Safest Places to Live in the UK in 2026

Published 15 January 2026

Safety is consistently one of the top priorities for people choosing where to live. But finding reliable, comparable crime data across different areas can be surprisingly difficult — until now.

Where Should I Live? pulls crime data from the Police API for every postcode area in England and Wales, and from Scottish Government statistics for Scotland. This gives you a single, comparable "average crimes per month" figure for every area in the country.

How We Measure Safety

We use the average number of recorded crimes per month for each postcode area, calculated over a rolling 12-month window. This smooths out seasonal variation and one-off spikes to give a reliable picture of an area's typical crime level.

It's worth noting that crime statistics have limitations. They only reflect reported crime, and reporting rates vary between areas and crime types. However, as a comparative tool — is area A generally safer than area B? — they're extremely useful.

The Safest Regions in the UK

Rural Scotland

The Scottish Highlands, Borders, and Dumfries & Galloway consistently record some of the lowest crime rates in the entire UK. Postcode areas like PH (Perth), IV (Inverness), and DG (Dumfries) regularly appear at the bottom of crime tables. The trade-off, of course, is remoteness — commuting to a major city from these areas isn't realistic for most people.

Mid Wales

Areas like SY (Shrewsbury/Mid Wales) and LD (Llandrindod Wells) are among the safest in Wales. These are largely rural areas with small market towns, offering a very different pace of life to the cities.

Rural England

In England, the safest areas tend to be in the rural shires. Postcode areas in the Yorkshire Dales, Lincolnshire Wolds, and rural Devon consistently record low crime figures. Areas like DL (Darlington/North Yorkshire), LN (Lincoln), and EX (Exeter/Devon) often feature well.

Safest Commuter Areas

If you need to balance safety with proximity to a major city, the picture gets more interesting. Generally, the areas just beyond the main commuter belt offer the best combination — close enough for a reasonable commute, far enough to escape urban crime levels.

For London commuters, areas in the outer Home Counties like parts of Hampshire (GU, RG), Buckinghamshire (HP), and Suffolk (IP) tend to combine lower crime with manageable journey times.

For Birmingham, the Warwickshire and Worcestershire postcodes (CV, WR) offer good safety profiles. Manchester commuters should look at the Cheshire postcodes (SK, WA) and parts of North Derbyshire.

Compare Areas Yourself

Rather than relying on national averages, use our search tool to see exact crime figures for every postcode area near your chosen location. Set your crime rate filter to only show areas that meet your safety threshold, and compare them against commute time and house prices at the same time.