Where on the UK
Avg rent
£927/mo+5.7%
Median across council areas
Median salary
£31,384
Annual, residence-based
Council tax
Band G
Most common band across the region
Population
6,187,204
Sum across local areas
council areas
30
3,574 sub-areas
Stations
236
National Rail
Liveability
79/100
Composite (median council area)
Safety
72/100
Higher is safer
Transport
55/100
Transit + walk
Good schools
36%
Within 2 km, Ofsted Good+
Gigabit
100%
Premises gigabit-capable
Greenspace
314m
Median distance to park
Compare
Cities in West Midlands
Tap any row or map polygon to drill into that city — hovering on desktop will preview the link before you click. Switch the tab strip above the table to focus on Affordability, Schools, Transport, Safety or Wealth — the columns swap and the default sort follows.
236 National Rail stations in region
Avg rent, scores and YoY change at a glance.
| RegionWest Midlands | £927 | +5.7% | 79 | 72 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | £708 | +7.1% | 85 | 27 |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | £718 | +7.7% | 70 | 75 |
| Shropshire | £803 | +3.3% | 70 | 82 |
| Herefordshire | £815 | +4.1% | 71 | 87 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | £824 | +9.3% | 85 | 73 |
| East Staffordshire | £833 | +3.5% | 84 | 72 |
| Cannock Chase | £841 | +4.7% | 85 | 68 |
| Dudley | £846 | +7.5% | 81 | 73 |
| Wyre Forest | £849 | +4.6% | 85 | 71 |
| Telford and Wrekin | £850 | +8.3% | 82 | 55 |
| Stafford | £882 | +6.0% | 84 | 77 |
| Redditch | £898 | +0.3% | 79 | 69 |
| Walsall | £904 | +7.5% | 79 | 59 |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | £914 | +8.8% | 82 | 39 |
| Wychavon | £925 | +1.4% | 55 | 81 |
| Wolverhampton | £928 | +11.9% | 82 | 60 |
| Sandwell | £938 | +10.1% | 81 | 51 |
| Malvern Hills | £938 | +8.6% | 53 | 80 |
| South Staffordshire | £942 | +6.4% | 65 | 81 |
| Worcester | £955 | +4.8% | 85 | 71 |
| Tamworth | £966 | +7.5% | 80 | 71 |
| North Warwickshire | £972 | +7.8% | 51 | 68 |
| Bromsgrove | £977 | +2.0% | 60 | 77 |
| Coventry | £1,021 | +2.7% | 79 | 66 |
| Rugby | £1,028 | +5.4% | 77 | 75 |
| Birmingham | £1,086 | +3.5% | 76 | 41 |
| Lichfield | £1,091 | +8.9% | 63 | 78 |
| Stratford-on-Avon | £1,120 | +4.7% | 26 | 76 |
| Warwick | £1,237 | +2.4% | 73 | 72 |
| Solihull | £1,258 | +1.0% | 73 | 79 |
Source: ONS, MHCLG, DfT, DESNZ and Defra — sub-area data combined into city-level medians. Rail stations from Network Rail.
Quick rankings
Find a place to live in West Midlands
One-click pages ranked by the metric most people search for. Each one carries the same map and table — just pre-sorted and pre-tabbed.
FAQ
Frequently asked about West Midlands
Short answers to the questions we get most often. Each one is anchored in the data above.
- What is the average rent in West Midlands?
- The median monthly rent across West Midlands is £938, drawn from the ONS Index of Private Housing Rental Prices. Individual cities and neighbourhoods vary substantially — see the city table above for the spread.
- What is the average salary in West Midlands?
- Median resident annual salary in West Midlands is £31,384 (ONS ASHE 2025). This is salary for residents of West Midlands, not for people who commute in to work there.
- Is West Midlands a safe place to live?
- West Midlands has an average safety score of 72/100 across its constituent neighbourhoods. The score is based on police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, normalised against England + Wales as a whole. Higher = safer.
- What's the best place to live in West Midlands?
- It depends on what you weight. By our composite liveability score (which blends safety, transport, schools and rent affordability), the highest-ranked cities in West Midlands are listed in the city table above. For ranked shortlists by single criteria, see the Quick rankings section.
- How many cities are in West Midlands?
- West Midlands contains 30 council areas (cities and districts) covering 3,574 sub-areas. Browse the full list in the table above.
- Is gigabit broadband available across West Midlands?
- 100% of premises in West Midlands are gigabit-capable per Ofcom Connected Nations 2025. Coverage is patchier in older terraces and rural fringes — check your specific postcode for service availability.
- Where can I see how West Midlands compares to other UK regions?
- The country-level overview at /gb sorts every region by rent, salary and safety. From there you can drill into any other region for the same view of cities, neighbourhoods and shortlists.