Westmorland and Furness: what a home costs and what you need to earn

North West. House prices are based on 3,008 sales over the last 12 months.

Buying a home

Fairly affordable

A typical home costs 5.7× median full-time pay

Renting a home

Affordable

Average rent takes 23% of median pay

Recorded crime

About average

66.0 per 1,000 residents (England and Wales: 81.3)

How we rate: buying compares the typical home price with median pay (under 5× affordable, 5 to 8× fairly affordable, 8 to 11× expensive, over 11× very expensive). Renting compares a year of average rent with median pay (under 25% affordable, 25 to 33% fairly affordable, 33 to 40% expensive, over 40% very expensive). Crime compares the rate per resident with the England and Wales average.

Median full-time pay

£41,859

Gross a year, people living in Westmorland and Furness

Terraced house price ÷ pay

4.0×

A typical terraced house costs this many years of median pay

Renting a terraced house

23%

of median gross pay goes on rent (£815 a month)

What the numbers say about Westmorland and Furness

Across all property types, the typical home sold in Westmorland and Furness over the past year cost £240,000, which is 5.7× median full-time pay. Measured against pay, Westmorland and Furness is the 52nd least expensive of 316 areas for buying; the typical area is 7.6×. Within the North West it is around the middle of 35 areas (19th most expensive).

For a terraced house at £165,345, a lender would typically look for an income of around £33,000, and the 10% deposit would be £16,500, about 5 months of median gross pay. Median full-time pay here is £41,859, 127% of the income needed, so on these assumptions one median earner could meet the test alone.

Renting a terraced house costs about £815 a month, which is 23% of median gross pay. Across all property types the average rent is £816 a month. Measured against pay, it is the 21st least expensive of 316 areas for renting. Rents rose 6.4% over the latest year ONS measured, faster than the typical area (3.9%).

Median full-time pay of £41,859 is the 95th highest of 316 areas; the typical area is £38,328. This is pay for people who live in Westmorland and Furness, wherever they work.

Police recorded 66.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in the year, which is 19% below average for England and Wales (81.3). That makes it around the middle of 310 areas (180th highest) for recorded crime per resident. The category furthest below average is vehicle offences (75% below).

Buying

Property type	Sales	Median price	Price ÷ pay	Deposit (10%)	Income typically needed
Detached	739	£390,000	9.3×	£39,000	£78,000
Semi-detached	915	£250,000	6.0×	£25,000	£50,000
Terraced	1,082	£165,345	4.0×	£16,500	£33,000
Flat	272	£150,000	3.6×	£15,000	£30,000

Renting

Property type	Average rent a month	Rent a year	Share of median pay
Detached	£1,132	£13,584	32%
Semi-detached	£914	£10,968	26%
Terraced	£815	£9,780	23%
Flat	£693	£8,316	20%

Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in Westmorland and Furness, before tax, and rents are the ONS average for the area. Property types with fewer than 100 sales in the last 12 months are left out.

How prices in Westmorland and Furness have changed

Average house price for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest 12 months.

Show the figures

Year	Average price
1995	£46,776
1996	£46,510
1997	£49,226
1998	£51,951
1999	£54,181
2000	£59,896
2001	£66,315
2002	£77,922
2003	£94,833
2004	£121,521
2005	£141,261
2006	£154,704
2007	£167,663
2008	£167,222
2009	£154,678
2010	£159,825
2011	£157,935
2012	£153,721
2013	£154,458
2014	£158,576
2015	£163,972
2016	£168,824
2017	£175,467
2018	£180,178
2019	£184,858
2020	£187,825
2021	£200,247
2022	£217,448
2023	£219,180
2024	£222,325
2025	£222,308
12 months to July 2026	£225,218

The average home price in Westmorland and Furness was £168,824 in 2016 and £225,218 in the 12 months to July 2026, a rise of 33% over ten years. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 36%. That makes Westmorland and Furness around the middle of 316 areas (177th fastest-rising) for ten-year price growth.

Going back to 2005, the average price has moved from £141,261 to £225,218, a rise of 59% (the typical area: a rise of 84%).

Prices fell 8% after the 2008 financial crisis, from £167,663 in 2007 to £153,721 in 2012. They did not get back to their 2007 level until 2016.

Prices are cash figures, not adjusted for inflation, and come from the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, which uses a different method from the median prices above, so the two will not match exactly.

How rents in Westmorland and Furness have changed

Average monthly rent for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest month.

Show the figures

Year	Average rent
2015	£541 a month
2016	£549 a month
2017	£563 a month
2018	£579 a month
2019	£593 a month
2020	£604 a month
2021	£621 a month
2022	£645 a month
2023	£669 a month
2024	£710 a month
2025	£761 a month
August 2026	£816 a month

The average rent in Westmorland and Furness was £541 a month in 2015 and £816 in August 2026, a rise of 51%. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 52%. That makes Westmorland and Furness around the middle of 316 areas (171st fastest-rising) for rent growth since 2015.

Over the same period the average house price rose 37%. Rents have risen faster than house prices here, by 13 percentage points.

Rent figures are from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents and are cash figures, not adjusted for inflation.

Crime

Police recorded crime in the year ending March 2026, per 1,000 residents, against the average for the areas of England and Wales covered here.

Type of crime	Per 1,000 residents	England and Wales average	Compared with average	Change on a year earlier
All recorded crime (excluding fraud)	66.0	81.3	19% below average	−2%
Violence against the person	29.5	31.0	5% below average	−3%
Sexual offences	3.5	3.4	5% above average	+12%
Robbery	0.3	1.4	80% below average	–
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households)	2.7	6.2	56% below average	+3%
Vehicle offences	1.2	4.9	75% below average	−22%
Theft from the person	0.3	1.6	80% below average	–
Criminal damage and arson	6.8	7.1	4% below average	−1%

Recorded crime in Westmorland and Furness was 67.6 per 1,000 residents in the year ending March 2025 and 66.0 in the year ending March 2026, down 2%. Across England and Wales it was down 4%.

Changes are left blank where the rate is very low, as a few extra crimes would look like a big swing. This is one year's change only, so it can reflect one-off events or changes in how police record crime, not just a real trend. Rates per resident use ONS population estimates for each year.

Westmorland and Furness is made up of several police partnership areas, and the figures above combine them. Their total recorded crime per 1,000 residents: Barrow-In-Furness 92.2, Eden 59.1, South Lakeland 52.8.

Rates use the resident population, so areas with many daytime visitors, students or a busy night-time economy, such as city centres, show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on how likely crimes are to be reported and how police record them. Residential burglary is per 1,000 households. Robbery and theft from the person are concentrated in a few city centres, so most areas sit well below the national average for them.