United Kingdom · North West · Local Authority
Cumberland
Unitary authority · North West, England · population ~274k · 171 state-funded schools
Affordable to live in, with earnings that outperform the regional median. Cumberland offers a rare combination of low costs and solid pay, where a median house costs 4.3 times annual earnings and rent consumes only 19% of gross pay. These figures are among the most accessible in the North West, sitting well below regional medians. While housing and rent remain cheap, the trade-off appears in the local tax burden, with Band D council tax at £2,511, a figure higher than 71% of England authorities. Education is a significant strength, with 95.5% of pupils attending Good or Outstanding schools. This area suits those who value financial breathing room and school quality over lower tax bills.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-10 data.
The signature
How Cumberland ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£41,574/yr
High
Better than 66% of UK LAs
House price
£177,500
Most affordable
Better than 90% of UK LAs
Rent
£659/mo
Most affordable
Better than 96% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,511/yr
Expensive
Worse than 72% of UK LAs
Crime
70.8/1k
Mid
Around UK average
Deprivation
23.3
High
Worse than 69% of UK LAs
Schools
93.0%
Mid
Around UK average
Colour shows quintile position against 361 UK Local Authorities. Green is the best position for someone moving here; red is the worst. Direction is set per indicator — higher pay, lower rent, less crime, less deprivation are all green.
Schools
194 state-funded schools · Ofsted Sep 2026
159 of 171 (93%) rated Good or Outstanding under Ofsted's legacy framework. 23 schools are on the post-2024 report-card framework and don't roll up into the legacy total. How we count →
The map
171 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 171 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in Cumberland →Places with similar signatures
Nearest by quintile position across pay · housing · tax · crime · IMD · schools
Cumberland head-to-heads
What we don't know yet
Commute times · GP appointment availability · broadband speeds · air quality at LA level · green-space proximity · public transport coverage. These matter for a relocation decision. We'll add them when the source data is reliable nationally and consistent across LA boundaries.