The North East has two of England's 10 best places to grow old

County Durham has been named the best place in the North East to grow old, finishing ninth of the 294 districts ranked across England.

The study, conducted by care home operator Lovett Care, scored local authority districts across 37 separate measures that shape later life. The measures fall into six themes that form the final index ranking: health, care, getting around without a car, housing and living costs, the local environment, and community and safety.

County Durham scores 79.9 out of 100 and has the second-best environment score in the region, and the seventh-best of all 294 districts on that theme. It records the lowest rate of hospital admissions for falls among over-65s of any North East district, one of the two measures of serious injury the index uses, and has the region's third-cleanest air. Renting in County Durham is cheaper than almost anywhere in the country: median private rents of £638 a month are the second-lowest in the North East and the fourth-lowest in England, and its house prices are 4.13 times local earnings, the sixth-lowest ratio nationally. It also has more community venues and post offices for its population than any other district in the region, which give older residents places to meet each other and somewhere to do banking and bills in person.

Northumberland is second in the region and 10th in England, with 77.5 out of 100, and leads the North East for community and safety. Only 4.92% of adults in Northumberland report feeling lonely often or always, the lowest rate in the region, and it has the North East's longest life expectancy at 65 and its most libraries for the size of its population. Northumberland also has the cleanest air in the North East, the seventh-cleanest in England, and the region's best provision of both bus stops and railway stations, which matter across a county where the nearest town can be a long drive.

Gateshead takes third in the region and 23rd in England, with 73.5 out of 100, and has the best environment score in the North East, sixth-best in England on that theme. It is also second in the region for care: 95.7% of the care services an older resident in Gateshead would be choosing between are graded Good or better by the Care Quality Commission, the 26th-highest share in England. Gateshead has the region's most public greenspace for its population, and its third-highest share of adults seen by an NHS dentist.

Redcar and Cleveland completes the region's top four, 25th in England with 72.6 out of 100, and has the best health score in the North East. More than half its adults are seen by an NHS dentist, at 52.5%, the highest rate in the region and the ninth-highest in England, where access ranges from 20% to 56% across the districts assessed. It is also second in the region on housing and living costs, with private rents of £645 a month, and has the North East's second-cleanest air.

Newcastle upon Tyne finishes 12th in the region and 176th in England, with the lowest health score of any North East district.

Eight of the region's 12 districts finish in the top half of the national table and none finishes in the bottom 50. Stockton-on-Tees has the best score on housing and living costs of any North East district, seventh in England on that theme, and Sunderland the region's lowest headline Band D council tax bill at £2,092.79, a figure measured before the discounts and pension-age reductions that can cut or clear the bill for older people on a low income.

The North East's best places to grow old

Source: Twilight Years Capitals index, 294 English local authority districts, 2026.

Commenting on the study, Cathryn Fairhurst, Managing Director Operations at Lovett Care, said: "For so many of us, choosing where to live is impacted by factors such as work opportunities, or the quality of education. But as people get closer to retirement age, they can start to focus more on what they want from where they live, whether that is access to nature, a thriving social scene, or good community services. This study was designed to discover which areas offer the best combination of a wide variety of factors that are important to older generations, and it's a reminder that there are plenty of places across England that are well placed for spending our later years."