Are the UK’s Happiest Areas on the Highest Salaries?
We’re taking a look to see if there is any correlation between how happy people are and their salary based on the average salaries for the region or town – with surprising results! We analysed the top ten happiest regions and towns to live in the UK, as revealed in the Rightmove ‘Happy at Home’ survey and pulled them together with the average salaries of these areas thanks to data from the Office of National Statistics. So, are those living in the happiest areas also on the highest salaries? Let’s find out!
Top 10 Happiest Regions to Live in the UK, Ranked from Most to Least Happy:
- South West England
- South East England
- East of England
- Wales
- Scotland
- East Midlands
- Yorkshire & Humber
- North East
- London
- West Midlands
Top 10 Happiest Towns to Live in the UK:
- Hexham
- Harrogate
- Richmond-upon-Thames
- Skipton
- Llandrindod Wells
- Altrincham
- Monmouth
- Dorchester
- Sevenoaks
- Southport
Even though the South West hits the top of the list as the happiest region to live in, it is in fact London, which comes in as the ninth happiest region, that has the highest average salary of £34,932. The region with the lowest average salary of £26,061 is the North East of England, just one place ahead of London.
Moving onto the salary comparison in the happiest UK towns, the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames outweighs all of the towns listed in the survey with an average salary of £40,787. The happiest town Hexham in Northumberland has a modest average salary of £27,104, whilst the town with the lowest average salary is Llandrindod Wells in Wales with £24,884.
So, Could you be Happier with Less Money?
There are many factors that contribute to general happiness; relationships, family life, health & wellbeing, career and hobbies. According to studies, you could be at a disadvantage if you live in certain areas of the UK where wages are lower and there are fewer skilled jobs available. Research by TotalJobs revealed that half of British workers would be willing to relocate for a new job within the UK, whether this means they are willing to swap their current location on the basis of better job prospects rather than moving to a ‘happier’ town or city is unclear.
Martin Hutchinson, founder of Office Furniture Online said:
“There’s often a belief that happiness is derived from how much money we make. As to be expected, it is very much London-centric where most of the wealth is, but it also shows that the towns and regions deemed the happiest are not in fact where workers are earning the most. The UK workforce clearly has factors outside of their daily jobs that contribute to their overall happiness, which is the way it should be!”
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Sources:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/news/happy-at-home/
https://www.totaljobs.com/recruiter-advice/half-of-brits-willing-to-relocate-within-the-uk-for-work
