Best places to live & work as a it business analysts, architects and systems designers in England
Every English local authority ranked by the Gera Settle Score for a family with two children. The ONS ASHE UK median for this occupation is £60,288; regional pay is joined to each area's house prices, schools, crime and GP access.
Where is the best place to live and work as a it business analysts, architects and systems designers in England?
As of June 2026, the best place in England to live and work as a it business analysts, architects and systems designers for a family with two children is Gateshead (North East), with a Gera Settle Score of 90.9/100 — local median pay £49,429, average home £158,885 (3.2 years of pay), and 96.9% Good/Outstanding Ofsted schools. Gera recomputes this quarterly.
| # | Local authority | Region | Settle Score | Regional pay | Avg price | Years to buy | Good+ schools |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gateshead | North East | 90.9 | £49,429 | £158,885 | 3.2 | 96.9% |
| 2 | Sunderland | North East | 90.4 | £49,429 | £145,293 | 2.9 | 95.7% |
| 3 | Rutland | East Midlands | 89.7 | £50,084 | £305,174 | 6.1 | 100% |
| 4 | Doncaster | Yorkshire and The Humber | 89.5 | £54,279 | £173,624 | 3.2 | 95.5% |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | North East | 89.5 | £49,429 | £139,005 | 2.8 | 95.8% |
| 6 | Bracknell Forest | South East | 89.1 | £68,065 | £397,667 | 5.8 | 100% |
| 7 | Warrington | North West | 89.0 | £50,685 | £253,219 | 5.0 | 100% |
| 8 | Blackburn with Darwen | North West | 88.8 | £50,685 | £165,813 | 3.3 | 92.9% |
| 9 | Calderdale | Yorkshire and The Humber | 88.8 | £54,279 | £190,555 | 3.5 | 94.4% |
| 10 | Stoke-on-Trent | West Midlands | 87.8 | £62,420 | £152,101 | 2.4 | 88.1% |
| 11 | Milton Keynes | South East | 87.4 | £68,065 | £318,038 | 4.7 | 95.3% |
| 12 | Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 87.2 | £62,420 | £215,264 | 3.4 | 90% |
| 13 | Wigan | North West | 86.9 | £50,685 | £190,802 | 3.8 | 96.2% |
| 14 | South Tyneside | North East | 86.9 | £49,429 | £156,931 | 3.2 | 92.3% |
| 15 | Enfield | London | 86.7 | £74,574 | £465,031 | 6.2 | 100% |
| 16 | Sandwell | West Midlands | 86.5 | £62,420 | £212,547 | 3.4 | 89.1% |
| 17 | Stockton-on-Tees | North East | 86.1 | £49,429 | £169,540 | 3.4 | 93.3% |
| 18 | Hounslow | London | 85.9 | £74,574 | £497,276 | 6.7 | 100% |
| 19 | Slough | South East | 85.8 | £68,065 | £338,287 | 5.0 | 94.4% |
| 20 | Darlington | North East | 85.7 | £49,429 | £156,880 | 3.2 | 90.9% |
| 21 | North East Lincolnshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | 85.4 | £54,279 | £149,911 | 2.8 | 92.3% |
| 22 | Westmorland and Furness | North West | 85.0 | £50,685 | £223,414 | 4.4 | 90.7% |
| 23 | Bradford | Yorkshire and The Humber | 84.6 | £54,279 | £188,505 | 3.5 | 89.5% |
| 24 | Leeds | Yorkshire and The Humber | 84.3 | £54,279 | £246,882 | 4.5 | 91.5% |
| 25 | Cumberland | North West | 84.3 | £50,685 | £172,186 | 3.4 | 88.9% |
| 26 | Newham | London | 84.2 | £74,574 | £395,266 | 5.3 | 100% |
| 27 | Walsall | West Midlands | 84.1 | £62,420 | £214,922 | 3.4 | 86.4% |
| 28 | Kingston upon Hull | Yorkshire and The Humber | 83.9 | £54,279 | £135,051 | 2.5 | 90% |
| 29 | Newcastle upon Tyne | North East | 83.9 | £49,429 | £209,071 | 4.2 | 91.2% |
| 30 | Reading | South East | 83.7 | £68,065 | £345,112 | 5.1 | 92.3% |
Find your own best area
Change occupation or family size — the ranking recomputes live from real data.
Your best places to live and work as a it business analysts, architects and systems designers (UK median £60,288/yr), ranked by Gera Settle Score for a family with two children:
| # | Local authority | Settle Score | Local pay | Avg price | Yrs to buy | Good+ schools |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GatesheadNorth East | 90.9 | £49,429 | £158,885 | 3.2 | 96.9% |
| 2 | SunderlandNorth East | 90.4 | £49,429 | £145,293 | 2.9 | 95.7% |
| 3 | RutlandEast Midlands | 89.7 | £50,084 | £305,174 | 6.1 | 100% |
| 4 | DoncasterYorkshire and The Humber | 89.5 | £54,279 | £173,624 | 3.2 | 95.5% |
| 5 | MiddlesbroughNorth East | 89.5 | £49,429 | £139,005 | 2.8 | 95.8% |
| 6 | Bracknell ForestSouth East | 89.1 | £68,065 | £397,667 | 5.8 | 100% |
| 7 | WarringtonNorth West | 89.0 | £50,685 | £253,219 | 5.0 | 100% |
| 8 | Blackburn with DarwenNorth West | 88.8 | £50,685 | £165,813 | 3.3 | 92.9% |
| 9 | CalderdaleYorkshire and The Humber | 88.8 | £54,279 | £190,555 | 3.5 | 94.4% |
| 10 | Stoke-on-TrentWest Midlands | 87.8 | £62,420 | £152,101 | 2.4 | 88.1% |
| 11 | Milton KeynesSouth East | 87.4 | £68,065 | £318,038 | 4.7 | 95.3% |
| 12 | WolverhamptonWest Midlands | 87.2 | £62,420 | £215,264 | 3.4 | 90% |
| 13 | WiganNorth West | 86.9 | £50,685 | £190,802 | 3.8 | 96.2% |
| 14 | South TynesideNorth East | 86.9 | £49,429 | £156,931 | 3.2 | 92.3% |
| 15 | EnfieldLondon | 86.7 | £74,574 | £465,031 | 6.2 | 100% |
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.
By region
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best place to live and work as a it business analysts, architects and systems designers in England?
- Gateshead (North East) tops the Gera Settle Score at 90.9/100, combining £49,429 regional pay, £158,885 average home price (3.2 years of pay) and 96.9% Good/Outstanding schools. Source: ONS ASHE + Land Registry + Ofsted, June 2026.
- What is the median salary for a it business analysts, architects and systems designers in the UK?
- The ONS ASHE 2025 full-time median gross annual pay for it business analysts, architects and systems designers is £60,288 (25th–75th percentile £45,860–£81,932), reference period April 2025, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- How is the Gera Settle Score calculated?
- It joins the ONS ASHE regional salary for your occupation to four real area datasets — affordability (Land Registry price ÷ regional pay), school quality (Ofsted % Good/Outstanding), safety (Home Office crime per 1,000) and GP access (NHS England) — each normalised 0–100, then weighted by your family size. Full method at /methodology/gera-settle-score.
- Which area scores lowest for a it business analysts, architects and systems designers?
- Kensington and Chelsea (London) has the lowest Gera Settle Score in this ranking at 57.9/100, mainly because a home there costs 17.1 years of local pay. All figures are real government data, June 2026.
Find a home in Gateshead
Browse rentals and homes in Gateshead — the top Settle Score area in England for your work and family.
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).