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.
Neighbourhoodshigh confidence
Lower than England: 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 0.0% in Cotswold (2025), compared with 20.3% in England (20.3 percentage points lower; n = 91,661).
0% here20.3% England
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 England
- 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
Educationhigh confidence
Lower than England: Pupils eligible for free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals is 13.6% in Cotswold (2025/26), compared with 24.8% in England (11.2 percentage points lower; n = 13,532).
13.6% here24.8% England
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 England
- 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 54 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
Communitymedium confidence
Higher than England: Charities based in the area per 1,000 residents
Charities based in the area per 1,000 residents is 6.94 per 1,000 in Cotswold (Oct 2026), compared with 2.69 per 1,000 in England (about 2.6 times the England rate; n = 91,661).
6.9 per 1,000 here2.7 per 1,000 England
How do we know this?
- Source
- Charity Commission for England and Wales; OSCR (Scotland); Charity Commission for Northern Ireland: Registers of charities (registered address, latest income, charitable purposes) (Open Government Licence v3.0 (Charity Commission, OSCR and CCNI terms apply: not the register itself, no direct marketing))
- Period
- Oct 2026
- Geography
- Council area, compared with England
- Method
- Charities in an area. A charity is placed by the postcode of its registered/contact address (or the nearest postcode to its geocoded address; some are placed by the nearest postcode to a geocoded address), so counts show where charities are based, not where they work: a national charity with a London address is counted in London. Income is the latest annual income on the register, summed; it is dominated by a few very large charities. "Declaring the area" counts charities that name the local authority (or its county) as an area of operation on the register; it does not mean services are delivered everywhere in that area. Registered charities only; unregistered community groups, small charities below the registration threshold and removed charities are not counted.
- Limitations
- A charity's recorded location is not necessarily where its services are delivered.
Homeshigh confidence
Higher than similar council areas: Typical (median) home sale price
Typical (median) home sale price is £450,000 in Cotswold (Year to Oct 2025), compared with £312,800 across five council areas with a similar profile (Lewes, Forest of Dean, Mid Suffolk, South Hams, Staffordshire Moorlands); 44% higher. It lies outside the range of all five (£229,000 to £380,000).
£450,000 here£312,800 five similar council areas: Lewes, Forest of Dean, Mid Suffolk, South Hams, Staffordshire Moorlands
How do we know this?
- Source
- HM Land Registry: Price Paid Data (standard price paid, category A) (Open Government Licence v3.0 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, Crown copyright))
- Period
- Year to Oct 2025
- Geography
- Council area, compared with five similar council areas: Lewes, Forest of Dean, Mid Suffolk, South Hams, Staffordshire Moorlands
- Method
- Price paid medians. Sales are mapped from postcode to each geography exactly. The headline is the median sale price over the latest 12 COMPLETE months (a month is complete when national standard sales are at least 85% of the average of the 24 months before it; currently November 2024 to October 2025) and the 12 months before that. Months after that (Nov 2025 onward in the April 2026 extract) are still being registered and are excluded. Yearly medians use complete calendar years 2016-2024. Medians need at least 10 sales; sales counts are published for any area. Medians describe homes that sold, not all homes, and are not adjusted for the mix of property types, so a change in the median can reflect what was sold. Registration lags completion, so recent months can be revised up. Only standard price paid sales (category A) are included.
- Limitations
- Covers the 12-month window Year to Oct 2025 only.
- 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.
Economyhigh confidence
Higher than South West: Business enterprises per 1,000 residents
Business enterprises per 1,000 residents is 67.2 per 1,000 in Cotswold (2026), compared with 40.4 per 1,000 in South West (about 1.7 times the South West rate; n = 91,661).
67.2 per 1,000 here40.4 per 1,000 South West
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 South West
- 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.
Economymedium confidence
Larger share in "Agriculture, forestry and fishing": Business sites by industry (SIC section)
In the breakdown "Business sites by industry (SIC section)" (2026), "Agriculture, forestry and fishing" makes up 10.0% in Cotswold, compared with 3.4% in England.
10% here3.4% England
How do we know this?
- Source
- not recorded
- 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
- none recorded