United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Sandwell vs Walsall
Sandwell (West Midlands, England · ~329k people) · Walsall (West Midlands, England · ~287k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Sandwell leads on 3, Walsall 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
Sandwell
£34,882/yr
Worse than 93% of UK LAs
Walsall
£35,495/yr
Worse than 88% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Sandwell
£217,000
Better than 74% of UK LAs
Walsall
£223,000
Better than 71% of UK LAs
Sandwell: 3% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Sandwell
£938/mo
Better than 57% of UK LAs
Walsall
£904/mo
Better than 61% of UK LAs
Walsall: 4% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Sandwell
£2,244/yr
Better than 88% of UK LAs
Walsall
£2,627/yr
Worse than 94% of UK LAs
Sandwell: £383 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Sandwell
95.2/1k
Worse than 80% of UK LAs
Walsall
90.5/1k
Worse than 74% of UK LAs
Walsall: 5% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Sandwell
34.9
Worse than 96% of UK LAs
Walsall
31.6
Worse than 92% of UK LAs
Walsall: lower average deprivation score (31.6 vs 34.9).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Sandwell
95.2%
Better than 73% of UK LAs
Walsall
92.3%
Worse than 60% of UK LAs
Sandwell: 2.9 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.
Sandwell
Rent takes 32% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.2× median annual pay
Walsall
Rent takes 31% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.3× median annual pay
Full Sandwell profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Walsall profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.