Best places to live & work for a family with one child
English local authorities ranked by the average Gera Settle Score across all 40 occupations for 1 child. As family size grows, schools and safety carry more weight.
Where is the best place in England to live and work for a family with one child?
As of June 2026, the best place in England to live and work for a family with one child, averaged across 40 occupations, is Gateshead (North East), with a mean Gera Settle Score of 91.3/100. The score weights school quality and safety more heavily as family size grows, joining ONS salary to real house-price, Ofsted, crime and GP data. Gera recomputes quarterly.
| # | Local authority | Region | Mean Settle Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gateshead | North East | 91.3 |
| 2 | Sunderland | North East | 90.9 |
| 3 | Middlesbrough | North East | 90.1 |
| 4 | Blackburn with Darwen | North West | 89.9 |
| 5 | Rutland | East Midlands | 89.6 |
| 6 | Doncaster | Yorkshire and The Humber | 89.5 |
| 7 | Calderdale | Yorkshire and The Humber | 89.3 |
| 8 | Stoke-on-Trent | West Midlands | 88.9 |
| 9 | Warrington | North West | 88.4 |
| 10 | South Tyneside | North East | 88.0 |
| 11 | Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 87.8 |
| 12 | Sandwell | West Midlands | 87.3 |
| 13 | Stockton-on-Tees | North East | 87.2 |
| 14 | Wigan | North West | 87.2 |
| 15 | Darlington | North East | 87.1 |
| 16 | Westmorland and Furness | North West | 86.5 |
| 17 | Cumberland | North West | 85.9 |
| 18 | Bradford | Yorkshire and The Humber | 85.8 |
| 19 | Bracknell Forest | South East | 85.7 |
| 20 | North East Lincolnshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | 85.7 |
| 21 | Milton Keynes | South East | 85.5 |
| 22 | Newcastle upon Tyne | North East | 85.3 |
| 23 | Walsall | West Midlands | 85.2 |
| 24 | Leeds | Yorkshire and The Humber | 85.0 |
| 25 | Northumberland | North East | 84.9 |
| 26 | Kingston upon Hull | Yorkshire and The Humber | 84.6 |
| 27 | Hartlepool | North East | 84.5 |
| 28 | Southend on Sea | East of England | 84.1 |
| 29 | Bolton | North West | 84.0 |
| 30 | Slough | South East | 83.8 |
Make it specific to your job
Pick your occupation and family size to rank areas on your actual salary.
Your best places to live and work as a other nursing professionals (UK median £42,300/yr), ranked by Gera Settle Score for a family with one child:
| # | Local authority | Settle Score | Local pay | Avg price | Yrs to buy | Good+ schools |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GatesheadNorth East | 91.5 | £40,832 | £158,885 | 3.9 | 96.9% |
| 2 | SunderlandNorth East | 91.1 | £40,832 | £145,293 | 3.6 | 95.7% |
| 3 | MiddlesbroughNorth East | 90.3 | £40,832 | £139,005 | 3.4 | 95.8% |
| 4 | Blackburn with DarwenNorth West | 89.8 | £39,501 | £165,813 | 4.2 | 92.9% |
| 5 | DoncasterYorkshire and The Humber | 89.6 | £39,071 | £173,624 | 4.4 | 95.5% |
| 6 | RutlandEast Midlands | 89.6 | £39,216 | £305,174 | 7.8 | 100% |
| 7 | CalderdaleYorkshire and The Humber | 89.3 | £39,071 | £190,555 | 4.9 | 94.4% |
| 8 | Stoke-on-TrentWest Midlands | 88.9 | £40,594 | £152,101 | 3.7 | 88.1% |
| 9 | WarringtonNorth West | 88.3 | £39,501 | £253,219 | 6.4 | 100% |
| 10 | South TynesideNorth East | 88.2 | £40,832 | £156,931 | 3.8 | 92.3% |
| 11 | WolverhamptonWest Midlands | 87.9 | £40,594 | £215,264 | 5.3 | 90% |
| 12 | Stockton-on-TeesNorth East | 87.4 | £40,832 | £169,540 | 4.2 | 93.3% |
| 13 | SandwellWest Midlands | 87.3 | £40,594 | £212,547 | 5.2 | 89.1% |
| 14 | DarlingtonNorth East | 87.2 | £40,832 | £156,880 | 3.8 | 90.9% |
| 15 | WiganNorth West | 87.1 | £39,501 | £190,802 | 4.8 | 96.2% |
Salary is the ONS ASHE full-time regional median for your occupation; every other figure is the real Land Registry, Ofsted, Home Office and NHS value for the area. See the Gera Settle Score methodology.
Other family sizes
Frequently asked questions
- How does family size change the best place to live and work?
- For 1 child, the Gera Settle Score weights schools at 30%, safety at 20%, affordability at 35% and GP access at 15%. Larger families weight schools and safety higher.
- What is the top area for a family with one child?
- Gateshead (North East) has the highest average Gera Settle Score (91.3/100) across all 40 occupations for a family with one child, as of June 2026. Source: ONS, Land Registry, Ofsted, Home Office, NHS.
- Is the Gera Settle Score based on real data?
- Yes — every input is a published Open Government Licence v3.0 figure: ONS ASHE salary, HM Land Registry house prices, Ofsted inspection outcomes, Home Office recorded crime and NHS England GP access. Nothing is modelled or estimated. Full method at /methodology/gera-settle-score.
Find a family home in Gateshead
Browse rentals and homes in Gateshead — the top Settle Score area in England for a family with one child.
Contains public sector information published by Gera Systems and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Gera Settle Score — ONS ASHE salary joined to HM Land Registry, Ofsted, Home Office and NHS England area data (June 2026, published 19 June 2026).