The happiest & unhappiest places to live in Britain 2023

Which areas have the happiest residents? And where are people least content? A new poll reveals all.

Are you happy with where you live? If you're in Richmond, chances are you’re positively doolally with your lot in life.

That's according to a new study by property portal Rightmove, which looked into the places where local residents are happiest and put the London town top of the pile.

As part of the study, thousands of people across the nation were quizzed on how they feel about 13 factors so that each town could be awarded an overall score.

Those factors include:

• Whether there is a sense of community spirit;

• Whether there is a sense of belonging;

• Are people friendly and polite?

• Are there sports and recreational activities available?

• Are there job opportunities?

• Can I afford to live there?

• The availability of essential local services and non-essential amenities.

And those answers were analysed by Rightmove to work out which towns have the happiest residents.

The best of both worlds

And in the latest survey, Richmond in west London came out top. It seems to have done well by being the best of both worlds, combining life in a big city with great access to a host of great green spaces given the royal parks on your doorstep.

Here’s how the top 20 areas look according to the Rightmove study:

This is the first time that an area with London has come out on top, which is notable.

However, Rightmove also pointed out that it found that those living in rural areas were more likely to be happy than those living in cities. This was true of those who were living in areas near national parks or areas of outstanding natural beauty, but also those closer to woodlands, mountains and the coast, compared with respondents in more built up areas.

Strikingly around a third of respondents said they felt they would be happier if they lived somewhere else, with the South West picked out as the most common location which would deliver a happier life.

The East Midlands doesn’t do brilliantly in the study though. You need to get down to 73rd before you find its first entry on the list, with the town of Chesterfield. 

Another trend to come through in the report was that feeling a sense of pride, belonging or community was more likely to contribute to residents feeling happy living in a certain area compared with factors like public transport, schools and jobs.

What about the unhappiest places?

Rightmove no longer publishes data on the areas which performed most poorly in each area. Instead, you can select your area on its Happy at Home map and find which towns in that area performed the best.

There are other studies which can direct us towards which areas have the unhappiest residents, though.

For example, data from the Office for National Statistics tracks the level of happiness in different local authorities. Here are the areas with the lowest scores in its last sample, compared with the mean happiness score of 7.39 across the UK:

• Adur (6.16)

• Hastings (6.56)

• Lincoln (6.57)

• Eastbourne (6.57)

• Waltham Forest (6.82)

• Ashfield (6.82)

• Manchester (6.85)

• Tower Hamlets (6.87)

• Gedling (6.88)

• South Hams (6.90)

• Hertsmere (6.90)

• Watford (6.93)

• Barnet (6.95)

• Allerdale (6.95)

• Charnwood (6.97)

• NW Leicestershire (6.98)

• Rushmoor (6.98)