United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Rochdale vs Wirral
Rochdale (North West, England · ~224k people) · Wirral (North West, England · ~324k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Rochdale leads on 1, Wirral 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
Rochdale
£35,854/yr
Worse than 85% of UK LAs
Wirral
£37,866/yr
Worse than 64% of UK LAs
Wirral: 6% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Rochdale
£205,000
Better than 78% of UK LAs
Wirral
£217,500
Better than 74% of UK LAs
Rochdale: 6% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Rochdale
£824/mo
Better than 70% of UK LAs
Wirral
£830/mo
Better than 69% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Rochdale
£2,601/yr
Worse than 90% of UK LAs
Wirral
£2,501/yr
Worse than 69% of UK LAs
Wirral: £100 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Rochdale
105.5/1k
Worse than 87% of UK LAs
Wirral
69.9/1k
Around UK average
Wirral: 51% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Rochdale
34.4
Worse than 95% of UK LAs
Wirral
29.6
Worse than 86% of UK LAs
Wirral: lower average deprivation score (29.6 vs 34.4).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Rochdale
85.6%
Worse than 93% of UK LAs
Wirral
88.0%
Worse than 85% of UK LAs
Wirral: 2.4 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.
Rochdale
Rent takes 28% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 5.7× median annual pay
Wirral
Rent takes 26% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 5.7× median annual pay
Full Rochdale profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Wirral profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.