Stockport named among happiest places to live in the country
By Alasdair Perry 11th Nov 2026
Stockport is one of the happiest places to live in Great Britain.
That's according to Rightmove's 2026 'Happy at Home' index, which measured how people across Britain feel about where they live.
In the index, Stockport was named the second happiest place to live in the North West, and the 19th happiest in the country as a whole.
Chorley took the top spot for the North West, while Richmond-upon-Thames was named happiest nationally, retaining the top title from 2025's results.
The results were based on a survey of 24,000 participants across the country, asking them to rate their area's access to nature, shops, amenities and jobs, on a scale of one to 10.
221 locations across Britain were considered.
Scores of 7 to 10 were considered 'happy', 1 to 4 were deemed unhappy, and 5 or 6 were neither happy nor unhappy.
Using these metrics, the survey as a whole found that four in five people were happy where they lived.
Stockport's second place finish also marks an increase on last year's rankings, where the town took seventh place in the North West happiness index.
Introducing their findings, Rightmove said: "Each year we ask thousands of people across Great Britain how they feel about where they live.
"Feeling happy at home isn't just about the property.
"It's also about the wider area, the community, and how close you are to the things which matter most."
You can see the rankings in full here.
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