Best places in South West for families
Persona weighting: Schools (Ofsted Good+) 30%, Safety (low crime) 25%, Affordability (rent) 15%, Connectivity (broadband) 10%, Health (life expectancy) 10%, Living cost (council tax) 10%.
Updated quarterly · from the latest government data releases.
What is the best place to live in South West for families?
As of 2026-06-19, the best South West local authority for families is North Somerset, scoring 72.9/100 on the Gera Persona Fit index — a persona-weighted composite of rent, crime, Ofsted schools, broadband, life expectancy and council tax across 25 South West local authorities. GeraRent recomputes it quarterly.
| # | Area | Persona Fit | GLS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Somerset | 72.9 | 65.8 |
| 2 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 72.1 | 65.1 |
| 3 | Torbay | 71.9 | 64.8 |
| 4 | Plymouth | 71.5 | 63.5 |
| 5 | Bath and North East Somerset | 70.0 | 61.0 |
| 6 | South Gloucestershire | 67.9 | 60.9 |
| 7 | Swindon | 67.5 | 64.6 |
| 8 | Tewkesbury | 67.3 | 64.0 |
| 9 | Cheltenham | 66.5 | 63.3 |
| 10 | East Devon | 66.5 | 62.5 |
| 11 | Forest of Dean | 66.1 | 61.4 |
| 12 | Exeter | 64.8 | 60.6 |
| 13 | Teignbridge | 64.8 | 59.5 |
| 14 | Cotswold | 64.7 | 60.2 |
| 15 | North Devon | 64.0 | 57.9 |
| 16 | Gloucester | 63.9 | 58.4 |
| 17 | Wiltshire | 63.6 | 57.9 |
| 18 | South Hams | 62.8 | 56.5 |
| 19 | Stroud | 62.4 | 55.8 |
| 20 | Mid Devon | 62.3 | 55.2 |
| 21 | West Devon | 62.3 | 55.1 |
| 22 | Torridge | 62.1 | 54.7 |
| 23 | Dorset | 61.1 | 56.6 |
| 24 | Cornwall | 58.5 | 52.1 |
| 25 | Bristol, City of | 58.1 | 53.2 |
Families in other regions
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Browse verified rental listings in South West on GeraRent and set an alert for new homes that match your budget.
Search rentals on GeraRentSources (all Open Government Licence v3.0):
- ONS — Price Index of Private Rents — as of May 2026.
- HM Land Registry — UK House Price Index — as of April 2026.
- MHCLG — Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England — as of 2026-27.
- Ofcom — Connected Nations (Gera Broadband Index) — as of July 2024.
- ONS — Life expectancy by local authority — as of 2017-19.
- Ofsted — State-funded school inspection outcomes — as of 31 May 2026.
- Home Office — Police recorded crime (PFA) + ONS population — as of Year ending December 2025.
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 © Crown copyright. Recorded-crime figures are neutral official statistics shown as context only and must not be used to characterise an area or its residents.