If you are looking to find a place in the UK to move to where you can live comfortably and have all the opportunities and convenience you need, then it is a good idea to do your research given how much things can vary in quality of life terms from place to place.
To help you, we have created uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index.
This is a table ranking the parts of the UK from best to worst based on an index derived from its various quality of life statistics.
We conduct this study on a regular basis, with this latest version using 2015 data, and the last one having been done in 2013.
Blackburn with Darwen in the North West of England is a region of the UK that has seen some very minor statistical decline for quality of life since 2013, dropping down just one place on our table from 114 in 2013 to a position of 115 in 2015 – meaning it remains in the bottom part of our league table of the best and worst places to live in the UK.
These are some of the official statistics for Blackburn with Darwen that were used in uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index for 2015:
Employment
The employment rates in Blackburn with Darwen are poor, with 64% of the population in employment, although there a higher than average 48% working normal full time hours of 35 to 45 hours per week.
The North West has generally low employment stats, with the worst employment in our data being in Liverpool, where only 59% of people are employed at all.
Income
Incomes are fairly close to national averages for the people of Blackburn with Darwen, with the 2015 average gross weekly income per person at £467.30.
House Prices
Houses are cheaper than average even for the North West in Blackburn with Darwen, though not the very cheapest in the UK, with the average house price for 2015 at £101,997.50.
Life Expectancy
The average life expectancy from birth in Blackburn with Darwen is less than overall averages for England, at 81 for women and 77 for men. The North West region on the whole has slightly lower life expectancy than the rest of England in most of its statistical regions.
Life expectancy is an influential factor that insurance companies use to determine life insurance premiums. You can check our advice guide on how to get a cheaper life insurance policy.
Living Costs
The cost of living in Blackburn with Darwen is below average for the UK with a weekly food shop for a Blackburn with Darwen household costing £53 – lower than in many other regions but not the lowest in the UK.
Other Important Factors
Blackburn with Darwen scores fairly well for communication technology – it has mediocre average broadband speeds of 21.3Mbps, but does well for mobile phone coverage with 99% of the area the statistical region includes getting a mobile phone signal.
Use our broadband postcode checker to see which deals and what speeds are on offer in your area.
While Blackburn with Darwen benefits from fairly good technology infrastructure and low house prices, it suffers from poor employment and low life expectancy as well as other factors, and this is why it has remained in the bottom third of uSwitch's league table for 2015.
More to life than rankings
At uSwitch, we know that there is more to life than rankings, stats and figures, and our Qualify of Life Index merely highlights the vast differences in the experiences of people across the UK.
Whether you're living in the best city or the worst, millions of households in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland face financial struggles including rising energy bills and credit card debt. That's why it's more important than ever for households to assess their budgets, and uSwitch.com offers a great way to start.
Below you can find ways to save on everything from car insurance to mobile bills.
Compare energy
Compare broadband
Compare credit cards
Compare mortgages
Compare car insurance
Compare mobiles
Place to Live 2015 — Where did your region rank?
About the research
The uSwitch.com study assessed 138 local areas (NUTS3 regions) for 26 factors such as salaries, disposable household income, and the cost of essential goods including food bills, fuel costs and energy bills. The study also factored in lifestyle issues like hours of sunshine, working hours and life expectancy to ensure a full picture of the quality of life in each NUTS3 region.
For more about the study's methodology, read the full press release .