United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Dudley vs Wolverhampton
Dudley (West Midlands, England · ~322k people) · Wolverhampton (West Midlands, England · ~264k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Dudley leads on 4, Wolverhampton on 2, 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
Dudley
£36,769/yr
Worse than 77% of UK LAs
Wolverhampton
£36,972/yr
Worse than 75% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Dudley
£240,000
Better than 64% of UK LAs
Wolverhampton
£220,000
Better than 73% of UK LAs
Wolverhampton: 9% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Dudley
£846/mo
Better than 67% of UK LAs
Wolverhampton
£928/mo
Better than 58% of UK LAs
Dudley: 10% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Dudley
£2,145/yr
Better than 93% of UK LAs
Wolverhampton
£2,539/yr
Worse than 78% of UK LAs
Dudley: £394 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Dudley
74.8/1k
Around UK average
Wolverhampton
91.9/1k
Worse than 77% of UK LAs
Dudley: 23% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Dudley
24.1
Worse than 71% of UK LAs
Wolverhampton
32.1
Worse than 92% of UK LAs
Dudley: lower average deprivation score (24.1 vs 32.1).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Dudley
88.8%
Worse than 83% of UK LAs
Wolverhampton
97.1%
Better than 86% of UK LAs
Wolverhampton: 8.3 percentage points more pupils in Good/Outstanding schools.
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.
Dudley
Rent takes 28% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.5× median annual pay
Wolverhampton
Rent takes 30% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.0× median annual pay
Full Dudley profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Wolverhampton profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.