United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Wakefield vs York
Wakefield (Yorkshire and The Humber, England · ~352k people) · York (Yorkshire and The Humber, England · ~211k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Wakefield leads on 2, York on 4, 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
Wakefield
£35,833/yr
Worse than 86% of UK LAs
York
£39,863/yr
Better than 55% of UK LAs
York: 11% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Wakefield
£200,000
Better than 80% of UK LAs
York
£305,000
Worse than 57% of UK LAs
Wakefield: 53% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Wakefield
£787/mo
Better than 76% of UK LAs
York
£1,173/mo
Worse than 63% of UK LAs
Wakefield: 49% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Wakefield
£2,297/yr
Better than 80% of UK LAs
York
£2,287/yr
Better than 83% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Wakefield
108.4/1k
Worse than 90% of UK LAs
York
66.9/1k
Better than 58% of UK LAs
York: 62% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Wakefield
27.3
Worse than 82% of UK LAs
York
11.7
Better than 85% of UK LAs
York: lower average deprivation score (11.7 vs 27.3).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Wakefield
91.5%
Worse than 73% of UK LAs
York
98.3%
Better than 92% of UK LAs
York: 6.8 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.
Wakefield
Rent takes 26% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 5.6× median annual pay
York
Rent takes 35% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 7.7× median annual pay
Full Wakefield profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full York profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.