Is Penrith a good place to live?

Penrith has an overall liveability score of 66 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 100% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on cost of living and broadband. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

About 114 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of Penrith in 2026-08 (police.uk), giving a safety score of 62 out of 100. Town and city centres naturally record more than residential streets.

Penrith averages about 1,094 mm of rain a year, giving an outdoor score of 63 out of 100. Summer highs average 19.5°C and winter lows 1.8°C. The station records no sunshine series, so that score is built from rainfall and temperature alone. Based on the Met Office Newton Rigg station, 2 km away.

Average private rent in the Westmorland and Furness area is about £808 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Penrith a cost-of-living score of 82 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Westmorland and Furness is about £230,066 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +11.1% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Penrith scores 62 out of 100 for safety - good - measured from recorded crime within about a mile of this point for the latest published month (police.uk). That puts it in the top 17% 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 Westmorland and Furness costs about £230,066, which is 5.9 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 79 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 £1,334 a month at 6% over 25 years, £526 more than the £808 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 96.3% of premises in Westmorland and Furness can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 79.2% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 82 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.

80.4% of 16 to 64 year olds in Westmorland and Furness are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 69 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.

Westmorland and Furness records 45.7 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 36 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 Penrith, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 5.1 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 5.83 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 99 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 458 mapped amenities, including 87 places to eat and drink, 277 shops, 60 parks and sports facilities and 9 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 57 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 4 GP surgeries, 2 pharmacies and 6 dentists. 1 hospital is within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 46 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 Station Entrance, about 0.5 km away, and there are 39 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 74 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.

Penrith is in the Westmorland and Furness local authority, North West, England. It falls within the Penrith South ward and the Penrith and Solway 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 Westmorland and Furness shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Penrith scores 70 out of 100 on our students profile, which is weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. That is 4 points above its general score of 66, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.

Penrith scores 68 out of 100 on our remote workers profile, which is weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather. 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-remote-workers/.

Penrith 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, cost of living and safety. It is furthest below on housing, weather and healthcare. 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 Penrith, the highest are Carlisle (72 out of 100, about 17 miles away), Consett (72 out of 100, about 39 miles away) and Workington (71 out of 100, about 32 miles away). Penrith 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 Barrow-in-Furness (Westmorland and Furness, North West, England), Morpeth (Northumberland, North East, England) and Ashington (Northumberland, 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 Westmorland and Furness 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.