The Safest-Looking Places in England and Wales, and the Trade-Offs They Hide
Compare lower-crime areas across England and Wales, then test price, schools, transport and family routine before deciding.
The lowest crime figure is easy to circle. The harder question is whether you could afford the home, reach work, manage school and childcare, and still have a week that feels sustainable.
Neighbourhood Finder’s Family Liveability Index covers 7,588 wards across England and Wales. Of those, 7,195 have enough safety, schools and supporting evidence for the main comparison. The examples here are the leading safety-scoring ward with usable price evidence from each English region and Wales, giving the list geographic range without pretending a remote rural ward and a London neighbourhood are interchangeable.
If you are searching for the safest areas to live in England and Wales, use this as a carefully selected starting point rather than a declaration that one place is safe for everyone.
A lower crime rate only helps if the area also fits your housing budget, journeys and family routine.
The quick answer
The strongest safety scores in this geographically spread comparison belong to Hermitage in Breckland, Glasbury in Powys, Cheswardine in Shropshire, Upper Lune Valley near Lancaster and Shilbottle in Northumberland. Each scores above 95 for safety, but none is an automatic family winner.
- Hermitage leads on safety, but a £431,964 median price and a transport score of 14.79 make budget and car dependence important.
- Glasbury is the leading Welsh example, with a safety score of 99, but its transport score of 0.22 demands a credible car and disruption plan.
- Upper Lune Valley records the lowest crime rate in the selected table, while its transport score of 3.79 makes regular commuting harder.
- Randwick, Whiteshill & Ruscombe gives up a little safety-score ground for much stronger schools and family evidence, at a higher price.
- Berrylands offers the strongest public-transport position in the table, but its £789,678 median price makes affordability the dominant constraint.
The useful answer is therefore not simply “pick the highest score”. Start with the places whose price and location could work, then use safety to compare realistic alternatives.
What does “safest area” actually mean?
Safety can mean a low recorded-crime rate, feeling comfortable on an evening walk, reliable transport home, safe road crossings or having people around when you need help. No national dataset captures all of those experiences.
The index safety pillar uses recorded crime and anti-social behaviour evidence. It is the most heavily weighted of eight pillars, at 22%, but it does not override schools, family services, transport, health, greenspace, affordability or amenities.
That distinction matters. Hermitage in Breckland has the strongest safety score among the regional examples, but its transport score is 14.79 and its median sale price is £431,964. Glasbury in Powys has a safety score of 99, while its transport score is just 0.22. A very low crime rate can coexist with a routine that depends heavily on a car and careful planning.
Use a national safety table to find questions worth asking. Use your budget, journeys and visits to decide whether an area belongs on the shortlist.
Safer-looking places from across England and Wales
The chart shows the safety score for one geographically spread example from every English region and Wales. Hermitage, Glasbury, Cheswardine, Upper Lune Valley and Shilbottle lead this selected group, all with safety scores above 95.
Berrylands is lower on the safety score than the rural leaders but much stronger on transport. Randwick, Whiteshill & Ruscombe combines a high safety score with stronger schools and family scores, though its median price and affordability score show the cost of that balance.
Safety scores for selected regional examples
This is a useful starting point, but the best match depends on your budget, commute and what you value most.
Add your buying stage, budget and commute to filter areas by the constraints your household really has.
| Area | Region | Safety score | Crime per 1,000 | Median sale price | Transport score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hermitage, Breckland | Eastern | 100.00 | 4.53 | £431,964 | 14.79 |
| Glasbury, Powys | Wales | 99.00 | 5.69 | £337,586 | 0.22 |
| Cheswardine, Shropshire | West Midlands | 97.06 | 6.44 | £348,686 | 10.16 |
| Upper Lune Valley, Lancaster | North West | 95.89 | 3.92 | £407,500 | 3.79 |
| Shilbottle, Northumberland | North East | 95.27 | 6.27 | £337,500 | 9.27 |
| The Bartons, West Oxfordshire | South East | 93.78 | 6.22 | £428,172 | 7.79 |
| Randwick, Whiteshill & Ruscombe, Stroud | South West | 93.34 | 6.27 | £439,072 | 39.97 |
| Wingerworth, North East Derbyshire | East Midlands | 89.23 | 6.14 | £256,125 | 19.03 |
| Berrylands, Kingston upon Thames | London | 77.88 | 8.96 | £789,678 | 66.43 |
| Appleton Roebuck & Church Fenton, North Yorkshire | Yorkshire and the Humber | 75.51 | 6.34 | £358,557 | 7.17 |
These are regional examples, not a top-ten national ranking. A ward may represent a village, part of a town or an urban neighbourhood. Median prices describe completed sales in the source period and do not promise that a suitable home is available now.
The trade-offs hiding behind a low crime rate
Rural calm can make transport harder
Glasbury, Upper Lune Valley and Shilbottle all look strong on safety. Their transport scores are below 10. If two adults need different workplaces, children attend activities in different towns or one car becomes unavailable, the household needs a credible fallback plan.
Safety and affordability can pull apart
Berrylands has the strongest transport score in the table, at 66.43, but its median sale price is £789,678 and its affordability score is 9.12. Randwick, Whiteshill & Ruscombe has strong safety, schools and family scores, with a median price of £439,072 and an affordability score of 26.1.
Wingerworth is less stretched in this selected group, with a median price of £256,125 and an affordability score of 55.9. Its schools and family scores are lower, so the saving should lead to more questions about the actual services and routine you need.
A strong safety score does not equal the strongest overall fit
Hermitage has a safety score of 100 but an overall liveability score of 49.2. Randwick, Whiteshill & Ruscombe has a slightly lower safety score of 93.34 and an overall score of 63.65 because its schools, family and transport evidence is stronger.
That is the practical point of a multi-factor comparison. An area can lose the safety contest and still be the better place for your household to live.
The two-commuter reality
If both adults commute, test the area on the worst ordinary day rather than the best train shown in a journey planner.
- Can either adult handle pickup when the other journey fails?
- Is school or nursery reachable without the household’s only car?
- What happens when a child is ill halfway through the day?
- Is there an evening route that feels usable after services become less frequent?
- How much does parking, fuel or station travel add to the monthly budget?
Run that test for Glasbury or Upper Lune Valley and the transport trade-off becomes impossible to ignore. Run it for Berrylands and the housing-cost trade-off takes over. Neither answer is universally right.
How to compare your shortlist properly
Start with three to five areas that meet the non-negotiables. Then compare the same evidence and the same real-world checks for each one.
| Question | Evidence to compare | Check in person |
|---|---|---|
| Can we afford the move? | Recent sold prices, current listings, council tax and travel cost | The condition and location of homes inside budget |
| Does safety hold up locally? | Recorded-crime pattern and nearby alternatives | School, station, park and evening routes |
| Will school options work? | Admissions rules, accessible schools and fallbacks | The journey at drop-off and pickup time |
| Can we recover from disruption? | Transport frequency, alternative routes and car dependence | A realistic bad-weather or cancelled-service plan |
| Will family life feel practical? | Childcare, health, amenities and greenspace | The errands and weekend trips you make repeatedly |
For a consistent visit process, use the area safety checklist. The London crime comparison and Birmingham safety trade-offs guide show how the same method changes in a city context.
FAQs
Where are the safest places to live in England?
There is no single answer that works for every household. In the March 2026 index, Hermitage in Breckland leads the geographically spread examples shown here on the safety score. Its price, transport and family evidence still need to fit your move.
What is a safer-looking place to compare in Wales?
Glasbury in Powys has a safety score of 99 in the index and a recorded-crime rate of 5.69 per 1,000. Its very low transport score makes car dependence and fallback journeys central to the decision.
Are rural areas always safer than cities?
No. The lower-rate examples in this table are mostly rural or small-town wards, but rurality is not a guarantee and city-centre rates can be distorted by visitor activity. Compare similar places and inspect the exact location.
Should families prioritise safety over schools?
Safety should be a firm check, but not an isolated winner-takes-all score. A family move also needs workable school choices, travel, childcare, health access and a budget that can cope with change.
Compare areas using the budget, commute and family priorities that will shape your real week.
Methodology & Sources
This comparison uses Neighbourhood Finder’s Family Liveability Index, published in March 2026. The index considers safety alongside schools, family services, transport, health, greenspace, affordability and amenities. The table includes one strong safety example with usable price evidence from each English region and Wales.
The measures were not all collected on the same date, and recorded crime cannot capture every aspect of personal safety. Ward boundaries and visitor activity can also affect comparisons. Treat the results as a starting point, then recheck current prices, school admissions, transport and the exact location before deciding.