United Kingdom · South East · Local Authority
West Berkshire
Unitary authority · South East, England · population ~158k · 83 state-funded schools
High earning potential meets a steep barrier to entry in West Berkshire. While median weekly pay of £860.80 sits above the regional median, the cost of property is demanding, with a median house price reaching 9 times annual earnings. Renting is also a significant commitment, consuming 34.1% of gross median pay. These financial pressures are balanced by a high quality of local services, evidenced by 97.4% of pupils attending Good or Outstanding schools, a figure higher than 86% of England authorities. The area also reports lower levels of deprivation than the regional median and a crime rate lower than the regional median. This location suits high-income professionals who prioritise safety and education over immediate housing affordability.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-10 data.
The signature
How West Berkshire ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£44,762/yr
High
Better than 80% of UK LAs
House price
£405,000
Expensive
Worse than 78% of UK LAs
Rent
£1,273/mo
Expensive
Worse than 70% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,505/yr
Expensive
Worse than 71% of UK LAs
Crime
55.8/1k
Low
Better than 78% of UK LAs
Deprivation
9.9
Least deprived
Better than 91% of UK LAs
Schools
95.2%
Strong
Better than 70% 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
104 state-funded schools · Ofsted Sep 2026
79 of 83 (95.2%) rated Good or Outstanding under Ofsted's legacy framework. 21 schools are on the post-2024 report-card framework and don't roll up into the legacy total. How we count →
The map
83 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 83 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in West Berkshire →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.