United Kingdom · South West · Local Authority
Torridge
Non-metropolitan district · South West, England · population ~69k · 33 state-funded schools
Affordable to rent but difficult to buy into, Torridge offers a low cost of living that is undermined by stagnant local wages. Rent is the lowest in the South West, consuming just 26.6% of median gross pay, yet buying a home remains a significant hurdle at 7.8 times median annual earnings. While weekly pay sits well below the regional median at £683.90, residents face a high Band D council tax bill of £2,601. The area also struggles with social indicators, as the deprivation score is among the highest in the region. These figures suggest that while the monthly overheads are manageable for some, the lack of economic mobility and the high cost of property ownership make this a challenging environment for those looking to build long-term wealth.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-10 data.
The signature
How Torridge ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£35,563/yr
Very low
Worse than 87% of UK LAs
House price
£277,500
Mid-range
Around UK average
Rent
£788/mo
Affordable
Better than 75% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,601/yr
Most expensive
Worse than 90% of UK LAs
Crime
66.1/1k
Low
Better than 61% of UK LAs
Deprivation
23.3
High
Worse than 68% of UK LAs
Schools
84.8%
Concerning
Worse than 95% 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
39 state-funded schools · Ofsted Sep 2026
28 of 33 (84.8%) rated Good or Outstanding under Ofsted's legacy framework. 6 schools are on the post-2024 report-card framework and don't roll up into the legacy total. How we count →
The map
33 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 33 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in Torridge →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.