TrackPostcode.UK

Area report

Is Wolverhampton a good place to live?

Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England

69 / 100
GoodOverall score

Report completeness: 75%. Score is based on the categories with data loaded for this area.

71Remote workers
65Families
74Retirees
67Young professionals
72Students

In short

Wolverhampton scores 69 out of 100 overall, putting it in the top 37 per cent of the 539 UK areas we have scored. Its biggest lead is transport, scoring 100 against the English median of 75; its biggest shortfall is housing, 53 against 83.

  • Nearest scored area: Bilston, about 3 miles away, scoring 64.
  • Median overall score across the 539 areas in our index: 67 out of 100.
  • Report completeness 75 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: 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 Wolverhampton: 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, Shawbury, is 43 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.

82 / 100
Very goodAffordability score
£216,668Average price2026-06
5.6xPrice to earningsvs UK median full-time salary
£39,039Earnings assumedONS ASHE, updated annually

With a ten per cent deposit, the average Wolverhampton home needs borrowing of 5 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.

53 / 100
FairHousing score
£216,668Average price2026-06
+8.2%Annual change

UK House Price Index for Wolverhampton, all property types. Steady growth scores best; sharp falls and overheating both score lower.

Crime and safety

Source: police.uk

Crime data could not be loaded for this location.

Weather and outdoors

Source: Met Office

No weather score for Wolverhampton. The nearest Met Office historic station, Shawbury, is 43 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.

98 / 100
ExcellentBroadband score
99.4%Superfast availabilitypremises with 30 Mbit/s or more
98.2%Gigabit availabilitypremises with 1 Gbit/s capable

Ofcom Connected Nations coverage for Wolverhampton: the share of premises that can get each service, not the share that has taken it up.

37 / 100
ChallengingEducation score
45.9Attainment 8 average score202425
Council levelMeasured atshared by the whole local authority

Local 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.

74 / 100
Very goodHealthcare score
13GP surgerieswithin about 2 km
5Pharmacieswithin about 2 km
9Dentistswithin about 2 km
9Hospitalswithin about 8 km

Counted from OpenStreetMap around this exact point; a nearby GP and pharmacy carry the most weight. How it is scored. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

40 / 100
FairEmployment score
69.8%Employment rateaged 16-64
6.1%Unemployment rate
NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026Survey period

ONS Annual Population Survey for Wolverhampton, via NOMIS. Most UK councils fall between about 62% and 82% employment.

74 / 100
Very goodEnvironment score
7.85 µg/m³PM2.5 annual meanWHO guideline: 5 µg/m³
16.55 µg/m³NO2 annual meanWHO guideline: 10 µg/m³
2024Data year

Defra modelled background air for the 1 km grid cell around this point (Crown copyright), scored against the WHO 2021 guidelines.

100 / 100
ExcellentTransport score
134Stops within 800 mbus, tram and metro (including 15 tram or metro)
0.7 kmNearest railway stationWolverhampton Rail Station
Point-levelMeasured atthis exact location

DfT 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: ONS
74 / 100
Very goodCost of living score
£938Average monthly rentall property types
Jun-26Data period
29%Rent as share of payof UK median full-time gross pay

Average 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: OpenStreetMap

Lifestyle data is being sourced. We only publish figures once they are loaded from OpenStreetMap, so nothing here is estimated or invented.

Who Wolverhampton suits

Wolverhampton is a markedly better fit for some households than others. It ranks in the top 10% of the 539 areas we have scored for retirees, and the top 47% for young professionals. That gap comes from the same twelve categories weighted differently, which is why one overall score can never answer the question on its own.

How Wolverhampton ranks for each type of household
HouseholdScoreStandingWhat it weights
Retirees74top 10%Weighted towards healthcare, safety, environment and cost of living.
Students72top 26%Weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety.
Remote workers71top 38%Weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather.
Families65top 41%Weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare.
Young professionals67top 47%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

  • Affordability
  • Transport
  • Broadband

Worth checking carefully

  • Employment
  • Education

Built only from the categories with data; 3 are still to load for this area.

How Wolverhampton compares

Wolverhampton compared with every other area we have scored
CategoryWolverhamptonEngland medianUK medianvs England medianUK position
Cost of living747172+3top 47%
Affordability826468+18top 31%
Employment406159-21bottom 11%
Housing538383-30bottom 11%
Transport1007575+25top 1%
Broadband988888+10top 3%
Environment748991-15bottom 7%
Healthcare745452+20top 17%
Education373940-2bottom 39%

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 Wolverhampton does well. Measured against everywhere else in the index, the standouts are transport (100, 25 above the median), healthcare (74, 20 above the median) and affordability (82, 18 above the median).

Where it falls short. Housing (53, 30 below), employment (40, 21 below) and environment (74, 15 below).

Near Wolverhampton, and places like it

Of the 6 scored areas within about 50 miles of Wolverhampton, 2 score higher: Walsall (71) and Dudley (70). Wolverhampton scores 69. Walsall is ahead mainly on housing (+40), while Wolverhampton keeps the advantage on transport (+11).

Scored areas within about 50 miles of Wolverhampton
AreaDistanceWhereOverallBand
Bilston2.6 milesWolverhampton, West Midlands, England64Good
Willenhall3.2 milesWalsall, West Midlands, England65Good
Wednesbury5.2 milesSandwell, West Midlands, England66Good
Dudley5.6 milesDudley, West Midlands, England70Very good
Walsall6.3 milesWalsall, West Midlands, England71Very good
West Bromwich7.2 milesSandwell, West Midlands, England68Good

Straight-line distances, so roads are longer. Any place not listed can be searched directly.

Areas with the most similar scoring profile to Wolverhampton
AreaWhereOverallAverage gap
SalfordSalford, North West, England646
IpswichIpswich, East of England, England706.1
LiverpoolLiverpool, North West, England676.2
BoltonBolton, North West, England756.8
HuddersfieldKirklees, Yorkshire and The Humber, England716.8

Average score gap across every category both areas have, so smaller is closer. Neighbouring areas are left out.

What a home in Wolverhampton actually costs

Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI

The average home in Wolverhampton is £216,668, 20 per cent below the median of the areas we have scored. With a ten per cent deposit of £21,667, repaying the rest costs about £1,256 a month, £318 more than renting at the local average of £938, and needs a household income of about £43,300 to borrow.

The cost of buying in Wolverhampton
MeasureFigure
Average property price£216,668 (June 2026)
Change over 12 months+8.2%, rising
Against our index median20% below the £270,569 median across every area we have scored
10% deposit£21,667
15% deposit£32,500
Price to earnings5.6 times UK median full-time earnings of £39,039
Monthly repayment£1,256 on a £195,001 mortgage (10% deposit, 6% over 25 years)
Against renting£318 more than the £938 average monthly rent
Income to borrow itAbout £43,300 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 Wolverhampton, against the limits

Source: Defra modelled background maps

Fine particulates, at 7.9, 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 16.6, is well inside the UK limit of 40 but above the WHO guideline of 10.

Modelled background air quality in Wolverhampton, micrograms per cubic metre
PollutantWolverhamptonUK objectiveWHO guidelineStanding
Fine particulates (PM2.5)7.9105Inside the UK target, above the WHO guideline
Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)16.64010Inside the UK limit, above the WHO guideline

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 Wolverhampton

Is Wolverhampton a good place to live?

Wolverhampton has an overall liveability score of 69 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.

What is the crime rate in Wolverhampton?

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

What is the weather like in Wolverhampton?

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

How expensive is it to live in Wolverhampton?

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

What are house prices like in Wolverhampton?

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.

Can I afford to buy a house in Wolverhampton?

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.

How fast is broadband in Wolverhampton?

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.

What is the job market like in Wolverhampton?

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.

Are the schools good in Wolverhampton?

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.

What is the air quality like in Wolverhampton?

For the 1 km grid square containing Wolverhampton, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 7.85 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 16.55 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 74 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.

Are there GPs and dentists near Wolverhampton?

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 13 GP surgeries, 5 pharmacies and 9 dentists. 9 hospitals are within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 74 out of 100. Facilities are counted from OpenStreetMap and the score describes how close services are, not waiting times, capacity or clinical quality.

Does Wolverhampton have good transport links?

The nearest railway station is Wolverhampton Rail Station, about 0.7 km away, and there are 134 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 100 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 Wolverhampton in?

Wolverhampton is in the Wolverhampton local authority, West Midlands, England. It falls within the St Peters ward and the Wolverhampton West 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.

How does Wolverhampton compare with the rest of England?

Wolverhampton sits in the top 37% 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 transport, healthcare and affordability. 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.

What are the best places to live near Wolverhampton?

Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Wolverhampton, the highest are Walsall (71 out of 100, about 6 miles away), Dudley (70 out of 100, about 6 miles away) and West Bromwich (68 out of 100, about 7 miles away). Wolverhampton itself scores 69. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.

Which places are most similar to Wolverhampton?

Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Salford (Salford, North West, England), Ipswich (Ipswich, East of England, England) and Liverpool (Liverpool, 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.

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 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.