United Kingdom · East of England · Local Authority
Luton
Unitary authority · East of England, England · population ~214k · 70 state-funded schools
Affordable housing remains elusive despite lower costs than many regional neighbours. In Luton, a median house costs 8.5 times annual earnings, while rent consumes 39.4% of gross pay. These figures reflect a local economy where weekly earnings of £709 sit well below the regional median of £805.90. Beyond the financial strain, the area faces significant social challenges, with a deprivation score higher than 77% of authorities in England and crime rates notably above the regional median. For families, the primary trade-off is between these economic pressures and the education system, as 95.3% of pupils attend Good or Outstanding schools. This location suits those prioritising school access over local earning potential or low deprivation levels.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-10 data.
The signature
How Luton ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£36,868/yr
Low
Worse than 76% of UK LAs
House price
£315,000
Mid-range
Worse than 59% of UK LAs
Rent
£1,211/mo
Expensive
Worse than 65% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,440/yr
Mid
Around UK average
Crime
82.9/1k
High
Worse than 65% of UK LAs
Deprivation
25.9
High
Worse than 77% of UK LAs
Schools
94.3%
Strong
Better than 65% 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
80 state-funded schools · Ofsted Sep 2026
66 of 70 (94.3%) 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
70 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 70 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in Luton →Places with similar signatures
Nearest by quintile position across pay · housing · tax · crime · IMD · schools
Luton 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.