UK Debt Comparison Tool – Compare UK Debt By Region

Region	Average Debt	Total Unemployment	Average House Price	Average Hourly Pay (£)	RPI
	Average Debt The problem of debt in the UK may be greater than you expect, hitting an average in the UK of just over £9,500. Rather more eye-opening is the fact that the below list does not include mortgages, highlighting the new consumer credit era that the UK has firmly established.	Total Unemployment With unemployment registering another rise in August 2011, people are continuing to feel the effects of a slowed economy following the recession. However, as you can see below, this is certainly not a problem that affects regions of the UK equally.	Average House Price Seen by many as a key player in the economic downturn, high house prices have proved to be a burden to both first-time buyers and sellers alike. The traditional mortgage ratio, which once stood at three times a salary, is certainly not the case anymore; consumer confidence, interest rates and speculation have made the market especially volatile in recent years.	Average Hourly Pay Hourly pay is a great indicator of the variety of jobs available to people living in different areas of the country, though it must be stressed that several high-paid specialist jobs can offset several hundred low-paid posts on this scale.	RPI The Retail Price Index (RPI) measures the price of goods and services in the UK. With the median point set at 100, lower scores are better, as it means the cost of living is more sustainable to the average family living in that area.
South West	£10,737.65	3.2%	£227,341	£11.50	99.5
South East (inc. London)	£10,501.22	4.3%	£320,641	£14.78	102.3
Northern Ireland	£10,091.96	7.3%	£149,795	£10.50	98.1
East Midlands	£9,910.04	4.8%	£164,130	£11.47	99.4
Yorkshire & Humber	£9,863.52	6.0%	£160,345	£11.50	97
West Midlands	£9,671.82	6.2%	£177,690	£11.65	100.6
UK Average	£9,606.52	4.9%	£232,628	£12.62	100
North West	£9,287.02	5.5%	£158,434	£11.83	98.2
North East	£8,729.60	7.0%	£147,962	£11.26	98.2
East Anglia	£8,609.45	3.9%	£205,232	£13.12	101.2
Scotland	£8,398.80	5.4%	£158,213	£12.30	99.7
Wales	£8,006.06	5.3%	£152,393	£11.38	98.4
	Average Debt While many may initially assume that people living in the south may be more affluent, both the South West and South East demographics shot to the top of the average debt list on the UK Debt Comparison Tool after an analysis of the figures taken from a sample of applications collected by Money Expert. However, the higher price of living and greater property costs are key contributors to the trend of people being out of pocket, forcing many to take out loans or use plastic for transactions. Despite both Wales and Scotland being less affluent than England per head of population, citizens of these union nations had the lowest personal debts in the UK. East Anglia, as well as both the North West and North East, also stayed clear of the national average. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland continues to struggle with debt, owing to slowed growth and fewer job opportunities over the last few years.	Total Unemployment Traditional preserves of primary industry continue to have unemployment problems, despite many manufacturing hubs closing down as long as 30 years ago. The North East and Northern Ireland - leaders in shipbuilding, material processing and textiles - are now largely involved with the dwindling public sector, which is being downsized under the current coalition government. The West Midlands, as well as Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West, are dealing with similar issues. While debts are high towards the bottom end of the country, the South East and South West provide high rates of employment, while East Anglia's cities and towns continue to enjoy smaller numbers of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance.	Average House Price The average house price in the UK can often vary wildly, though only the South East (including London) remains above the current UK average. The removal of the South West and East Anglia would even mean that the average house price lowers to around £160,000 - over £70,000 below the £232,000 that is standard for the country as a whole. Both the North East and Northern Ireland provide great opportunities for people to get a house for below £150,000, though Wales, Scotland and the North West have their fair share of bargains. Indeed, the South East is largely similar to the South West in terms of house prices, once the capital is removed from the equation.	Average Hourly Pay Given the affluence of London and the South East's financial sector, it is certainly no shock to see the area heading the list. On the other hand, the unemployment rates of the North East and Northern Ireland are accompanied by the two lowest hourly rates in the UK, showing how job issues in both areas run deeper than a lack of work alone. East Anglia, a consistent high performer in employment, house prices and low debt, continues to make a case for itself by offering the second-best pay rates in the UK. It overtakes third-placed Scotland, a possible surprise entry into the top three. However, it is only the space between King's Lynn and Dover that provides hourly wages higher than the UK average.	RPI While East Anglia is a consistently high performer in most other areas of personal finance, its second-place finish behind the South East in the Retail Price Index (RPI) proves that living in this affluent area comes at a price. However, with only half the increased margin that the South East has over the UK average, it may not be as bad as expected. In fact, RPI may be more of an issue for people in the West Midlands, where average debt and unemployment rates are high. There is also some respite for the North West, North East, Northern Ireland and Yorkshire & Humber, where locals face smaller prices at the checkout of supermarkets, takeaways and petrol stations.