United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Dorset Council vs Wiltshire
Dorset Council (South West, England · ~380k people) · Wiltshire (South West, England · ~504k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Dorset Council leads on 1, Wiltshire on 4, 2 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
Dorset Council
£38,329/yr
Worse than 58% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
£39,047/yr
Around UK average
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Dorset Council
£349,000
Worse than 68% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
£320,000
Worse than 60% of UK LAs
Wiltshire: 9% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Dorset Council
£1,037/mo
Worse than 55% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
£1,056/mo
Worse than 56% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Dorset Council
£2,765/yr
Worse than 100% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
£2,572/yr
Worse than 84% of UK LAs
Wiltshire: £193 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Dorset Council
45.0/1k
Better than 93% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
48.9/1k
Better than 89% of UK LAs
Dorset Council: 9% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Dorset Council
15.7
Better than 64% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
13.4
Better than 75% of UK LAs
Wiltshire: lower average deprivation score (13.4 vs 15.7).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Dorset Council
84.7%
Worse than 98% of UK LAs
Wiltshire
93.2%
Better than 59% of UK LAs
Wiltshire: 8.5 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.
Dorset Council
Rent takes 32% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 9.1× median annual pay
Wiltshire
Rent takes 32% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 8.2× median annual pay
Full Dorset Council profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Wiltshire profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.