Safest Places to Live in England in 2026

The Isles of Scilly top the safest-in-England list, though the number carries an honest asterisk.

The archipelago sits 28 miles off Land's End with a resident population of around 2,200. That small a denominator makes any per-10,000 figure sensitive to a handful of incidents each year. On the raw numbers, the recorded crime rate lands at 321 per 10,000 people, comfortably the lowest in England on our ranking. The islands are also almost entirely rural, without a town centre in the usual sense, which structurally removes a lot of the incident-density you get in any built-up area.

Living on Scilly involves trade-offs the safety number doesn't capture. Getting on and off the islands requires a scheduled Skybus flight or the Scillonian ferry from Penzance, both weather-dependent. Services (schools, healthcare, shops) are minimal beyond St Mary's. Housing supply is tight and expensive on the ownership side. This is genuinely a place, not a suburb, and the crime figure reflects the size and remoteness rather than an unusually well-policed community.

Broadland is the classic English answer to safer, more affordable rural living.

The Norfolk district wraps around the northern and eastern edges of Norwich but excludes the city itself, so residents get commuter access to a proper regional centre with a much lower crime rate and materially lower housing costs. The recorded crime rate of 352 per 10,000 places Broadland comfortably in the safest handful of English authorities, and it's within a 20-minute drive of Norwich station, which puts London under two hours away on the Greater Anglia line.

The district includes market towns like Aylsham and Wroxham, plus a large chunk of the Broads National Park. Single-person monthly costs land around £1,334, below the England-wide figure of around £1,510. Average earnings of £30,920 sit below the UK average, which is typical for rural authorities.

Waverley covers Farnham, Godalming, Cranleigh and Haslemere in the Surrey Hills.

The district sits an hour or so from central London by train, and residents pay for the combination of low crime (370 per 10,000), leafy Surrey scenery, and quick access to Waterloo. Single-person monthly cost of around £1,697 is materially above the England average. Waverley is one of the wealthiest districts in the country, and the low crime rate reflects a genuinely affluent local demographic rather than remote geography.

The area is anchored by an old market town in Farnham, a Georgian high street in Godalming, and a genuinely rural western edge in the Devil's Punch Bowl. Average earnings of £42,326 are among the highest in this top 10. If your household earns well and can absorb the housing costs, this is one of the most straightforward low-crime picks in the south east.

Ribble Valley is Lancashire's answer to the rural-Surrey formula, at a fraction of the price.

The district covers Clitheroe, Longridge, and villages spread through the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Recorded crime is 375 per 10,000, one of the ten lowest figures in England. Single-person monthly cost of £1,234 is well below the England average, making this one of the strongest safety-plus-affordability combinations we cover.

Ribble Valley has been the wealthiest district in Lancashire for many years, but the entry-level housing market remains reasonable and the countryside is genuinely wild in places. Preston is 30 minutes by road, Manchester an hour. Average earnings of £34,077 sit above the northern average, helped by a mix of professional commuters and successful local businesses.

North Kesteven is a Lincolnshire district centred on Sleaford, with a recorded crime rate of 383.

The area sits between Lincoln and Grantham, with the East Coast Main Line running through Grantham for direct trains to London in around 70 minutes. Sleaford itself is a compact market town; the district is otherwise made up of villages spread across the flat southern Lincolnshire agricultural landscape. Single-person monthly cost of £1,236 makes this one of the best value low-crime areas in England.

Average earnings of £30,585 are below the UK average, in line with the local economy's rural-agriculture and small-business weighting. RAF Cranwell sits within the district and shapes the population significantly. The area's appeal is the combination of low costs, low crime, and reasonable access via Grantham or the A1 to a much wider job market.

Wokingham is one of the wealthiest and safest local authorities in the country.

The Berkshire district sits between Reading and the M4 corridor, giving residents easy access to the Thames Valley tech cluster and quick trains to London Paddington. Recorded crime of 404 per 10,000 is a top-10 figure in England despite the area's relatively dense population and proximity to major road networks. Single-person monthly cost of £1,715 is above the England average, but average earnings of £43,538 are the highest in this top 10, so the affordability picture is genuinely workable for professionals.

The town itself has a small historic centre and a much larger suburban ring; the district also takes in Twyford and villages towards the Thames. Reading is a five-minute train away, and the Elizabeth Line's westbound reach brings central London within about 60 minutes.

South Oxfordshire covers Henley, Wallingford, Didcot, and the villages between Oxford and the Chilterns.

Recorded crime of 405 per 10,000 sits near the top of the English safety table, and the district's mix of Chiltern villages and larger market towns keeps housing supply spread. Didcot's Parkway station gives direct trains to London in around 40 minutes and to Oxford in 15, which is a genuinely rare combination on the transport map.

Single-person monthly cost of £1,682 reflects the area's popularity with London commuters. Average earnings of £43,026 are strong. The Chilterns and the North Wessex Downs both touch the district, so scenery is a serious selling point alongside the safety figure.

Wealden is the East Sussex district covering the countryside inland from Eastbourne up to Ashdown Forest.

Crime of 412 per 10,000 puts it in England's top 10, and the district covers a large enough area that you'd rarely feel the population density. Villages, market towns like Uckfield and Crowborough, and a substantial share of the High Weald AONB fill the district. Single-person monthly cost of £1,562 sits slightly above the England average.

London commuting is possible via Uckfield, though the line is slower than mainline services. Average earnings of £33,376 reflect a mix of Sussex-based professionals and the rural-service economy.

North Norfolk runs from Sheringham along the coast east to Cromer and inland to Fakenham.

The recorded crime rate of 416 per 10,000 puts the district firmly in the safest bracket, and single-person monthly cost of £1,265 makes it one of the most affordable of the top 10. The Norfolk coast has some of the country's most understated seaside towns, with sandy beaches, wide skies, and a walker-friendly footpath network.

The district's economy leans on tourism and small businesses; average earnings of £28,421 are the lowest in this top 10. Norwich sits about 40 minutes by road for a wider job market. The coastal-market-town mix makes this a favourite retirement and second-home area, which has knock-on effects for local housing supply.

Rutland is England's smallest historic county and its recorded crime rate of 417 makes it one of the safest.

Oakham and Uppingham are the main towns; both have excellent independent schools that shape the local demographic significantly. The county covers Rutland Water, one of the largest man-made lakes in Europe, and rolling farmland east into Lincolnshire. Single-person monthly cost of £1,338 sits well below the England average.

Average earnings of £39,559 are strong for the region, helped by the professional commuter base and independent-school-adjacent employment. Peterborough and Leicester are both within an hour, giving access to a wider job market and, from Peterborough, direct trains to London in around 45 minutes.