How we measure areas
Every figure on Check Local comes from published open data, and Data sources lists each dataset, who publishes it and how often it is refreshed. This page explains what we do with those figures: what each score is built from, and what it can't see.
How the scores work
- Each score runs from 0 to 100 and compares the area with the average for its own country (England, Scotland or Wales). 60 is typical. It is not a percentage, and it is not a ranking.
- The overall Check Local Score combines the topic scores. A topic with no data for an area is left out, not counted as zero.
- A score only measures what its inputs measure. The “What it can't see” notes below say where a score is narrower than its name suggests.
Topic by topic
Affordability
Scored on: What homes here actually sell for against the country, adjusted for the mix of property types and for local incomes.
Safety
Scored on: Police-recorded crimes over the last 12 months, per resident, against the national rate.
Transport
Scored on: Bus, tram and rail stops per resident, with stations weighted far more heavily. It counts stops, not how often anything actually runs.
What it can't see: The score counts stops and stations, not how often anything runs or how long the journey takes. Check the journey you will actually make.
Schools
Scored on: Ofsted ratings and GCSE Progress 8 (60%), plus how many school places there are per school-age child (40%).
Health
Scored on: GP practices, pharmacies and dentists per resident, against the country. How many there are — not how quickly you'd be seen.
Food & drink
Scored on: Pubs, restaurants and cafés per resident, against the country.
Environment
Scored on: Green space, both as a share of the area and per resident (80% between them), plus nitrogen dioxide in the air (20%). Flood, noise, radon and sewage are shown alongside it but aren’t scored.
What it can't see: Flood risk, noise, radon and sewage are shown below but are not part of this score. Check them for the street you are looking at.
Infrastructure
Scored on: Broadband and mobile coverage only — full fibre, gigabit availability and indoor 4G. Home energy, EV points and development sites are shown alongside it but aren’t scored.
Property market
Scored on: How active the local market is (sales per resident) and how energy-efficient the homes are (EPC ratings). Not price — see Affordability.
What it can't see: This score has no price in it. What homes cost is under Affordability.
People
Not scored. These figures are shown as they are, because there's no better or worse answer to who lives somewhere.
Trends
Crime, prices and council tax also show a direction of travel. A small area has few crimes or sales a year, so its trend leans on its council's figures, and the page says so when it does. A trend from too little data is left out rather than shown.
Where the data falls short
- Scotland: crime is published only as council totals, and sold prices only as council-level figures, so Scottish areas show those, labelled as such. Ofsted and Progress 8 don't apply in Scotland or Wales and are never shown there.
- Greater Manchester: police.uk currently has incomplete street-level crime data for the ten Greater Manchester councils. We don't score safety there and don't publish the undercounted rate.
- Northern Ireland is not covered.
When a figure is missing or may be wrong, the area page says so rather than leaving a gap. If something looks wrong, email [email protected]. How our guides are written and checked: editorial policy.