The UK’s ‘loneliest’ places revealed – see which areas have the highest number of people living alone
Living alone used to be seen as a short-term phase between house shares and family homes.
Today, it is fast becoming a defining feature of urban Britain. From high-rise studio flats to compact commuter apartments, single-occupancy living is reshaping the character of many UK cities.
While for some it represents independence and flexibility, wider demographic data shows it is also linked to student populations, delayed family formation, career mobility and rising house prices that make shared living less practical.
A new study by Tarotoo set out to identify where solo living is most concentrated across the UK. Researchers analysed 58 cities, examining the number of studio and one-bedroom homes listed for sale or rent per 10,000 residents using Rightmove data.
Salford tops the ranking with a striking 158.08 single-occupancy homes per 10,000 people – more than double the figure of the second-placed city and vastly ahead of the national average.
Westminster is second with 140.92 per 10,000.
In third place, Canterbury records 63.24 per 10,000, followed by Lancaster at 59.16. Both are established university cities. R
Leeds, ranked fifth with 50.62, stands out as one of the largest cities in the top tier. Its expanding financial and digital sectors have fuelled sustained city-centre apartment construction. Lincoln (44.02), Cambridge (40.46), St Albans (35.43), Derby (35.02) and Winchester (35.01) complete the top 10.
At the opposite end of the ranking, Newport records just 2.59 single-occupancy homes per 10,000 people, the lowest figure in the study.
Doncaster also featured in the findings with 9.86 single-occupancy homes per 10,000 people.