Findings where this place differs most from its surroundings, with the evidence behind each one. A difference is not a verdict: it is a prompt to look closer.
Educationhigh confidence
Higher than similar council areas: GCSE results (Attainment 8 score)
GCSE results (Attainment 8 score) is 53.3 in Gloucester (2024/25), compared with 42.08 across five council areas with a similar profile (Nuneaton and Bedworth, Ipswich, Ashfield, Bury, Telford and Wrekin); 11.22 points higher. It lies outside the range of all five (38.3 to 43.7).
53.3 here42.1 five similar council areas: Nuneaton and Bedworth, Ipswich, Ashfield, Bury, Telford and Wrekin
How do we know this?
- Source
- Department for Education (compare school performance): Key stage 2 and key stage 4 school-level performance tables extract (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- 2024/25
- Geography
- Council area, compared with five similar council areas: Nuneaton and Bedworth, Ipswich, Ashfield, Bury, Telford and Wrekin
- Method
- Pupil-weighted school measures. FSM, SEN and absence percentages are school-level figures averaged with school roll (January 2026 census) as the weight; KS2 and KS4 measures are averaged with the number of eligible pupils (KS2) or the KS4 cohort as the weight. This equals the share of pupils in the area's schools, not of pupils living in the area. The England value uses the same method on the same files and is the comparator. Suppressed school values are skipped, so coverage differs by measure (the number of schools used is in the notes). Ofsted outcomes are the latest overall grade on record at 31 August 2026; schools inspected under the new report-card framework may carry no single grade.
- Limitations
- Cohort-weighted mean of school Attainment 8 scores. From 11 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
- Similar areas are the five council areas closest on population size, share aged 65 and over, share aged under 16, share of neighbourhoods in the most deprived 20%, median house price (standardised); this is a convenience comparison, not a like-for-like guarantee.
Neighbourhoodshigh confidence
Higher than South West: Share of residents living in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England (overall)
Share of residents living in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England (overall) is 27.5% in Gloucester (2025), compared with 9.5% in South West (18.0 percentage points higher; n = 138,598).
27.5% here9.5% South West
How do we know this?
- Source
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (LSOA 2021 ranks and deciles) (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- 2025
- Geography
- Council area, compared with South West
- Method
- Summarising deprivation for an area. The Indices of Deprivation rank every LSOA in England; decile 1 contains the most deprived 10 per cent of LSOAs nationally. Ranks and deciles are ordinal, so they are never averaged. An area is described by (1) how many of its LSOAs fall in each national decile, (2) how many of its residents live in LSOAs of each decile (mid-2024 population apportioned to output areas, see the area apportioning method), (3) the share of residents in the most deprived 10 and 20 per cent of LSOAs nationally, and (4) the median decile of residents. IoD is a relative measure of small areas, not of individuals: most people in a deprived LSOA are not deprived and many deprived people live elsewhere. England only. Where an area straddles the England-Wales border the figures cover the English part only and are not published unless 90 per cent of residents are covered.
- Limitations
- none recorded
Homesmedium confidence
Wide range between wards in Gloucester: Households that own their home
Households that own their home (2021) varies within Gloucester: from 38.4% in Westgate to 85.7% in Longlevens, across 18 wards. The upper tenth of wards is 36.4 percentage points above the lower tenth.
Longlevens figure
85.7% Longlevens38.4% Westgate
How do we know this?
- Source
- Office for National Statistics (Census 2021): Census 2021 housing and household summary by Output Area (tenure, accommodation type, cars, overcrowding, household size, general health) (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- 2021
- Geography
- Ward, compared with lowest-value ward (Westgate)
- Method
- Census 2021 housing summary. Percentages by output area are converted back to counts using the OA household total (or usual residents for health) and rolled up as in the area apportioning method, so area figures are household-weighted. England only: Welsh OAs are not in the loaded table, so Welsh and Scottish places have no value. Labelled 2021.
- Limitations
- This figure is an estimate; see the methodology.
- Census 2021 is a snapshot taken in March 2021 and may have changed since.
- Ward and neighbourhood boundaries differ in size; the range shows variation within the area, not a ranking of places.
Homeshigh confidence
Increase between Aug 2024 and Aug 2026: Average monthly private rent
Average monthly private rent in Gloucester went from £934 (Aug 2024) to £1,116 (Aug 2026): up 19% (not adjusted for inflation), compared with up 9.9% in England.
£1,116 here£934 same place, Aug 2024
How do we know this?
- Source
- Office for National Statistics: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- Aug 2026
- Geography
- Council area, compared with same place, Aug 2024
- Method
- Private rents (PIPR). The ONS Price Index of Private Rents measures the change in rents paid by private tenants, and publishes an average (mean) monthly rent per local authority from the same data. The figure is a mean, not a median, so a few very high rents pull it up, especially in London and where there are few lettings. It covers rents paid for homes let on the private market (not social rents) and reflects all tenancies in the stock, not only new lets, except in Scotland where the underlying data are mainly advertised new lets, which makes Scotland not directly comparable with England and Wales. Annual change is the change in the rental price index, not in the cash average. Rents are in cash terms, not adjusted for inflation. Averages by number of bedrooms are held for the latest month only.
- Limitations
- Mean, not median.
- Prices are nominal and not adjusted for inflation or for changes in the mix of homes sold.
Economyhigh confidence
Lower than England: Business enterprises per 1,000 residents
Business enterprises per 1,000 residents is 27.4 per 1,000 in Gloucester (2026), compared with 41.3 per 1,000 in England (about 66% of the England rate; n = 138,598).
27.4 per 1,000 here41.3 per 1,000 England
How do we know this?
- Source
- Office for National Statistics: UK Business Counts (Inter-Departmental Business Register), enterprises and local units, via Nomis (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- 2026
- Geography
- Council area, compared with England
- Method
- Business counts. UK Business Counts count businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE on the ONS Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) at a March snapshot. An enterprise is the smallest combination of legal units with a degree of autonomy; a local unit is a single site of an enterprise, counted where the site is. Businesses below the VAT threshold and not running PAYE (many sole traders) are not included, so counts understate the smallest businesses. Counts are rounded to the nearest 5. Enterprises are placed in an area by where their head office or main site is registered with HMRC, which for multi-site firms may not be where staff work: local units are the better guide to where businesses operate. Size bands are by employment (employees plus working proprietors). Industry is the SIC 2007 section of the main activity.
- Limitations
- Residents are the mid-2024 estimate.
Educationhigh confidence
Lower than similar council areas: Pupils eligible for free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals is 21.3% in Gloucester (2025/26), compared with 27.2% across five council areas with a similar profile (Nuneaton and Bedworth, Ipswich, Ashfield, Bury, Telford and Wrekin); 5.9 percentage points lower. It lies outside the range of all five (24.3% to 31.1%).
21.3% here27.2% five similar council areas: Nuneaton and Bedworth, Ipswich, Ashfield, Bury, Telford and Wrekin
How do we know this?
- Source
- Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data: Establishment records, pupil numbers, FSM, SEN, absence; Ofsted outcomes (Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool))
- Period
- 2025/26
- Geography
- Council area, compared with five similar council areas: Nuneaton and Bedworth, Ipswich, Ashfield, Bury, Telford and Wrekin
- Method
- Pupil-weighted school measures. FSM, SEN and absence percentages are school-level figures averaged with school roll (January 2026 census) as the weight; KS2 and KS4 measures are averaged with the number of eligible pupils (KS2) or the KS4 cohort as the weight. This equals the share of pupils in the area's schools, not of pupils living in the area. The England value uses the same method on the same files and is the comparator. Suppressed school values are skipped, so coverage differs by measure (the number of schools used is in the notes). Ofsted outcomes are the latest overall grade on record at 31 August 2026; schools inspected under the new report-card framework may carry no single grade.
- Limitations
- Share of pupils at schools in the area; pupil-weighted. From 50 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
- Similar areas are the five council areas closest on population size, share aged 65 and over, share aged under 16, share of neighbourhoods in the most deprived 20%, median house price (standardised); this is a convenience comparison, not a like-for-like guarantee.