United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Somerset vs Swindon
Somerset (South West, England · ~564k people) · Swindon (South West, England · ~223k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Somerset leads on 1, Swindon on 5, 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
Somerset
£36,951/yr
Worse than 75% of UK LAs
Swindon
£39,421/yr
Around UK average
Swindon: 7% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Somerset
£285,000
Around UK average
Swindon
£280,000
Around UK average
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Somerset
£980/mo
Around UK average
Swindon
£1,082/mo
Worse than 57% of UK LAs
Somerset: 10% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Somerset
£2,561/yr
Worse than 83% of UK LAs
Swindon
£2,438/yr
Around UK average
Swindon: £123 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Somerset
83.1/1k
Worse than 66% of UK LAs
Swindon
68.8/1k
Better than 56% of UK LAs
Swindon: 21% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019 (predecessor avg)
Somerset
19.0
Around UK average
Swindon
18.6
Around UK average
Swindon: lower average deprivation score (18.6 vs 19.0).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Somerset
81.3%
Worse than 99% of UK LAs
Swindon
93.0%
Around UK average
Swindon: 11.7 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.
Somerset
Rent takes 32% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 7.7× median annual pay
Swindon
Rent takes 33% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 7.1× median annual pay
Full Somerset profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Swindon profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.