United Kingdom · South West · Local Authority
Dorset Council
Unitary authority · South West, England · population ~380k · 158 state-funded schools
Expensive to live in and difficult to earn in, Dorset presents a steep financial barrier for new residents. The median house price sits at 9.1 times median annual gross pay, while monthly rent consumes 32.5% of earnings. These costs are compounded by a Band D council tax of £2,765, which is the highest in the South West. While the area offers a safer environment than most, with a crime rate of 45 per 1,000 residents, the local education system underperforms, as only 85.4% of pupils attend schools rated Good or Outstanding. This location suits those who prioritise low crime rates and are comfortable absorbing high housing and tax costs, provided they are not reliant on the local labour market for high-growth career opportunities.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-10 data.
The signature
How Dorset Council ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£38,329/yr
Mid
Worse than 58% of UK LAs
House price
£349,000
Expensive
Worse than 68% of UK LAs
Rent
£1,037/mo
Mid-range
Worse than 55% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,765/yr
Most expensive
Worse than 100% of UK LAs
Crime
45.0/1k
Safest
Better than 93% of UK LAs
Deprivation
15.7
Low
Better than 64% of UK LAs
Schools
87.3%
Concerning
Worse than 85% 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
184 state-funded schools · Ofsted Sep 2026
138 of 158 (87.3%) rated Good or Outstanding under Ofsted's legacy framework. 26 schools are on the post-2024 report-card framework and don't roll up into the legacy total. How we count →
The map
158 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 158 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in Dorset Council →Places with similar signatures
Nearest by quintile position across pay · housing · tax · crime · IMD · schools
Dorset Council 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.