Is Plymouth a good city to raise a family?
Famous for its cobbled streets, maritime heritage and surrounding countryside, Plymouth is regarded as one of the most popular cities in the south of England, but is it a good place to raise a family?
That’s the question posed by price comparison site MoneySuperMarket’s new “Family Living Index” a tool designed to give parents – or soon to be parents – a way to futureproof their next move and guide them into selecting the best location to raise a family.
The annual Index analysed 35 of the UK’s biggest cities against key factors that impact family life, including local school rankings, access to green space, likelihood of burglary, house prices, job opportunities and average salary – matching year-on-year data to analyse movements in the index.
So how did Plymouth fair in the rankings? Here are the statistics…
- Number of Outstanding Schools (Ofsted) – 21
- Nearby Parks – 31
- Burglary Hotspots – 5
- Average Salary - £30,805
- Job Opportunities - 2,062
- Average House Price - £172,860
Overall the city faired pretty averagely, coming 26th overall. Definitely room for improvement!
Whilst Plymouths score was underwhelming it was significantly better than the capitals score! London continues to rank bottom of the list for families due to a higher crime rate, huge competition for school places and the nation’s highest average house prices of £484,172.
Kevin Pratt, consumer affairs expert at MoneySuperMarket, commented on the statistics: “Buying a family house is an exciting milestone, and there are plenty of things to think about beyond the property itself, such as local amenities and other factors which contribute to the quality of family life.
“For example, parents with young children will want to find the right sort of neighbourhood. Schools are a huge priority, and many people move specifically to be in a particular catchment area – and that can be long before the children are due to start.
You can take a look at the full results of the family living index by clicking here - https://www.moneysupermarket.com/life-insurance/best-family-cities/
