Rightmove has revealed its annual Happy at Home index with a number of Greater Manchester areas named some of the happiest places to live in the North West region for 2024. The index helps property experts understand what really makes the residents of some areas happier than others, as well as the things that make a place feel like home.
The Rightmove survey asked more than 26,000 people living in towns, cities and villages across Great Britain how they feel about their area based on 13 happiness factors. These include things like the club-together community spirit of a local area, having green space on the doorstep, or the sense of belonging in a local community.
Based on the scores people gave their local areas, the property platform ranked the happiest places to live, generating a list of the top 25 areas within each geographical region of the UK as well as list of the top 10 happiest places in the UK all together. Of the top 10 happiest places in the UK overall, it was the Greater London area of Richmond-upon-Thames that came in first place, taking the crown from last year’s winner St Ive’s in Cornwall.
Four Greater Manchester areas made the North West’s ranking with the Trafford town of Altrincham ranked one of the best places to live in the region, just behind Kendal in Cumbria. The Greater Manchester areas of Bury, Stockport and Salford all appeared in the top 20 list for the North West region, with Manchester itself coming in 20th place.
| Place | Regional rank | National Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Kendal | 1 | 14 |
| Altrincham | 2 | 29 |
| Chorley | 3 | 34 |
| Chester | 4 | 43 |
| Wirral | 5 | 57 |
| Bury | 6 | 59 |
| Macclesfield | 7 | 62 |
| Southport | 8 | 74 |
| Stockport | 9 | 98 |
| Northwich | 10 | 120 |
| Burnley | 11 | 129 |
| Carlisle | 12 | 133 |
| Warrington | 13 | 140 |
| Crewe | 14 | 142 |
| Lancaster | 15 | 144 |
| Salford | 16 | 146 |
| Preston | 17 | 148 |
| Blackburn | 18 | 165 |
| Liverpool | 19 | 177 |
| Manchester | 20 | 178 |
| Blackpool | 21 | 180 |
| Bolton | 22 | 183 |
| Wigan | 23 | 187 |
| Rochdale | 24 | 203 |
| Oldham | 25 | 206 |
The results of this year’s study showed that the most important contributors to happiness were feeling a sense of pride, belonging and community. Access to green space and nature is also important to residents, with those living in a rural area near a national park, or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, more likely to feel happy where they live.
This year, for the first time, Rightmove asked people whether they thought they might be happier if they moved to to somewhere else in Great Britain. And around 1 in 3 (30%) of residents who responded to the survey said they thought they would be happier living in a different area.
And over half of those would consider moving to an entirely different region of Great Britain. The close-to-the-coast areas of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset were the most popular choices for would-be relocators.
Discover the full Rightmove Happy at Home index here.