Is Whitehaven a good place to live?

Whitehaven has an overall liveability score of 71 out of 100 (very good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 90% 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 112 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of Whitehaven in 2026-08 (police.uk), giving a safety score of 62 out of 100. Town and city centres naturally record more than residential streets.

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

Average private rent in the Cumberland area is about £670 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Whitehaven a cost-of-living score of 90 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Cumberland is about £172,036 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +6.9% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Whitehaven 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 Cumberland costs about £172,036, which is 4.4 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 96 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 £998 a month at 6% over 25 years, £328 more than the £670 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 96.7% of premises in Cumberland can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 74.7% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 80 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.

75.3% of 16 to 64 year olds in Cumberland are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 55 out of 100. Unemployment stands at 4.5%. 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.

Cumberland records 42.6 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 24 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 Whitehaven, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 4.25 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 3.78 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 100 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 325 mapped amenities, including 89 places to eat and drink, 181 shops, 33 parks and sports facilities and 4 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 48 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 1 GP surgery, 3 pharmacies and 2 dentists. 1 hospital is within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 34 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 0.3 km away, and there are 18 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 63 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.

Whitehaven is in the Cumberland local authority, North West, England. It falls within the Bransty ward and the Whitehaven and Workington 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 Cumberland shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Whitehaven scores 74 out of 100 on our students profile, which is weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. That is 3 points above its general score of 71, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.

Whitehaven scores 71 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 71, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-for-retirement/.

Whitehaven sits in the top 22% 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 environment. It is furthest below on healthcare, housing and education. 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 Whitehaven, the highest are Carlisle (72 out of 100, about 35 miles away), Dumfries (72 out of 100, about 36 miles away) and Workington (71 out of 100, about 7 miles away). Whitehaven itself scores 71. 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 St Andrews (Fife, Scotland), Holyhead (Isle of Anglesey, Wales) and Bishop Auckland (County Durham, 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 Cumberland 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.