United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Bolton vs Cheshire West and Chester
Bolton (North West, England · ~288k people) · Cheshire West and Chester (North West, England · ~344k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Bolton leads on 3, Cheshire West and Chester on 3, 1 effectively tied. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
Bolton
£35,074/yr
Worse than 92% of UK LAs
Cheshire West and Chester
£41,517/yr
Better than 66% of UK LAs
Cheshire West and Chester: 18% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Bolton
£205,000
Better than 78% of UK LAs
Cheshire West and Chester
£257,750
Better than 58% of UK LAs
Bolton: 26% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Bolton
£878/mo
Better than 63% of UK LAs
Cheshire West and Chester
£959/mo
Around UK average
Bolton: 9% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Bolton
£2,400/yr
Better than 59% of UK LAs
Cheshire West and Chester
£2,517/yr
Worse than 73% of UK LAs
Bolton: £117 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Bolton
98.4/1k
Worse than 84% of UK LAs
Cheshire West and Chester
66.7/1k
Better than 59% of UK LAs
Cheshire West and Chester: 48% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Bolton
30.7
Worse than 89% of UK LAs
Cheshire West and Chester
18.1
Around UK average
Cheshire West and Chester: lower average deprivation score (18.1 vs 30.7).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Bolton
91.2%
Worse than 75% of UK LAs
Cheshire West and Chester
92.1%
Worse than 63% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
What local pay actually covers
Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.
Bolton
Rent takes 30% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 5.8× median annual pay
Cheshire West and Chester
Rent takes 28% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.2× median annual pay
Full Bolton profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Cheshire West and Chester profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.