United Kingdom · South East · Local Authority
Dartford
Non-metropolitan district · South East, England · population ~114k · 42 state-funded schools
Accessible by pay but expensive to rent, Dartford presents a difficult balance for those seeking a foothold in the South East. While median weekly earnings at £831.60 sit above the regional median, the cost of housing remains a significant hurdle. A median house costs 8.7 times annual gross pay, and monthly rent consumes 43.2% of median earnings, a figure higher than 82% of England authorities. Beyond the financial strain, the area faces challenges with crime, which at 80.7 per 1,000 residents is higher than the regional median. These figures suggest that while the local economy offers competitive wages, the high cost of shelter and elevated crime rates may outweigh the benefits for many prospective residents.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-10 data.
The signature
How Dartford ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£43,243/yr
High
Better than 75% of UK LAs
House price
£375,000
Expensive
Worse than 75% of UK LAs
Rent
£1,556/mo
Very expensive
Worse than 84% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,375/yr
Cheap
Better than 64% of UK LAs
Crime
80.7/1k
High
Worse than 62% of UK LAs
Deprivation
18.8
Mid
Around UK average
Schools
90.2%
Weak
Worse than 71% of UK LAs
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
51 state-funded schools · Ofsted Sep 2026
37 of 41 (90.2%) rated Good or Outstanding under Ofsted's legacy framework. 10 schools are on the post-2024 report-card framework and don't roll up into the legacy total. How we count →
The map
42 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 42 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in Dartford →Places with similar signatures
Nearest by quintile position across pay · housing · tax · crime · IMD · schools
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.