New research from Hammonds Furniture looked at variables relating to the cost of living, quality of living, childcare costs, quality of schools, and house prices across 35 major towns and cities to find the best locations to raise a family in the UK.
According to the findings, St. Albans topped the table of family-friendly locations, scoring 83 out of a possible 100 points, and the locals agree, as 95% of residents consider the city a good place to raise kids.
The city also has the lowest level of crime of all locations in the study (just 59 crimes committed per 1,000 people) whilst nearly a quarter (24%) of schools in the city have an ‘Outstanding’ rating from Ofsted.
The top five places to raise children according to these rankings are:
1. St. Albans – 83% family-friendly score
2. Warrington – 78%
3. Newcastle upon Tyne – 71%
4. York – 70%
5. Bristol – 70%
Warrington, in Cheshire, came second in the rankings, the town scored highly for its number of ‘Outstanding’ schools with a quarter (25%) of schools receiving this rating. Additionally, 91% of residents consider it an excellent place to raise a family.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Coventry placed last in the rankings, scoring just 28 out of 100 points.
According to the rankings, the bottom five places to raise children are:
1. Coventry – 28%
2. Middlesborough – 29%
3. Wolverhampton – 40%
4. Bradford – 41%
5. Derby – 42%
The city has a low number of child-friendly activities and was deemed to have poor-quality green spaces and parks. Additionally, just 10% of schools in the area are ranked as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. Despite this, 63% of Coventry residents disagree and feel the city is a good place to raise children.
When asked about the top factors people consider when looking for a place to raise a family, schools were found to be a clear winner. Two in five Brits with children, or planning children (40%), said that the quality of local schools would be their top priority when choosing where to live.
Local crime rates also scored highly on the list, with a fifth (20%) of Brits saying this would be the most important factor when deciding where to bring up their little ones.
Interestingly, childcare and house prices were found to be less important for UK adults.
Despite recent reports finding that the average cost of a full-time nursery place in Great Britain was over £269 a week for children under two, 95% of those surveyed did not feel childcare costs would be a top priority.
A substantial 92% of Brits stated that house price would not be a top factor for them when looking at locations to raise a child. So although the top-rated area of St. Albans comes with a hefty price tag, with the average house setting you back £626,900, this may not be a huge deterrent for house-hunting families.
When looking at residents' current locations, overall, 10.1 million Brits (15%) don’t think that where they live currently is a suitable place to have kids.
The study also found that, in general, residents from the North of England are less confident that where they live is a good place to raise kids compared to those in the south.
East England (85%) and the South West (83%) had the highest rates of resident satisfaction, while the North East had the lowest as just 69% of residents said they felt their area would be a good place to raise children.
Overall, Carlise was found to have the highest number of residents (100%) who believe their city is a good place to bring up a child.
UK towns and cities where satisfaction rates are highest amongst residents:
1. Carlisle (100%)
2. St Albans (95%)
3. Plymouth (94%)
4. Warrington (91%)
5. Cambridge (88%)
Conversely, residents in Middlesborough were the least confident that their city is a good place for raising children, with less than half (47%) of locals claiming the city is a good place to do so.
UK towns and cities where satisfaction rates are lowest amongst residents:
1. Middlesbrough (47%)
2. Bradford (60%)
3. Northampton (60%)
4. Derby (61%)
5. Coventry (63%)
Kirsty Oakes, Head of Product and Marketing at Hammonds Furniture, added: “It’s clear to see that when choosing where to live as a family, some factors are much more important to Brits than others. And based on the UK’s priorities, some places are better suited to raising children than others.
“We’re pleased to see that resident satisfaction is so high in some areas of the UK, as in some places 100% of residents say it would be a good place to raise a family! Of course, this isn’t the case in all locations, and unfortunately, we found that overall, the North East has the lowest resident satisfaction.
“We hope that for those who are looking to move somewhere more child-friendly, these rankings can be a way to help narrow down their search and find an area that’ll fit their family’s needs!”