From the quality of the schools to how safe the neighbourhood is, average house prices and local facilities, buyers, particularly those with families, need to think carefully before they move to a new area and buy a property.
With this in mind, a study, conducted by Outdoor Toys, looked into several factors which make for a happy and well-balanced family life to find out which areas of the UK can be crowned as home to the “happiest families”.
Outdoor Toys looked at financial factors like average salaries, house prices and utility bills as well as the cost of preschools, the quality of schools, the number of activities in the area, the safety level in each area and the weather.
Areas with the Happiest Families 2024:
1. Hull and Liverpool
Both Hull and Liverpool have been crowned as the areas with the happiest families in the UK with a score of 6.35 out of 10.
Liverpool and Hull share the top spot thanks to their low house prices and utility bills.
With 29 events per 10,000 residents, Liverpool ranks second overall for activities. With its rich history and culture, Liverpool offers a wide variety of family-friendly activities.
The city also has one of the lowest house prices, sitting at £150,000, and the highest Ofsted ratings with 82 percent of the local schools rated either ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.
Hull’s low cost of living helps it tie for the top position in the ranking.
The Yorkshire port city boasts some of the lowest utility bills (£151 monthly) and the lowest average property price in the ranking, at £127,500.
Hull also scores highly for education as well; 81 percent of the area’s schools are rated as “good” or “outstanding” by Ofsted.
Hull was named one of the “worst places to live”, according to the 2022 ILiveHere survey but it seems not everyone agrees. Barnaby Page posted on Quora that the town had a “dire reputation”, however, he claimed he liked it the few times he’d visited.
Jeff Hoyle, who spent four years at university there, said since it has been invested in it’s “even better”. He also added: “It is a bit run down and at the end of the line, but the people are great and it is a real city, not a tourist trap.”
2. Portsmouth
Portsmouth came in second place in the rankings with an overall score of 6.16 out of 10.
The coastal city has some of the cheapest utility bills, costing just £119 per month, and an average safety index score.
3. Brighton
In third place is Brighton, which has an overall score of 6.11 out of 10.
Being a seaside resort, Brighton scores highly for its weather, and is also one of the safest locations, ranking in the top 10 for its safety index score of 62.6.
Eighty percent of schools were rated “good” or “outstanding” by Ofsted and there are a high number of family activities with 24 events per 10,000 residents.
Salford in Greater Manchester was named the city with the unhappiest families, scoring just 3.09 out of 10.
The areas with the happiest families:
1. Hull
1. Liverpool
3. Portsmouth
4. Brighton
5. Doncaster
6. Newcastle upon Tyne
7. Southampton
8. Nottingham
8. Bury
10. Sunderland
