TrackPostcode.UK

Rankings

Safest places to live in the UK

Ranked from recorded crime, published one nation at a time because the two crime datasets are not the same measurement.

In short

The safest places to live in the UK are ranked here from recorded crime, separately for each nation, because Scotland and England count crime in incompatible ways. The current top three are Ilford (92), Romford (90) and Kingsbridge (78).

  • Safety category: police.uk crime within one mile for England and Wales, per 10,000 residents where the catchment population is known and as a one-month count where not; Scottish Government annual crime rate per 10,000 residents for Scotland.
  • 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.

Compiled by the TrackPostcode.UK data team Data last updated How we score every area Data sources

Ilford92Romford90Kingsbridge78Wadebridge76Sidmouth73Crewkerne72Filey71Knutsford71Helston70Sherborne70
Safest places to live in the UK: the top ten, drawn from the same figures as the table below.
Top ten on a single crime measure, with the categories that most often change the answer
#AreaNationScoreCost of livingSafetyWeatherBroadband
1IlfordEngland9271927277
2RomfordEngland9068907680
3KingsbridgeEngland787078—57
4WadebridgeEngland767076—69
5SidmouthEngland737273—76
6CrewkerneEngland7271727277
=7FileyEngland7180718481
=7KnutsfordEngland717271—86
=9HelstonEngland7070706769
=9SherborneEngland7068707280

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.

Safest places to live in the UK: the full ranking

Safety scores here are not all built from the same measurement, so we do not publish a single UK table. Where a catchment population is available an area is scored on recorded crime per 10,000 residents; where it is not, the score falls back to crime volume within one mile over a single month. Ranking one against the other would measure the data rather than the place, so the tables below are each built from a single basis. See our methodology.

Safest in Scotland

1LerwickShetland Islands, Scotland892StornowayNa h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland833KirkwallOrkney Islands, Scotland824BarrheadEast Renfrewshire, Scotland80=5FraserburghAberdeenshire, Scotland74=5PeterheadAberdeenshire, Scotland74=7HawickScottish Borders, Scotland61=7GalashielsScottish Borders, Scotland619ObanArgyll and Bute, Scotland60=10ArbroathAngus, Scotland59=10ForfarAngus, Scotland59=10PerthPerth and Kinross, Scotland59=10ThursoHighland, Scotland59=10WickHighland, Scotland59=10Fort WilliamHighland, Scotland59=10InvernessHighland, Scotland59=10MontroseAngus, Scotland59=18StirlingStirling, Scotland57=18ElginMoray, Scotland5720AyrSouth Ayrshire, Scotland5621MusselburghEast Lothian, Scotland54=22DalkeithMidlothian, Scotland52=22HamiltonSouth Lanarkshire, Scotland52=22RutherglenSouth Lanarkshire, Scotland52=22East KilbrideSouth Lanarkshire, Scotland52=22PenicuikMidlothian, Scotland5227AlloaClackmannanshire, Scotland51=28RenfrewRenfrewshire, Scotland50=28JohnstoneRenfrewshire, Scotland50=28PaisleyRenfrewshire, Scotland50=31KirkcaldyFife, Scotland49=31St AndrewsFife, Scotland49=31IrvineNorth Ayrshire, Scotland49=31KilmarnockEast Ayrshire, Scotland49=31DunfermlineFife, Scotland49=36DumfriesDumfries and Galloway, Scotland48=36BathgateWest Lothian, Scotland48=36StranraerDumfries and Galloway, Scotland48=36FalkirkFalkirk, Scotland48=36GrangemouthFalkirk, Scotland48=36LivingstonWest Lothian, Scotland48=42BellshillNorth Lanarkshire, Scotland46=42CoatbridgeNorth Lanarkshire, Scotland46=42CumbernauldNorth Lanarkshire, Scotland46=42MotherwellNorth Lanarkshire, Scotland46=42WishawNorth Lanarkshire, Scotland46=42AirdrieNorth Lanarkshire, Scotland4648GreenockInverclyde, Scotland4549AberdeenAberdeen City, Scotland4050ClydebankWest Dunbartonshire, Scotland39

Safest in England

1IlfordSomerset, South West, England922RomfordDorset, South West, England903KingsbridgeSouth Hams, South West, England784WadebridgeCornwall, South West, England765SidmouthEast Devon, South West, England736CrewkerneSomerset, South West, England72=7FileyNorth Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber, England71=7KnutsfordCheshire East, North West, England71=9HelstonCornwall, South West, England70=9SherborneDorset, South West, England70=9BudeCornwall, South West, England70=9OkehamptonWest Devon, South West, England70=9SevenoaksSevenoaks, South East, England70=14Market DraytonShropshire, West Midlands, England69=14ShaftesburyDorset, South West, England69=14Shepton MalletSomerset, South West, England69=14WhitchurchShropshire, West Midlands, England69=14CromerNorth Norfolk, East of England, England69=14TavistockWest Devon, South West, England69=20HayleCornwall, South West, England68=20WellsSomerset, South West, England68=20WetherbyLeeds, Yorkshire and The Humber, England68=20HonitonEast Devon, South West, England68=20UttoxeterEast Staffordshire, West Midlands, England68=25FerndownDorset, South West, England67=25RomseyTest Valley, South East, England67=25TotnesSouth Hams, South West, England67=25Berwick-upon-TweedNorthumberland, North East, England67=25MaltonNorth Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber, England67=30BelperAmber Valley, East Midlands, England66=30Ross-on-WyeHerefordshire, County of, West Midlands, England66=30AmershamBuckinghamshire, South East, England66=30BridgnorthShropshire, West Midlands, England66=30DorkingMole Valley, South East, England66=30NailseaNorth Somerset, South West, England66=30Saffron WaldenUttlesford, East of England, England66=30KenilworthWarwick, West Midlands, England66=30PetersfieldEast Hampshire, South East, England66=30SandbachCheshire East, North West, England66=30ClitheroeRibble Valley, North West, England66=30DawlishTeignbridge, South West, England66=30FelixstoweEast Suffolk, East of England, England66=30WilmslowCheshire East, North West, England66=44BingleyBradford, Yorkshire and The Humber, England65=44Blandford ForumDorset, South West, England65=44Midsomer NortonBath and North East Somerset, South West, England65=44RiponNorth Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber, England65=44TodmordenCalderdale, Yorkshire and The Humber, England65=44ClevedonNorth Somerset, South West, England65=44GodalmingWaverley, South East, England65

Safest in Wales

1MonmouthMonmouthshire, Wales682BreconPowys, Wales673MoldFlintshire, Wales64=4PenarthVale of Glamorgan, Wales62=4PrestatynDenbighshire, Wales62=6MaestegBridgend, Wales61=6PorthcawlBridgend, Wales61=6ChepstowMonmouthshire, Wales619AberystwythCeredigion, Wales59=10AberdareRhondda Cynon Taf, Wales58=10HolyheadIsle of Anglesey, Wales58=10Milford HavenPembrokeshire, Wales58=10NeathNeath Port Talbot, Wales58=14CaernarfonGwynedd, Wales57=14Ebbw ValeBlaenau Gwent, Wales57=14PontypriddRhondda Cynon Taf, Wales57=17AbergavennyMonmouthshire, Wales56=17Colwyn BayConwy, Wales56=19CarmarthenCarmarthenshire, Wales55=19PontypoolTorfaen, Wales55=21TredegarBlaenau Gwent, Wales54=21Port TalbotNeath Port Talbot, Wales5423BangorGwynedd, Wales53=24BlackwoodCaerphilly, Wales52=24Merthyr TydfilMerthyr Tydfil, Wales52=26CaerphillyCaerphilly, Wales51=26HaverfordwestPembrokeshire, Wales51=26LlanelliCarmarthenshire, Wales5129LlandudnoConwy, Wales50=30BarryVale of Glamorgan, Wales49=30BridgendBridgend, Wales4932Old CwmbranTorfaen, Wales4733RhylDenbighshire, Wales4534WrexhamWrexham, Wales4235SwanseaSwansea, Wales4136NewportNewport, Wales3637CardiffCardiff, Wales31

Ranked from 539 indexed areas by TrackPostcode.UK scores. Coverage grows as more areas are indexed.

About this ranking

How is the safety score calculated?

For England and Wales it uses police.uk recorded crime within about a mile of the location for the latest published month, scored as a rate per 10,000 residents where the catchment population is known and as a raw count where it is not. For Scotland it uses annual recorded crime per 10,000 people per council from Scottish Government statistics, as Police Scotland does not publish to police.uk. Each table on this page is built from one of those bases only. Right now the highest are Ilford (92/100), Romford (90/100), Kingsbridge (78/100).

Does a high safety score mean an area is crime-free?

No. It reflects recorded crime relative to other areas measured the same way. City and town centres naturally record more incidents than residential streets, and their visitors are not counted as residents, so compare like with like and check the detailed breakdown.

How current is the crime data?

police.uk publishes monthly, usually around two months behind; the report shows the exact month used. Scottish figures are the latest published annual total.

Every ranking

Best places to liveBest places for remote workersBest places for familiesBest places for studentsBest places for retirementBest places under £200,000Most affordable placesCheapest places to liveSunniest placesBest weatherFastest broadbandCleanest airBest places for jobsBest transport linksMost to doBest healthcare access

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.

Read next: the best places to live in the UK, the most affordable places to live, the sunniest places in the UK, the relocation quiz and how every score is built.

What this ranking measures: Safety category: police.uk crime within one mile for England and Wales, per 10,000 residents where the catchment population is known and as a one-month count where not; Scottish Government annual crime rate per 10,000 residents for Scotland. Read the full methodology before quoting a figure.

Primary sources: police.uk and Scottish Government recorded crime. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.