrance2, about 7.7 km away, and there are 4 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 32 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.
Which council area is Mid Suffolk in?
Mid Suffolk is in the Mid Suffolk local authority, East of England, England. It falls within the Stonham ward and the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich 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 Mid Suffolk shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.
Is Mid Suffolk a good place for families?
Mid Suffolk scores 61 out of 100 on our families profile, which is weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare. That is close to its general score of 60, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-families/.
Is Mid Suffolk a good place to retire?
Mid Suffolk scores 60 out of 100 on our retirees profile, which is weighted towards healthcare, safety, environment and cost of living. That is close to its general score of 60, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-for-retirement/.
How does Mid Suffolk compare with the rest of England?
Mid Suffolk sits in the bottom 17% 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 safety. It is furthest below on lifestyle, healthcare and transport. 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.
What are the best places to live near Mid Suffolk?
Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Mid Suffolk, the highest are Woodbridge (72 out of 100, about 13 miles away), Ipswich (70 out of 100, about 12 miles away) and Thetford (69 out of 100, about 20 miles away). Mid Suffolk itself scores 60. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.
Which places are most similar to Mid Suffolk?
Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Ilford (Somerset, South West, England), Romford (Dorset, South West, England) and Bridgnorth (Shropshire, West Midlands, 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.
What area does this report cover?
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 Mid Suffolk 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.