The quietest places to live in Great Britain

Isles of Scilly is the quietest of 363 councils: 0.0% of its homes are in areas with 65 dB or more of road or rail noise. Next come Na h-Eileanan Siar (1.0%), Maldon (1.6%), Orkney Islands (1.7%), Torridge (1.7%). The noisiest is Westminster, at 26.2%. For comparison: 6.9% across Great Britain.

The quietest council in each nation

England: Isles of Scilly (0.0%)
Wales: Ceredigion (2.3%)
Scotland: Na h-Eileanan Siar (1.0%)

All 363 councils, quietest first

Select a column heading to re-sort. Every council links to its area guide. Download this table (CSV).

Quietest places to live in Great Britain: all 363 councils, quietest first. Sources and method below.
Rank	Council	Nation	Homes in 65 dB+ noise areas
1	Isles of Scilly	England	0.0%
2	Na h-Eileanan Siar	Scotland	1.0%
3	Maldon	England	1.6%
4	Orkney Islands	Scotland	1.7%
5	Torridge	England	1.7%
6	Highland	Scotland	1.9%
7	Forest of Dean	England	2.0%
8	Shetland Islands	Scotland	2.0%
9	Barrow-in-Furness	England	2.1%
10	East Cambridgeshire	England	2.1%
11	North Norfolk	England	2.2%
12	Scottish Borders	Scotland	2.2%
13	Ceredigion	Wales	2.3%
14	Moray	Scotland	2.3%
15	Powys	Wales	2.3%
16	West Devon	England	2.3%
17	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	2.5%
18	East Lindsey	England	2.5%
19	Isle of Anglesey	Wales	2.5%
20	Malvern Hills	England	2.5%
21	North Kesteven	England	2.5%
22	North West Leicestershire	England	2.5%
23	Ryedale	England	2.5%
24	East Devon	England	2.6%
25	South Norfolk	England	2.6%
26	Breckland	England	2.7%
27	North Ayrshire	Scotland	2.7%
28	Pembrokeshire	Wales	2.7%
29	Rutland	England	2.7%
30	Copeland	England	2.8%
31	Rochford	England	2.8%
32	West Lindsey	England	2.8%
33	Argyll and Bute	Scotland	2.9%
34	Broadland	England	2.9%
35	South Somerset	England	2.9%
36	Stroud	England	2.9%
37	West Oxfordshire	England	2.9%
38	Carmarthenshire	Wales	3.0%
39	East Riding of Yorkshire	England	3.0%
40	Uttlesford	England	3.0%
41	Cornwall	England	3.1%
42	Dorset	England	3.1%
43	East Ayrshire	Scotland	3.1%
44	Gosport	England	3.1%
45	Hinckley and Bosworth	England	3.1%
46	King's Lynn and West Norfolk	England	3.1%
47	South Cambridgeshire	England	3.1%
48	South Hams	England	3.1%
49	Tendring	England	3.1%
50	Torfaen	Wales	3.1%
51	Babergh	England	3.2%
52	Dumfries and Galloway	Scotland	3.2%
53	Gedling	England	3.2%
54	North Lincolnshire	England	3.2%
55	South Holland	England	3.2%
56	South Oxfordshire	England	3.2%
57	Fife	Scotland	3.3%
58	Mid Devon	England	3.3%
59	Vale of Glamorgan	Wales	3.3%
60	Allerdale	England	3.4%
61	Cotswold	England	3.4%
62	Craven	England	3.4%
63	Mendip	England	3.4%
64	Newark and Sherwood	England	3.4%
65	Ribble Valley	England	3.4%
66	Caerphilly	Wales	3.5%
67	East Dunbartonshire	Scotland	3.5%
68	Great Yarmouth	England	3.5%
69	Harborough	England	3.5%
70	Melton	England	3.5%
71	North Devon	England	3.5%
72	South Derbyshire	England	3.5%
73	Ashfield	England	3.6%
74	East Hampshire	England	3.6%
75	Fenland	England	3.6%
76	Gwynedd	Wales	3.6%
77	Hambleton	England	3.6%
78	North East Derbyshire	England	3.6%
79	Richmondshire	England	3.6%
80	South Staffordshire	England	3.6%
81	East Renfrewshire	Scotland	3.7%
82	Herefordshire	England	3.7%
83	Midlothian	Scotland	3.7%
84	North Somerset	England	3.7%
85	Redcar and Cleveland	England	3.7%
86	Torbay	England	3.7%
87	Wealden	England	3.7%
88	West Suffolk	England	3.7%
89	Arun	England	3.8%
90	Shropshire	England	3.8%
91	Wiltshire	England	3.8%
92	Angus	Scotland	3.9%
93	Bassetlaw	England	3.9%
94	Clackmannanshire	Scotland	3.9%
95	Derbyshire Dales	England	3.9%
96	East Lothian	Scotland	3.9%
97	Harrogate	England	3.9%
98	Kingston upon Hull	England	3.9%
99	Mid Suffolk	England	3.9%
100	New Forest	England	3.9%
101	Northumberland	England	3.9%
102	Selby	England	3.9%
103	South Lakeland	England	3.9%
104	Tewkesbury	England	3.9%
105	Winchester	England	3.9%
106	Horsham	England	4.0%
107	Perth and Kinross	Scotland	4.0%
108	Rother	England	4.0%
109	Rushcliffe	England	4.0%
110	Stratford-on-Avon	England	4.0%
111	Swale	England	4.0%
112	Tunbridge Wells	England	4.0%
113	East Suffolk	England	4.1%
114	Eden	England	4.1%
115	Staffordshire Moorlands	England	4.1%
116	West Berkshire	England	4.1%
117	Wychavon	England	4.1%
118	Braintree	England	4.2%
119	Central Bedfordshire	England	4.2%
120	Charnwood	England	4.2%
121	Cherwell	England	4.2%
122	Chichester	England	4.2%
123	Huntingdonshire	England	4.2%
124	Blaenau Gwent	Wales	4.3%
125	County Durham	England	4.3%
126	Flintshire	Wales	4.3%
127	Hart	England	4.3%
128	Isle of Wight	England	4.3%
129	Renfrewshire	Scotland	4.3%
130	Stockton-on-Tees	England	4.3%
131	Dover	England	4.4%
132	Fylde	England	4.4%
133	High Peak	England	4.4%
134	Mid Sussex	England	4.4%
135	South Ayrshire	Scotland	4.4%
136	South Kesteven	England	4.4%
137	South Lanarkshire	Scotland	4.4%
138	Wyre	England	4.4%
139	York	England	4.4%
140	Amber Valley	England	4.5%
141	Bolsover	England	4.5%
142	Boston	England	4.5%
143	Carlisle	England	4.5%
144	Castle Point	England	4.5%
145	Inverclyde	Scotland	4.5%
146	Lewes	England	4.5%
147	Milton Keynes	England	4.5%
148	Telford and Wrekin	England	4.5%
149	Test Valley	England	4.5%
150	Wrexham	Wales	4.5%
151	Denbighshire	Wales	4.6%
152	Somerset West and Taunton	England	4.6%
153	Stirling	Scotland	4.6%
154	Cannock Chase	England	4.7%
155	Hartlepool	England	4.7%
156	North Lanarkshire	Scotland	4.7%
157	Sedgemoor	England	4.7%
158	Vale of White Horse	England	4.7%
159	Merthyr Tydfil	Wales	4.8%
160	Buckinghamshire	England	4.9%
161	Doncaster	England	4.9%
162	Maidstone	England	4.9%
163	West Lancashire	England	4.9%
164	Barnsley	England	5.0%
165	Exeter	England	5.0%
166	Falkirk	Scotland	5.0%
167	Havant	England	5.0%
168	Monmouthshire	Wales	5.0%
169	North East Lincolnshire	England	5.0%
170	North Northamptonshire	England	5.0%
171	West Lothian	Scotland	5.0%
172	Bracknell Forest	England	5.1%
173	Dundee City	Scotland	5.1%
174	Fareham	England	5.1%
175	Kirklees	England	5.1%
176	South Gloucestershire	England	5.1%
177	Swindon	England	5.1%
178	Bridgend	Wales	5.2%
179	Cheshire East	England	5.2%
180	Darlington	England	5.2%
181	Oadby and Wigston	England	5.2%
182	Rugby	England	5.2%
183	Scarborough	England	5.2%
184	Swansea	Wales	5.2%
185	Waverley	England	5.2%
186	Ashford	England	5.3%
187	Lichfield	England	5.3%
188	Lincoln	England	5.3%
189	Aberdeen City	Scotland	5.4%
190	Bath and North East Somerset	England	5.4%
191	Blaby	England	5.4%
192	Sheffield	England	5.4%
193	Blackburn with Darwen	England	5.5%
194	Canterbury	England	5.5%
195	Dacorum	England	5.5%
196	Chesterfield	England	5.6%
197	Nuneaton and Bedworth	England	5.6%
198	Teignbridge	England	5.6%
199	Basingstoke and Deane	England	5.7%
200	East Hertfordshire	England	5.7%
201	Plymouth	England	5.7%
202	Thanet	England	5.7%
203	Warwick	England	5.7%
204	Calderdale	England	5.8%
205	Cheshire West and Chester	England	5.8%
206	Harlow	England	5.8%
207	Medway	England	5.8%
208	Rotherham	England	5.8%
209	Sevenoaks	England	5.8%
210	Solihull	England	5.8%
211	Basildon	England	5.9%
212	East Staffordshire	England	5.9%
213	Eastleigh	England	5.9%
214	Gloucester	England	5.9%
215	Gravesham	England	5.9%
216	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Wales	5.9%
217	Wakefield	England	5.9%
218	Bradford	England	6.0%
219	Chelmsford	England	6.0%
220	Mole Valley	England	6.0%
221	St. Helens	England	6.0%
222	Wyre Forest	England	6.0%
223	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	England	6.1%
224	Knowsley	England	6.1%
225	Lancaster	England	6.1%
226	Mansfield	England	6.1%
227	Redditch	England	6.1%
228	Sunderland	England	6.1%
229	Bedford	England	6.2%
230	Derby	England	6.2%
231	North Hertfordshire	England	6.2%
232	Tonbridge and Malling	England	6.2%
233	West Northamptonshire	England	6.2%
234	Wolverhampton	England	6.3%
235	Folkestone and Hythe	England	6.4%
236	Hyndburn	England	6.4%
237	North Warwickshire	England	6.4%
238	Thurrock	England	6.4%
239	Windsor and Maidenhead	England	6.4%
240	Bromsgrove	England	6.5%
241	Cambridge	England	6.5%
242	Colchester	England	6.5%
243	Gateshead	England	6.5%
244	Leicester	England	6.5%
245	Broxtowe	England	6.6%
246	Dudley	England	6.6%
247	Rossendale	England	6.6%
248	Adur	England	6.7%
249	Cheltenham	England	6.7%
250	Eastbourne	England	6.7%
251	Erewash	England	6.7%
252	Stafford	England	6.7%
253	Stoke-on-Trent	England	6.7%
254	Three Rivers	England	6.7%
255	Conwy	Wales	6.8%
256	Coventry	England	6.8%
257	Epping Forest	England	6.8%
258	Newcastle-under-Lyme	England	6.8%
259	Pendle	England	6.8%
260	Tandridge	England	6.8%
261	Warrington	England	6.8%
262	Wokingham	England	6.8%
263	Worcester	England	6.8%
264	Luton	England	6.9%
265	Middlesbrough	England	6.9%
266	Tamworth	England	6.9%
267	Hastings	England	7.0%
268	South Ribble	England	7.0%
269	Worthing	England	7.0%
270	Chorley	England	7.1%
271	Halton	England	7.1%
272	Sefton	England	7.1%
273	South Tyneside	England	7.1%
274	St Albans	England	7.1%
275	Oldham	England	7.2%
276	Tameside	England	7.2%
277	Wirral	England	7.2%
278	Burnley	England	7.3%
279	Epsom and Ewell	England	7.3%
280	Leeds	England	7.3%
281	Rochdale	England	7.3%
282	Southend-on-Sea	England	7.3%
283	Surrey Heath	England	7.3%
284	Trafford	England	7.4%
285	Wigan	England	7.4%
286	Cardiff	Wales	7.5%
287	Ipswich	England	7.6%
288	Stevenage	England	7.6%
289	Stockport	England	7.6%
290	Birmingham	England	7.7%
291	Blackpool	England	7.7%
292	Neath Port Talbot	Wales	7.7%
293	Peterborough	England	7.7%
294	Preston	England	7.7%
295	Brentwood	England	7.8%
296	Southampton	England	7.8%
297	Walsall	England	7.9%
298	Hertsmere	England	8.0%
299	Bolton	England	8.1%
300	Bristol	England	8.1%
301	City of Edinburgh	Scotland	8.1%
302	Norwich	England	8.2%
303	Oxford	England	8.2%
304	Guildford	England	8.3%
305	Welwyn Hatfield	England	8.4%
306	Glasgow City	Scotland	8.6%
307	North Tyneside	England	8.6%
308	Bury	England	8.7%
309	Elmbridge	England	8.7%
310	Nottingham	England	8.7%
311	Reigate and Banstead	England	8.7%
312	Woking	England	8.9%
313	Rushmoor	England	9.1%
314	Brighton and Hove	England	9.2%
315	Broxbourne	England	9.2%
316	Newcastle upon Tyne	England	9.2%
317	Newport	Wales	9.2%
318	Reading	England	9.2%
319	Liverpool	England	9.3%
320	Spelthorne	England	9.3%
321	West Dunbartonshire	Scotland	9.4%
322	Dartford	England	9.5%
323	Crawley	England	9.6%
324	Sandwell	England	9.6%
325	Havering	England	9.7%
326	Runnymede	England	9.7%
327	Slough	England	9.7%
328	Bromley	England	10.2%
329	Sutton	England	10.2%
330	Bexley	England	10.5%
331	Hillingdon	England	10.5%
332	Portsmouth	England	10.5%
333	Manchester	England	10.7%
334	Harrow	England	12.0%
335	Watford	England	12.3%
336	Waltham Forest	England	12.4%
337	Enfield	England	12.5%
338	Barking and Dagenham	England	13.0%
339	Kingston upon Thames	England	13.3%
340	Greenwich	England	13.4%
341	Merton	England	13.5%
342	Salford	England	13.7%
343	Redbridge	England	13.9%
344	Ealing	England	14.0%
345	Croydon	England	14.4%
346	Richmond upon Thames	England	14.4%
347	Haringey	England	15.4%
348	Hounslow	England	16.4%
349	Barnet	England	16.8%
350	Newham	England	17.4%
351	Brent	England	17.5%
352	Lewisham	England	18.0%
353	Hammersmith and Fulham	England	18.8%
354	Wandsworth	England	18.9%
355	Hackney	England	19.7%
356	Islington	England	20.5%
357	Lambeth	England	20.7%
358	Southwark	England	21.1%
359	Tower Hamlets	England	23.4%
360	Camden	England	24.2%
361	City of London	England	25.8%
362	Kensington and Chelsea	England	25.8%
363	Westminster	England	26.2%

How this ranking is made

For each census area, the strategic noise maps (Defra, Natural Resources Wales and SEPA, Round 4) give the share of its area where modelled road or rail noise reaches 65 dB L_den or more — the level Defra and the WHO treat as high. We weight that share by each area's households to get the share of a council's homes in noisy areas. Scotland's map also includes aircraft and industry. Northern Ireland publishes no open noise map, so it is not ranked.

Common questions

What is the quietest council in Great Britain?

Isles of Scilly has the lowest share of homes in noisy areas: 0.0% of homes are in areas where road or rail noise reaches 65 dB or more, against 6.9% across Great Britain.

What is the noisiest council in Great Britain?

Westminster, where 26.2% of homes are in areas with 65 dB or more of road or rail noise.

Does this include aircraft noise?

Not in England or Wales, where the maps cover roads and railways only. Scotland's consolidated map also includes aircraft and industry.

More rankings

Best places to live for parks · House prices per square metre by council · Crime rate by council · Social housing by council

Open data under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full details in the methodology. Page updated 9 October 2026. If you use these figures, a link to this page is appreciated.