The smartest places in the UK, 2026

01 Key findings

1. Richmond upon Thames ranks first of England’s 294 council areas in 2026. 60.4% of its adults hold degree-level qualifications (Census 2021), its GCSE pupils averaged 59.4 in Attainment 8 and 78.9% of its Year 6 pupils met the expected standard, against 33.9%, 46.2 and 63.3% across England.ONS Census 2021; DfE key stage 4 and key stage 2 results, 2026
2. Fenland ranks last, below Tendring and Burnley. In Fenland 19.0% of adults hold degree-level qualifications and GCSE pupils averaged 38.1 in Attainment 8 in 2026.ONS Census 2021; DfE key stage 4 results, 2026
3. London holds 25 of the top 50 places; the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber together hold 1 (Trafford, 14th). Even London’s lowest-ranked borough, Barking and Dagenham, is 98th.Smartest Places in the UK 2026 index
4. Thurrock is the biggest surprise: its adults rank 241st of 294 on qualifications, but its pupils rank 53rd on GCSE and primary results combined, 188 places higher.ONS Census 2021; DfE results, 2026
5. Outside England, Cardiff (40.0%), Lisburn and Castlereagh (39.2%) and the City of Edinburgh (50.0%, Scotland’s own measure) have the highest shares of adults with degree-level qualifications in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.ONS and NISRA Census 2021; Scotland's Census 2022

02 Statistics to quote

03 Which is the smartest place in the UK?

Among England’s 294 council areas, Richmond upon Thames. It ranks first on our index under every weighting we tried. The index gives equal weight to three things measured the same way in every English council: the share of adults with degree-level qualifications and with none, from the 2021 Census ^[1]; GCSE results in 2026 ^[4]; and primary school results in 2026 ^[5]. School results count the pupils who live in each area, wherever they go to school. Hover or tap an area on the map to see its rank.

Figure 1

Smartest Places Index 2026, by council area

Index score, 0 to 100 (the top area = 100), England's 294 ranked council areas. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are ranked on adult qualifications (Figure 10, Table 3 and Figure 11); hover for their figures. London is also drawn larger, top right.

70 to 10055 to 7045 to 5535 to 4525 to 3515 to 25Below 15Not in the index

Figure 2

The 20 smartest places in England, 2026

Index score, 0 to 100: one third adults' qualifications, one third GCSE results, one third primary results.

Richmond upon Thames100.0

St Albans85.7

Kensington and Chelsea83.4

Hammersmith and Fulham82.9

Elmbridge75.7

Rushcliffe75.7

Kingston upon Thames75.2

Waverley74.9

Wandsworth73.5

Sutton72.8

Epsom and Ewell72.7

Camden71.4

Wokingham71.3

Trafford70.5

Barnet68.3

Cambridge67.8

Redbridge67.3

Hackney66.7

Tunbridge Wells66.5

Westminster66.3

Table 1

Every council area in England, ranked

Click a heading to sort. Degree = % of adults with Level 4 or higher qualifications (Census 2021). GCSE = average Attainment 8 score, 2026. Primary = % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2026. Each area's rank range is in Your area and the CSV. The last rows are too small to rank.

Rank	Council area	Region	Score	Degree %	GCSE	Primary %
1	Richmond upon Thames	London	100.0	60.4	59.4	78.9
2	St Albans	East of England	85.7	53.0	58.8	73.7
3	Kensington and Chelsea	London	83.4	59.5	52.1	75.0
4	Hammersmith and Fulham	London	82.9	57.6	53.1	78.5
5	Elmbridge	South East	75.7	52.1	53.3	74.1
6	Rushcliffe	East Midlands	75.7	45.3	55.4	74.3
7	Kingston upon Thames	London	75.2	51.4	57.1	69.0
8	Waverley	South East	74.9	46.6	56.0	70.0
9	Wandsworth	London	73.5	62.6	52.3	68.3
10	Sutton	London	72.8	39.8	56.0	72.6
11	Epsom and Ewell	South East	72.7	44.3	56.0	72.6
12	Camden	London	71.4	57.3	49.3	74.2
13	Wokingham	South East	71.3	46.2	56.5	69.8
14	Trafford	North West	70.5	43.0	55.1	72.2
15	Barnet	London	68.3	49.0	55.4	70.1
16	Cambridge	East of England	67.8	55.8	54.9	64.2
17	Redbridge	London	67.3	42.4	54.9	73.2
18	Hackney	London	66.7	52.4	50.9	72.7
19	Tunbridge Wells	South East	66.5	41.1	54.7	67.5
20	Westminster	London	66.3	57.7	49.6	71.8
21	Bromley	London	66.1	42.8	52.2	72.0
22	Three Rivers	East of England	65.6	42.7	53.4	70.1
23	Merton	London	64.0	50.0	54.5	67.0
24	Southwark	London	63.5	54.9	50.0	69.5
25	Brentwood	East of England	62.2	35.4	51.2	73.0
26	Newham	London	61.9	40.2	51.1	76.2
27	Hart	South East	61.6	41.4	50.5	69.2
28	Islington	London	61.4	56.6	48.2	70.6
29	Winchester	South East	61.3	44.9	51.5	68.8
30	Windsor and Maidenhead	South East	60.5	45.0	52.1	67.1
31	Greenwich	London	60.3	45.7	49.1	72.0
32	Tower Hamlets	London	59.9	50.3	49.3	72.0
33	Ealing	London	59.8	44.3	51.9	69.5
34	Harrow	London	59.1	45.0	53.8	69.9
35	Waltham Forest	London	59.0	43.2	48.2	74.4
36	Lambeth	London	58.4	56.3	47.9	67.3
37	Guildford	South East	58.1	44.1	53.2	61.9
38	Mole Valley	South East	57.8	43.1	52.0	66.7
39	South Cambridgeshire	East of England	57.5	47.8	53.6	62.4
40	Haringey	London	56.6	48.3	49.4	68.5
41	Lewisham	London	56.4	49.8	49.1	68.3
42	Woking	South East	56.4	44.7	50.0	67.5
43	Buckinghamshire	South East	56.4	41.0	51.8	66.0
44	Watford	East of England	56.2	41.1	51.5	67.7
45	Hounslow	London	56.1	41.6	50.5	68.8
46	Warwick	West Midlands	55.2	45.2	51.3	65.2
47	Dartford	South East	55.1	32.4	51.4	71.4
48	Cheltenham	South West	54.9	43.1	52.0	63.7
49	East Hertfordshire	East of England	54.8	38.6	52.1	65.1
50	Uttlesford	East of England	54.4	36.6	49.4	67.8
51	South Hams	South West	53.6	39.9	50.5	67.2
52	Surrey Heath	South East	52.9	39.2	51.2	66.4
53	York	Yorkshire and The Humber	52.2	38.8	49.5	64.7
54	Sevenoaks	South East	52.1	37.3	50.8	66.3
55	South Oxfordshire	South East	52.0	43.6	48.6	63.9
56	Hertsmere	East of England	51.7	39.6	51.6	65.2
57	Cotswold	South West	50.7	39.8	51.4	60.8
58	Chelmsford	East of England	50.4	33.9	51.2	65.4
59	Mid Sussex	South East	50.3	38.7	51.1	63.4
60	Bath and North East Somerset	South West	50.1	39.8	49.1	66.1
61	Oxford	South East	50.1	48.1	46.7	63.9
62	Ribble Valley	North West	49.4	39.7	48.8	65.8
63	Bexley	London	49.4	31.6	49.5	68.8
64	East Hampshire	South East	49.0	38.7	50.2	60.5
65	Croydon	London	48.9	41.0	47.9	68.2
66	Stockport	North West	48.2	37.6	49.4	67.1
67	North Hertfordshire	East of England	48.1	41.5	48.9	63.1
68	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	South West	48.0	32.1	49.4	66.3
69	Slough	South East	47.9	34.8	49.6	68.4
70	Reigate and Banstead	South East	47.3	40.2	49.3	62.6
71	Chorley	North West	47.3	33.8	49.5	67.6
72	Solihull	West Midlands	47.2	35.4	49.2	66.8
73	Stroud	South West	47.0	38.7	49.3	61.1
74	Hillingdon	London	47.0	37.5	51.1	65.6
75	Warrington	North West	46.8	33.0	49.3	69.0
76	Harborough	East Midlands	46.1	37.8	49.4	64.2
77	Tonbridge and Malling	South East	46.0	32.5	49.0	65.5
78	Bromsgrove	West Midlands	45.8	36.6	46.4	70.0
79	Brighton and Hove	South East	45.7	44.5	47.2	63.4
80	Stratford-on-Avon	West Midlands	45.1	39.5	48.9	62.2
81	Derbyshire Dales	East Midlands	45.0	39.2	47.7	64.3
82	Oadby and Wigston	East Midlands	44.1	32.0	48.3	67.9
83	Havering	London	44.0	29.5	48.7	69.2
84	Horsham	South East	43.8	37.0	49.8	62.1
85	Welwyn Hatfield	East of England	43.6	37.3	46.8	67.1
86	Rutland	East Midlands	42.8	37.9	47.2	68.1
87	Eastleigh	South East	42.4	33.1	48.8	63.4
88	Colchester	East of England	42.2	32.2	47.3	64.5
89	Exeter	South West	42.0	34.7	47.6	61.6
90	Tewkesbury	South West	42.0	35.9	48.8	59.0
91	Brent	London	41.9	40.0	48.6	65.0
92	Enfield	London	41.8	36.3	47.2	68.4
93	Milton Keynes	South East	41.7	35.8	45.3	66.6
94	Reading	South East	41.7	40.4	47.4	63.3
95	Broxtowe	East Midlands	41.5	34.2	49.5	64.4
96	Spelthorne	South East	41.5	33.6	48.9	63.5
97	Cheshire East	North West	41.4	37.6	47.3	65.1
98	Barking and Dagenham	London	41.1	33.3	49.0	68.6
99	Thurrock	East of England	40.8	26.2	46.9	70.8
100	Test Valley	South East	40.8	35.7	46.3	63.9
101	West Oxfordshire	South East	40.7	38.3	46.8	60.5
102	Lichfield	West Midlands	40.2	33.6	47.9	66.2
103	Runnymede	South East	39.9	35.3	47.5	62.0
104	Rochford	East of England	39.6	22.8	47.7	68.8
105	West Berkshire	South East	39.4	37.0	49.0	58.4
106	Fareham	South East	39.2	33.4	46.2	65.2
107	Epping Forest	East of England	39.2	32.4	46.7	66.2
108	Gedling	East Midlands	39.1	31.9	49.7	63.2
109	Malvern Hills	West Midlands	39.0	38.8	46.7	62.9
110	North Tyneside	North East	39.0	32.9	46.3	65.0
111	Basingstoke and Deane	South East	38.4	35.2	45.2	63.3
112	Tandridge	South East	38.2	37.4	47.0	59.4
113	North Somerset	South West	38.1	33.9	46.3	64.8
114	Stafford	West Midlands	37.8	35.1	44.7	66.8
115	Leeds	Yorkshire and The Humber	37.8	34.7	46.9	61.6
116	Vale of White Horse	South East	37.5	44.0	44.0	59.0
117	East Cambridgeshire	East of England	37.4	35.0	49.3	61.0
118	Rugby	West Midlands	37.4	34.9	47.5	61.2
119	Dacorum	East of England	37.4	37.8	46.5	59.1
120	Bracknell Forest	South East	37.3	35.6	47.7	59.7
121	New Forest	South East	37.1	31.2	45.4	65.9
122	Southend-on-Sea	East of England	36.7	27.2	47.3	64.5
123	Worcester	West Midlands	36.5	33.7	47.0	63.2
124	Blaby	East Midlands	36.5	30.5	45.1	67.9
125	Newcastle upon Tyne	North East	36.4	34.6	44.2	63.1
126	Maidstone	South East	36.3	29.9	46.1	64.2
127	Cherwell	South East	36.2	35.1	45.8	60.9
128	South Gloucestershire	South West	36.0	33.0	46.2	64.1
129	Bristol	South West	35.8	42.1	44.6	60.5
130	Charnwood	East Midlands	35.7	32.6	46.2	63.8
131	Stockton-on-Tees	North East	35.3	29.5	45.7	65.8
132	Cheshire West and Chester	North West	35.2	35.7	45.8	62.3
133	Hinckley and Bosworth	East Midlands	35.2	29.4	47.8	64.9
134	Teignbridge	South West	35.1	32.8	45.5	61.8
135	South Norfolk	East of England	35.1	32.0	48.6	59.7
136	North Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	35.1	34.7	46.3	59.4
137	Preston	North West	35.0	31.7	49.7	59.3
138	South Kesteven	East Midlands	34.7	30.1	49.5	57.3
139	South Ribble	North West	34.6	32.0	47.0	60.2
140	East Devon	South West	34.5	33.8	46.4	60.8
141	West Northamptonshire	East Midlands	34.4	31.8	46.3	63.6
142	Plymouth	South West	34.0	27.5	46.2	64.0
143	Calderdale	Yorkshire and The Humber	33.7	30.9	47.9	63.3
144	Wiltshire	South West	33.7	34.2	44.7	60.5
145	Babergh	East of England	33.2	29.5	44.6	67.0
146	Swindon	South West	33.1	27.9	45.8	62.5
147	Herefordshire	West Midlands	33.1	32.7	45.2	63.8
148	Lewes	South East	33.0	34.8	45.1	61.4
149	Lancaster	North West	33.0	32.3	46.3	59.6
150	Ashford	South East	32.7	30.1	46.2	60.8
151	North Kesteven	East Midlands	32.7	29.9	45.5	62.4
152	Cornwall	South West	32.7	30.6	45.8	61.5
153	West Devon	South West	32.6	34.1	45.4	61.8
154	Canterbury	South East	31.9	33.1	44.7	59.3
155	Chichester	South East	31.7	37.2	45.6	56.0
156	Wigan	North West	31.4	25.8	45.0	66.3
157	Bury	North West	31.2	32.3	44.3	63.8
158	Bolton	North West	31.0	27.4	45.2	64.5
159	South Derbyshire	East Midlands	31.0	31.8	47.1	56.7
160	South Staffordshire	West Midlands	30.9	29.4	45.7	62.3
161	Rother	South East	30.8	29.9	44.4	61.7
162	Huntingdonshire	East of England	30.7	33.4	46.3	58.5
163	Sunderland	North East	30.5	24.6	43.7	67.2
164	Chesterfield	East Midlands	30.5	26.8	45.8	63.4
165	Fylde	North West	30.5	34.5	43.3	62.5
166	Worthing	South East	30.4	31.7	46.9	57.3
167	Dorset	South West	30.1	31.5	44.0	60.3
168	High Peak	East Midlands	30.0	35.6	45.8	56.3
169	Gateshead	North East	29.9	28.0	45.6	63.9
170	Newark and Sherwood	East Midlands	29.7	29.0	45.7	63.1
171	Sheffield	Yorkshire and The Humber	29.7	33.4	44.9	60.0
172	Rossendale	North West	29.6	30.7	44.7	60.6
173	Adur	South East	29.5	27.9	47.2	62.4
174	Manchester	North West	29.1	37.6	45.9	58.8
175	Amber Valley	East Midlands	29.0	28.8	44.9	61.1
176	Broadland	East of England	28.9	27.4	46.9	59.4
177	Wealden	South East	28.8	32.6	45.6	56.7
178	Wakefield	Yorkshire and The Humber	28.7	24.3	45.7	64.5
179	East Riding of Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	28.5	30.5	45.7	59.2
180	North East Derbyshire	East Midlands	28.5	27.6	45.3	60.3
181	Somerset	South West	28.5	30.5	43.9	60.2
182	Mid Suffolk	East of England	28.3	30.0	45.2	58.3
183	Braintree	East of England	28.3	25.8	44.8	62.0
184	Gloucester	South West	28.2	27.4	47.4	56.8
185	County Durham	North East	28.0	26.7	45.2	62.2
186	Birmingham	West Midlands	27.9	29.9	45.8	63.6
187	Basildon	East of England	27.9	24.6	42.6	65.0
188	West Lancashire	North West	27.8	30.0	43.8	62.1
189	Redcar and Cleveland	North East	27.7	24.9	43.4	65.4
190	Westmorland and Furness	North West	27.6	33.1	44.2	59.8
191	Kirklees	Yorkshire and The Humber	27.5	29.9	45.8	61.2
192	Darlington	North East	27.5	29.0	44.0	61.6
193	Gravesham	South East	27.5	26.7	44.9	60.4
194	Luton	East of England	27.4	29.8	45.9	62.5
195	Melton	East Midlands	27.4	31.1	44.9	58.8
196	Wychavon	West Midlands	27.4	33.0	44.9	56.8
197	Salford	North West	27.3	33.5	44.4	61.0
198	Broxbourne	East of England	27.2	27.3	46.9	60.3
199	Staffordshire Moorlands	West Midlands	27.0	28.4	44.2	63.5
200	Rushmoor	South East	26.8	29.8	44.0	60.3
201	Castle Point	East of England	26.8	18.5	42.5	69.2
202	Central Bedfordshire	East of England	26.4	33.2	44.0	55.5
203	Wirral	North West	26.4	31.5	44.5	58.8
204	Medway	South East	26.3	25.6	44.9	62.8
205	Telford and Wrekin	West Midlands	26.3	26.1	42.7	65.7
206	Mid Devon	South West	26.1	30.7	45.2	57.4
207	Wyre	North West	25.9	28.3	44.7	60.9
208	Northumberland	North East	25.9	30.7	42.6	58.7
209	East Staffordshire	West Midlands	25.2	28.7	44.5	61.0
210	Bedford	East of England	25.1	34.7	44.0	58.4
211	Folkestone and Hythe	South East	25.1	27.4	44.3	63.0
212	Hastings	South East	25.0	28.6	42.4	64.4
213	North Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	25.0	23.9	44.8	60.3
214	Forest of Dean	South West	24.9	28.8	43.5	60.2
215	Nottingham	East Midlands	24.7	28.6	43.4	60.6
216	Torbay	South West	24.5	25.3	43.4	62.4
217	St. Helens	North West	24.4	27.2	43.7	61.4
218	Doncaster	Yorkshire and The Humber	24.4	22.7	45.5	63.6
219	West Lindsey	East Midlands	24.4	29.3	43.9	56.2
220	Barnsley	Yorkshire and The Humber	24.4	23.4	43.3	66.1
221	Newcastle-under-Lyme	West Midlands	24.3	28.0	42.2	64.4
222	Norwich	East of England	24.3	34.1	43.6	57.6
223	Wolverhampton	West Midlands	23.6	26.2	44.5	63.7
224	Maldon	East of England	23.4	25.4	42.1	61.2
225	Hartlepool	North East	23.3	24.8	42.0	64.6
226	Shropshire	West Midlands	23.2	32.5	41.6	59.0
227	North Devon	South West	23.0	28.5	45.7	55.6
228	Sefton	North West	23.0	29.9	43.4	60.3
229	Stevenage	East of England	22.9	29.6	44.1	53.1
230	Southampton	South East	22.9	31.6	40.5	59.4
231	Coventry	West Midlands	22.8	30.6	44.2	58.1
232	North West Leicestershire	East Midlands	22.8	30.0	42.8	60.6
233	Blackburn with Darwen	North West	22.4	26.8	44.5	61.2
234	Dudley	West Midlands	22.3	25.0	43.5	61.6
235	Bassetlaw	East Midlands	22.2	25.5	45.1	58.2
236	Middlesbrough	North East	22.0	26.4	41.8	64.3
237	Erewash	East Midlands	22.0	25.9	44.2	57.9
238	North Northamptonshire	East Midlands	21.8	26.7	43.6	60.2
239	Crawley	South East	21.6	27.5	42.9	60.8
240	Swale	South East	21.4	23.7	42.0	62.5
241	East Suffolk	East of England	21.3	27.6	42.9	59.8
242	South Tyneside	North East	20.9	26.1	41.1	60.6
243	Tameside	North West	20.9	24.4	43.5	62.2
244	Arun	South East	20.6	26.4	43.9	57.8
245	Hull	Yorkshire and The Humber	20.3	21.7	42.4	65.8
246	Bradford	Yorkshire and The Humber	19.8	27.4	42.2	62.7
247	Peterborough	East of England	19.5	26.2	43.8	61.2
248	Harlow	East of England	19.3	24.4	41.8	63.3
249	North East Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	19.2	21.6	41.1	66.3
250	Rotherham	Yorkshire and The Humber	19.1	23.1	42.9	62.0
251	Leicester	East Midlands	19.1	26.8	45.4	61.0
252	Dover	South East	19.0	27.0	42.0	57.4
253	Redditch	West Midlands	18.8	25.9	42.2	61.9
254	Nuneaton and Bedworth	West Midlands	18.6	24.5	44.2	58.9
255	Bolsover	East Midlands	18.5	21.7	41.0	64.0
256	West Suffolk	East of England	18.4	28.5	42.4	57.9
257	Liverpool	North West	17.8	30.8	41.1	58.0
258	Halton	North West	17.7	23.9	40.2	60.4
259	North Warwickshire	West Midlands	17.7	24.8	42.9	60.6
260	Rochdale	North West	17.7	26.4	43.9	58.6
261	Derby	East Midlands	17.4	29.7	42.2	56.0
262	Ipswich	East of England	17.2	26.2	41.9	59.3
263	Lincoln	East Midlands	16.7	26.4	40.4	55.4
264	Eastbourne	South East	16.7	29.8	42.4	52.5
265	Cannock Chase	West Midlands	15.8	22.7	41.4	63.0
266	Thanet	South East	15.6	26.3	42.3	55.2
267	Mansfield	East Midlands	15.1	22.1	42.7	59.2
268	Walsall	West Midlands	14.5	23.7	42.5	60.5
269	Wyre Forest	West Midlands	14.3	26.1	40.6	60.0
270	Cumberland	North West	13.9	27.6	41.3	55.6
271	Portsmouth	South East	13.7	30.0	39.7	54.9
272	Tamworth	West Midlands	13.6	21.9	42.1	57.0
273	Oldham	North West	13.2	24.6	42.7	59.6
274	North Norfolk	East of England	13.2	26.2	42.7	55.0
275	Sandwell	West Midlands	12.6	22.7	43.7	60.6
276	Ashfield	East Midlands	12.1	21.6	41.3	60.6
277	Gosport	South East	11.8	24.8	38.7	54.4
278	South Holland	East Midlands	11.4	20.1	44.2	57.5
279	Torridge	South West	10.6	26.2	41.6	50.2
280	Isle of Wight	South East	10.3	27.4	38.9	53.1
281	Pendle	North West	10.3	25.4	40.5	56.5
282	Stoke-on-Trent	West Midlands	10.2	21.8	39.7	60.4
283	Havant	South East	9.8	26.5	38.4	56.2
284	Breckland	East of England	9.4	23.1	43.9	49.4
285	King’s Lynn and West Norfolk	East of England	9.0	23.3	41.9	53.2
286	Knowsley	North West	8.7	23.8	38.5	62.0
287	Blackpool	North West	8.4	22.5	39.5	58.9
288	Hyndburn	North West	6.7	25.2	40.5	52.0
289	Great Yarmouth	East of England	6.6	18.2	42.1	57.2
290	East Lindsey	East Midlands	6.3	21.5	40.7	55.0
291	Boston	East Midlands	5.5	19.0	39.5	62.8
292	Burnley	North West	3.0	24.3	38.3	51.2
293	Tendring	East of England	1.0	19.9	37.9	54.4
294	Fenland	East of England	0.0	19.0	38.1	54.1
–	City of London	London	–	74.2	–	–
–	Isles of Scilly	South West	–	37.9	–	–

04 Which places rank lowest?

Fenland, Tendring and Burnley. All three are below the England average on every measure. Rural and coastal districts of Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Essex and the Fens, and four Lancashire towns, make up 12 of the bottom 20. The East of England region has 10 of the bottom 50 and St Albans in second place. In Fenland, 19.0% of adults hold degree-level qualifications, against 33.9% across England ^[1].

Figure 3

The 20 lowest-ranked places in England, 2026

Index score, 0 to 100, ranks 275 to 294; the axis runs to 30. A score near 0 means near the bottom on all three parts, not zero ability.

Sandwell12.6

Ashfield12.1

Gosport11.8

South Holland11.4

Torridge10.6

Isle of Wight10.3

Pendle10.3

Stoke-on-Trent10.2

Havant9.8

Breckland9.4

King's Lynn and West Norfolk9.0

Knowsley8.7

Blackpool8.4

Hyndburn6.7

Great Yarmouth6.6

East Lindsey6.3

Boston5.5

Burnley3.0

Tendring1.0

Fenland0.0

05 How sure is each rank?

The top four stay in the top five under every weighting; ranks further down move more. We re-ran the index with every weighting that gives each of the three parts between 20% and 50% (36 in all). Richmond upon Thames is first in every one; the median area moves within 23 places. Ranks that move most belong to areas strong on one part and weak on another, such as Castle Point (120th to 252nd).

Figure 4

How sure is each rank? The top 25

Dot = rank with equal weights; bar = best and worst rank across all 36 weightings.

Richmond upon Thames1 (1–1)

St Albans2 (2–4)

Kensington and Chelsea3 (2–5)

Hammersmith and Fulham4 (3–4)

Elmbridge5 (5–11)

Rushcliffe6 (5–10)

Kingston upon Thames7 (4–11)

Waverley8 (7–10)

Wandsworth9 (5–16)

Sutton10 (5–17)

Epsom and Ewell11 (8–14)

Camden12 (6–19)

Wokingham13 (8–19)

Trafford14 (11–16)

Barnet15 (14–20)

Cambridge16 (8–31)

Redbridge17 (12–27)

Hackney18 (14–23)

Tunbridge Wells19 (15–24)

Westminster20 (12–25)

Bromley21 (15–24)

Three Rivers22 (18–24)

Merton23 (18–32)

Southwark24 (18–28)

Brentwood25 (20–39)

110203040

06 Do places with more graduates get better GCSE results?

Mostly, yes. Across England’s 294 council areas the share of adults with degree-level qualifications and the average GCSE Attainment 8 score move closely together (r = 0.78). That is a link, not a cause: these places differ in many other ways too. The dots far from the line are the interesting ones.

Figure 5

Adults with degrees and GCSE results, by council area

Each dot is one of England's 294 ranked council areas. Dashed line = the average relationship (r = 0.78). Linked, not cause.

Average Attainment 8 score at GCSE, 2026

354045505560

WandsworthCambridgeRichmond upon ThamesThurrockVale of White HorseFenland

20%30%40%50%60%

Adults with degree-level qualifications, % (Census 2021)

07 Where do pupils outperform the adults around them?

In Thurrock. Its adults rank 241st of 294 on qualifications ^[1], its pupils 53rd on GCSE and primary results combined ^{[4] [5]}. Castle Point, Wakefield and Rochford are close behind. The reverse happens too: in the Vale of White Horse and Bristol, adults are highly qualified but pupils’ results sit below the middle.

Figure 6

Pupils ahead of adults, or adults ahead of pupils

Rank on adults' qualifications minus rank on school results (GCSE and primary), 294 areas. Above zero: pupils do better than the adults' qualifications would suggest. The 8 biggest gaps each way.

Thurrock+188

Castle Point+186

Wakefield+173

Rochford+167

Sunderland+162

Barking and Dagenham+151

Havering+148

Barnsley+148

Norwich-132

Shropshire-133

High Peak-142

Bedford-142

Chichester-146

Central Bedfordshire-152

Bristol-154

Vale of White Horse-189

08 Is there a north-south divide?

Yes, with London far ahead. London’s median score is 60.9, against 25.7 to 39.3 in the other regions; 25 of the top 50 places are London boroughs and 47 of the top 50 are in the South (London, the South East, the South West and the East of England). The North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber hold 1 (Trafford, 14th). After it come York (53rd) and Ribble Valley (62nd).

Figure 7

The typical council area in each region

Median index score of the region's ranked council areas, 0 to 100.

London60.9

South East39.3

South West34.2

East Midlands29.0

East of England28.9

North East27.9

North West27.6

Yorkshire and The Humber27.5

West Midlands25.7

Table 2

Regions: top and bottom places

Ranks among England's 294 ranked council areas. Top 50 and bottom 50 count the region's areas in each.

Region	Median score	Top 50	Bottom 50	Highest and lowest ranked
London	60.9	25	0	Richmond upon Thames (1st) Barking and Dagenham (98th)
South East	39.3	13	7	Elmbridge (5th) Havant (283rd)
South West	34.2	1	1	Cheltenham (48th) Torridge (279th)
East Midlands	29.0	1	9	Rushcliffe (6th) Boston (291st)
East of England	28.9	8	10	St Albans (2nd) Fenland (294th)
North East	27.9	0	0	North Tyneside (110th) South Tyneside (242nd)
North West	27.6	1	10	Trafford (14th) Burnley (292nd)
Yorkshire and The Humber	27.5	0	4	York (53rd) Rotherham (250th)
West Midlands	25.7	1	9	Warwick (46th) Stoke-on-Trent (282nd)

09 How qualified are adults across the UK?

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 33.7% of adults aged 16 and over held degree-level (Level 4 or higher) qualifications at the 2021 Census and 18.3% held none ^{[1] [2]}. The two censuses use the same levels, so all 329 council areas compare directly. The City of London leads with 74.2%; Great Yarmouth is lowest with 18.2%. In Wales, Cardiff (40.0%) leads; in Northern Ireland, Lisburn and Castlereagh (39.2%).

Figure 8

How qualified are adults? England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2021

Highest qualification of 50,081,110 residents aged 16 and over, % (Census 2021).

33.7%Level 4 or above (degree level)

• No qualifications9,188,096 people18.3%
• Level 1, 2 or apprenticeship14,154,876 people28.3%
• Level 38,467,633 people16.9%
• Level 4 or above16,899,562 people33.7%
• Other (level unknown)1,370,943 people2.7%

Figure 9

Highest qualification of adults, by region and nation, 2021

Share of residents aged 16 and over. Sorted by the share at Level 4 or above.

No qualificationsLevel 1, 2 or apprenticeshipLevel 3Level 4 or aboveOther (level unknown)

London46.7% Level 4+16%21%13%47%

South East35.8% Level 4+15%29%17%36%

South West33.1% Level 4+16%30%19%33%

Northern Ireland32.1% Level 4+24%26%16%32%

East of England31.6% Level 4+18%31%17%32%

Wales31.5% Level 4+20%29%17%32%

North West31.2% Level 4+19%29%18%31%

Yorkshire and The Humber29.5% Level 4+21%30%17%29%

West Midlands29.4% Level 4+21%29%17%29%

East Midlands29.1% Level 4+19%30%18%29%

North East28.6% Level 4+20%30%19%29%

Figure 10

Adults with degree-level qualifications, by council area

% of residents aged 16 and over with Level 4 or higher qualifications, England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Census 2021). Scotland's census groups qualifications differently; its figures are in Figure 11.

50% or more45 to 50%40 to 45%35 to 40%30 to 35%25 to 30%Below 25%Scotland: a different measure

Table 3

Wales and Northern Ireland: every council area

Ranked on adults' qualifications (Census 2021). UK rank = of the 329 council areas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Council area	Nation	Degree %	No quals %	In nation	UK rank
Cardiff	Wales	40.0	16.3	1st of 22	56
Monmouthshire	Wales	39.4	15.7	2nd of 22	65
Lisburn and Castlereagh	Northern Ireland	39.2	17.9	1st of 11	68
Vale of Glamorgan	Wales	37.3	15.6	3rd of 22	87
Ceredigion	Wales	35.3	14.7	4th of 22	102
Gwynedd	Wales	34.5	16.3	5th of 22	116
Belfast	Northern Ireland	34.4	23.9	2nd of 11	118
Ards and North Down	Northern Ireland	34.1	19.2	3rd of 11	121
Swansea	Wales	32.8	18.9	6th of 22	144
Conwy	Wales	32.4	18.7	7th of 22	152
Isle of Anglesey	Wales	32.3	18.0	8th of 22	156
Powys	Wales	31.9	18.9	9th of 22	162
Newry, Mourne and Down	Northern Ireland	31.8	23.1	4th of 11	165
Fermanagh and Omagh	Northern Ireland	31.8	25.5	5th of 11	166
Antrim and Newtownabbey	Northern Ireland	31.5	21.5	6th of 11	172
Carmarthenshire	Wales	31.3	20.0	10th of 22	175
Pembrokeshire	Wales	31.2	18.8	11th of 22	176
Newport	Wales	31.0	21.7	12th of 22	179
Denbighshire	Wales	30.4	19.9	13th of 22	190
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon	Northern Ireland	30.4	25.2	7th of 11	191
Bridgend	Wales	30.0	21.8	14th of 22	195
Derry City and Strabane	Northern Ireland	29.6	28.4	8th of 11	209
Mid Ulster	Northern Ireland	29.3	27.5	9th of 11	216
Causeway Coast and Glens	Northern Ireland	29.2	26.0	10th of 11	218
Flintshire	Wales	29.2	18.3	15th of 22	219
Wrexham	Wales	29.1	20.9	16th of 22	220
Mid and East Antrim	Northern Ireland	28.8	24.3	11th of 11	225
Torfaen	Wales	26.8	22.1	17th of 22	254
Rhondda Cynon Taf	Wales	26.7	24.2	18th of 22	258
Neath Port Talbot	Wales	25.8	23.7	19th of 22	277
Caerphilly	Wales	25.3	24.1	20th of 22	285
Merthyr Tydfil	Wales	25.0	26.9	21st of 22	288
Blaenau Gwent	Wales	21.6	27.9	22nd of 22	322

10 Which is the smartest place in Scotland?

The City of Edinburgh: 50.0% of its adults hold degree-level qualifications or above, then East Renfrewshire (44.6%) and East Dunbartonshire (42.9%); West Dunbartonshire is lowest (21.7%). Scotland’s 2022 census puts HNC and HND qualifications below degree level, while the England, Wales and Northern Ireland figures count them at Level 4, so Scotland’s 32.5% is not comparable with the 33.7% above. With HNC and HND included, 44.2% of Scottish adults hold a higher education qualification ^[3].

Figure 11

Scotland: adults with degree-level qualifications or above, 2022

% of residents aged 16 and over, 32 council areas. Scotland: 32.5%. Excludes HNC and HND.

City of Edinburgh50.0%

East Renfrewshire44.6%

East Dunbartonshire42.9%

Stirling39.6%

Aberdeen City38.1%

Perth and Kinross35.8%

Glasgow City34.7%

East Lothian34.6%

Argyll and Bute34.0%

Scottish Borders32.0%

Orkney Islands31.9%

Dundee City31.3%

Highland31.2%

Na h-Eileanan Siar31.1%

Aberdeenshire31.1%

South Ayrshire30.5%

Renfrewshire30.5%

Shetland Islands29.6%

Midlothian29.5%

Fife28.6%

South Lanarkshire28.3%

Angus28.3%

West Lothian27.8%

Moray26.9%

Clackmannanshire26.0%

Dumfries and Galloway26.0%

Falkirk25.7%

Inverclyde24.6%

North Ayrshire24.1%

East Ayrshire23.4%

North Lanarkshire23.1%

West Dunbartonshire21.7%

11 What patterns sit behind the ranking?

Six more views of the same data. First, how the 294 scores spread: the middle council area scores 33.0, and the most common band is 25 to 30 (43 areas); 184 of the 294 score between 20 and 50 ^{[1] [4] [5]}.

Figure 12

How the scores spread: all 294 council areas in England

Number of council areas in each 5-point band of the index (0 to 100). Dotted line: the median area.

39152234433135221914169873211median 33.0

0102030405060708090100

Index score, 0 to 100

Second, the spread inside each region. London has the highest typical score (median 60.9) and the West Midlands the lowest (25.7); the East of England spreads widest, from 0.0 to 85.7. Every dot is one council area: hover for its name.

Figure 13

Index scores within each region

Box = the middle half of the region's council areas, line = the median area, whiskers = lowest to highest. Dotted line: England's median area.

Middle halfMedianLowest to highestOne council area

London32 council areas60.9

South East64 council areas39.3

South West26 council areas34.2

East Midlands35 council areas29.0

East of England45 council areas28.9

North East12 council areas27.9

North West35 council areas27.6

Yorkshire and The Humber15 council areas27.5

West Midlands30 council areas25.7

020406080100

Dotted line: England's median council area, 33.0.

Third, which part of the index lifts or holds back each region. Each cell is the rank of the region’s typical council area (median of its areas, 1 = best of 294) on one part of the index. London’s typical area ranks 46th on adults’ qualifications and 26th on primary results; the North East’s typical area ranks 232nd on adults and 108th at primary.

Figure 14

Each region's typical rank on each part of the index

Median rank of the region's council areas, 1 = best of 294. Blue = better than the middle of England, orange = worse. Adults = Census 2021 qualifications; GCSE and primary = 2025/26 results.

Worse ranksBetter ranks

AdultsAdultsGCSEGCSEPrimaryPrimaryIndexIndexLondon46472630South East88120138106South West109149175141East Midlands180174196175East of England165135170176North East232198108187North West181203199190Yorkshire and The Humber254151175191West Midlands210204170207

Fourth, how the six measures in the index move together across the 294 council areas. Measures of the same part move most closely (the two GCSE measures, r = 0.98). Between the adults and the schools, the closest link is adults’ degree share and GCSE Attainment 8 (r = 0.78); primary results follow the adults less closely (r = 0.60 with the degree share). A correlation is a link, not a cause.

Figure 15

How the six measures move together

Pearson correlation across England's 294 ranked council areas: +1 = always rise together, 0 = no link, -1 = one rises as the other falls.

-1 (opposite)+1 (move together)

Level 4+L4+No qualsNoneAtt. 8A8Grade 5+G5+KS2 exp.KS2Adults with no qualifications %-0.80GCSE Attainment 8+0.78-0.70GCSE grade 5+ English and maths %+0.77-0.69+0.98Primary: expected standard %+0.60-0.38+0.69+0.68Primary: higher standard %+0.65-0.41+0.69+0.68+0.85

Fifth, where GCSE results lag primary results. These 20 areas rank far better on primary results than on GCSE results in the same year; Castle Point drops furthest, from 34th at primary to 253rd at GCSE. They are different year groups (11-year-olds and 16-year-olds in 2025/26), not the same children followed over time.

Figure 16

Primary rank vs GCSE rank: the 20 biggest gaps, 2025/26

The 20 council areas with the largest drop from their primary-results rank to their GCSE rank (1 = best of 294).

Primary results rankGCSE results rank

Castle Point34253

North East Lincolnshire92269

Basildon67242

Bolsover102271

Telford and Wrekin94254

Newcastle-under-Lyme110268

Hull95246

Stafford70219

Middlesbrough105252

Sunderland54196

Swale122259

Hartlepool104240

Wigan68188

Maldon142262

Babergh91208

South Tyneside153270

Halton163278

Knowsley188292

Redcar and Cleveland96199

Milton Keynes66167

150100150200250294

Rank among 294 council areas (1 = best)

Sixth, GCSE ranks over time. DfE publishes these figures by council area every year; 2022/23 to 2025/26 are comparable (the 2019/20 and 2020/21 grades were set by schools, and 2021/22 was graded more generously). Plymouth climbed furthest, from 242nd to 116th; Vale of White Horse fell furthest, from 116th to 202nd ^[4]. The middle of the table is tight: 27 other council areas sit within half an Attainment 8 point of the area ranked 150th.

Figure 17

Biggest GCSE climbers and fallers, 2022/23 to 2025/26

GCSE rank (Attainment 8 and grade 5+ in English and maths, as in the index) among the same 294 council areas each year, 1 = best. Every area that climbed (blue, 11) or fell (orange-red, 9) 60 places or more. 2025/26 figures are provisional.

Climbed 60+ placesFell 60+ places

2022/23'222023/24'232024/25'242025/26'25

Plymouth 242Lancaster 201Salford 267Calderdale 165Doncaster 195Arun 265North Lincolnshire 221Reading 166East Hampshire 110Newcastle upon Tyne 234North Devon 217Vale of White Horse 116Stafford 137Maldon 184Rutland 56West Lindsey 147Wychavon 117Fylde 178Melton 114Mid Devon 94

116 Plymouth122 Lancaster193 Salford92 Calderdale125 Doncaster197 Arun159 North Lincolnshire104 Reading48 East Hampshire173 Newcastle upon Tyne157 North Devon202 Vale of White Horse219 Stafford262 Maldon130 Rutland221 West Lindsey189 Wychavon245 Fylde180 Melton154 Mid Devon

Ranks 100 to 200 span only 43.3 to 47.9 Attainment 8 points in 2025/26, so mid-table moves can come from small changes.

12 Your area, in one sentence

Pick any of the UK’s 361 council areas to see its rank and the figures behind it, in a sentence you can copy with the source. Every area has its own link and a card you can download or share.

13 Does this measure how intelligent people are?

No. It measures qualifications and school results, which depend on schooling, money and opportunity as well as on ability, and it describes averages, not any one person. It is not an IQ ranking. For how the UK compares with other countries on skills tests, see our Smartest Countries Index. For what UK school test scores mean, see 11-plus standardised scores and CAT4 scores explained; for how scores differ by qualification, scores by education level; and on whether schooling itself raises scores, does school raise test scores?

14 How was the index built?

1. 01

   Who is ranked

   All 361 UK council areas (local authority districts, May 2026 boundaries) ^[6]. The index covers England’s 296, of which 294 are ranked: the City of London and the Isles of Scilly have fewer than 30 pupils in at least one school measure. Wales (22) and Northern Ireland (11) are ranked on adult qualifications; Scotland (32) on its own census measure.

2. 02

   Adults, one third

   Census 2021: the share of residents aged 16 and over whose highest qualification is Level 4 or above, and the share with no qualifications (counted against), equally weighted ^[1].

3. 03

   GCSE, one third

   Key stage 4, 2025/26 (provisional): average Attainment 8 score and the share of pupils with grade 5 or above in English and maths, for pupils in state-funded schools who live in the area ^[4].

4. 04

   Primary, one third

   Key stage 2, 2025/26 (provisional): the share of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, and the share at the higher standard, by where pupils live ^[5].

5. 05

   The score

   Each measure becomes a standard score across the 294 ranked areas; the two measures in a part are averaged and standardised again, so each part counts exactly one third. The total is rescaled so the top area is 100 and the lowest 0.

6. 06

   Rank ranges

   We re-ran the ranking under all 36 weightings that give each part between 20% and 50%, and report each area’s best and worst rank. With one measure per part (degree share, Attainment 8, expected standard) no area moves more than 51 places.

7. 07

   Checks

   Every number is recomputed from the publishers’ files and checked against their national figures: England and Wales 33.8% Level 4+ ^[1], Attainment 8 46.2 and 46.3% grade 5+ in English and maths ^[4], 63.3% at the key stage 2 expected standard ^[5].