Jaywick, a coastal village in Essex, has consistently been ranked as the most deprived neighbourhood in England. Other areas with high levels of deprivation include parts of Blackpool, Middlesbrough, Knowsley, Hull, and Liverpool. Factors contributing to this include low income, unemployment, and poor housing.
Poverty risk also varies across UK nations and regions, with the highest rates in the West Midlands, inner London and North West England, and considerably lower rates in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eastern England.
Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Hartlepool, Kingston upon Hull and Manchester are the Local Authority Districts with the highest proportions of neighbourhoods among the most deprived in England. Two London boroughs (Tower Hamlets and Hackney) rank as the most deprived regarding income deprivation among children.
For years, Philadelphia has had the highest poverty rate of the 10 most populous cities in the country. In 2022, more than 23% of Philadelphians lived in poverty. That number dropped to just over 20% in 2023, and in 2024, that number dropped even further, to 19.7%.
There isn't one single "most run-down" town, as it depends on the metric, but recent reports frequently cite Walsall (West Midlands) as Britain's most deprived for overall quality of life (Good Growth for Cities Index 2025), while Jaywick (Essex) is repeatedly named England's most deprived neighbourhood by government data. Other towns often mentioned for significant decline due to economic hardship, unemployment, and urban decay include areas in Blackpool, Hastings, and Middlesbrough, alongside places like Portsmouth and Aldershot facing specific challenges.
Poverty in minority ethnic groups is about double that of White British people. Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are the poorest groups in the UK. Ethnic minorities are more likely to be employed in low pay jobs or be unemployed than White British.
Jaywick has been identified as the most deprived neighbourhood in England for the fourth time in a row. The UK has had six prime minsters since the seaside village near Clacton in Essex first received the label in 2011.
By their calculations, for a single person household anything less than £28,000 a year, before tax, counts as low pay. The Living Wage Foundation estimates that around 15.7% of employees, equating to 4.5 million people, are still paid less than a Living Wage.
The highest poverty rates are experienced by workless families (53%) and households comprised of single people with children (53%). Black and minority ethnic groups are far more likely to be in poverty (38%) than white people (18%), and single pensioners also see a higher than average poverty rate at 31%.
Right at the top of the country, the North East is the most stressed region in the UK, with an overall stress score of 6.9/10. The region reports the highest unemployment rate of 5.8%, and residents earn some of the country's lowest medianincomes (£18,366) and weeklypay(£506.10).
The city with the lowest White British population as a percentage was Leicester (40.9%) – also the only city below 50% – while the lowest for unitary authorities was Slough (34.5%), followed by Luton (44.6%).
1. Main facts and figures. According to a parliamentary research report on poverty in the UK, based on the Households below average income statistics, relative low income rates were highest for people in households in the Pakistani or Bangladeshi ethnic group.
It's Jaywick again. For the fourth time in a row the tiny, apparently unprepossessing seaside village overlooking the north sea just down the coast from Clacton in Essex has reluctantly claimed the unenviable title of England's most deprived neighbourhood.
Pakistani immigrants helped to solve labour shortages in the British steel, textile and engineering industries. The National Health Service (NHS) recruited doctors from Pakistan in the 1960s. The British Pakistani population has grown from about 10,000 in 1951 to over 1.6 million in 2021.
There isn't one single "roughest" city, as rankings vary by data source and crime type, but Blackpool, Middlesbrough, Manchester, Bradford, and London boroughs like Westminster consistently appear high for overall crime or violent crime rates per capita in recent data (2024-2025), with issues like theft, assault, and antisocial behavior prevalent. Other cities frequently cited include Coventry, Liverpool, and Nottingham, often due to specific issues like knife crime or violent offenses.
While "gloomiest" is subjective, Bradford was frequently cited in 2023 studies by Betway as the UK's gloomiest city based on low sunshine, high wind, and rainfall, despite local defenses highlighting its cultural vitality. Other contenders often mentioned for dreary weather include Aberdeen, Blackpool, Glasgow, and Preston, though different metrics (sunshine vs. rain) yield varied results, with some recent surveys also pointing to places like Havering or Slough in terms of overall "miserable" living conditions.
