Wandsworth named one of London’s happiest boroughs – but here’s what that actually means

Good news: Wandsworth has been ranked the third happiest place to live in London, and 26th nationally, in Rightmove’s annual Happy at Home Index. We beat Westminster (42nd), Kensington and Chelsea (51st), and Lambeth (106th). Take that, Chelsea.

The national winner is Skipton, a Yorkshire market town with a medieval castle and gateway access to the Dales. Average house price: £326,093. Our neighbour Richmond came second nationally, continuing its remarkable run. Camden took third, its first “podium spot” in the survey’s 14-year history.

The full top ten: Skipton, Richmond-upon-Thames, Camden, Harrogate, Altrincham, Macclesfield, Cirencester, Stirling, Hexham, and Anglesey. Northern England dominated. The South West was the happiest region overall.

More than 19,500 people responded, rating their areas on factors like access to green spaces, friendliness of neighbours, and whether they felt they could truly be themselves.

So there you have it. Wandsworth: officially one of London’s happiest places to live. Press release ends.

Now, about that.

What this survey actually measures

Wandsworth’s trajectory in these rankings reads like a fever chart. In 2022, the borough ranked 4th in London. In 2023, it vanished entirely from both top tens. In 2024, it surged to 19th nationally. Now it’s dropped to 26th.

Richmond, meanwhile, has been boringly consistent: 1st in London in 2022, then first nationally in 2023, and steady at 2nd ever since. Whatever Richmond is doing, it keeps doing it.

The volatility probably reflects the methodology. The survey goes to people who’ve opted in to Rightmove’s communications. This year, 19,500 responded nationally, spread across more than 200 locations. The number from any single area will be small. Small samples mean large swings.

The Office for National Statistics, by contrast, uses rigorous sampling for its wellbeing surveys. It has actually paused publishing local authority data since 2023 because sample sizes were too small for reliable comparisons. The ONS explicitly states its local estimates “should not be ranked against each other.”

But we’re going to do it anyway because ONS data showed Wandsworth ranking 15th of 33 London boroughs for happiness, with a score of 7.4 out of 10. Richmond? 23rd, with a score of 7.2. By the government’s own methodology, Wandsworth was happier than Richmond.

Rightmove publishes rankings every December.

Source: Rightmove Happy at Home Index 2022-2025

What harder data tells us

The Trust for London’s poverty data tells a revealing story. A child in Wandsworth is more than twice as likely to be growing up in poverty than a child in Richmond. Richmond has the lowest child poverty rate of any London borough at 15%. Trust for London categorises Wandsworth as having “significantly higher levels of poverty compared to England as a whole.”

Here’s the intriguing detail: Rightmove’s own data shows Wandsworth and Richmond now have identical average asking prices (£942,522). Same cost, 24-place happiness gap.

Between 2024 and 2025, Wandsworth’s average asking price rose nearly 9%. Its happiness ranking dropped seven places. Richmond’s prices barely moved. Its ranking held steady at 2nd.

The survey likely captures something real, just not what the headlines suggest. It measures how property-website users feel about their area. The factors they rate, access to parks, transport, neighbours, are genuine and worth celebrating. Wandsworth does have beautiful commons and excellent connections.

But the survey doesn’t capture whether you can afford to heat your home, whether housing costs consume your income, or whether you’re anxious about next month’s rent. Those show up in poverty statistics, not happiness surveys.

Wandsworth being ranked 3rd in London is good news if you’re an estate agent. It’s interesting if you’re considering moving here. It’s largely meaningless for understanding actual quality of life.

The survey measures vibes. Vibes matter. They’re just not the same as wellbeing.

Sources: Rightmove Happy at Home; ONS Annual Population Survey (pre-pause); Trust for London