A new study has revealed that Gwynedd is the eleventh best place in Wales to raise a family.

The study, from MoneySuperMarket, puts Neath Port Talbot top of the list in Wales, thanks to affordable housing, strong community score and one of the best road safety records in the country.

Gwynedd leads the way in health, getting a Healthcare Score of 15.4 out of a possible 17 thanks to its 15 dental practices and 19 GPs per 100,000 people.

Torfaen is second overall, followed by Carmarthenshire in third. 

Life insurance expert MoneySuperMarket scored local authorities across the country on the factors that shape everyday family life - from housing and healthcare access to road safety and community.

The area tops the study as a well-rounded winner, scoring 65.98 out of 100, scoring strongly for housing affordability (28.57) and community (6.86), alongside solid healthcare access. It also boasted one of the strongest road safety records in the entire study, with road casualties falling by more than 20 per cent between 2023 and 2024. 

Torfaen follows closely in second place (64.62), with a higher average house price of £201,540 offset by a strong Pay Score, with an average annual salary of £39,170. Carmarthenshire takes third (61.38), scoring strongly on housing (30.33) and community (6.48), despite slightly lower access to healthcare, with just 7.9 dental practices per 100,000 people. 

Swansea ranks fourth (60.40), supported by some of the strongest healthcare provision in Wales, with 16 dental practices per 100,000 people. Caerphilly rounds out the top five, with the strongest overall Housing Score in the Welsh top 15, thanks to a lower average house price of £198,809 and healthy average salaries of £35,367. 

The top 15 places to raise a family in Wales (/100)

1. Neath Port Talbot (65.98)

2. Torfaen (64.62)

3. Carmarthenshire (61.38)

4. Swansea (60.40)

5. Caerphilly (59.45)

6. Flintshire (58.57)

7. Merthyr Tydfil (57.14)

8. Blaenau Gwent (55.90)

9. Denbighshire (53.90)

10. Rhondda Cynon Taf (52.93)

11. Gwynedd (52.48)

12. Conwy (50.24)

13. Bridgend (47.67)

14. Pembrokeshire (45.95)

15. Isle of Anglesey (45.02)

Having good access to healthcare is an important factor for many families and is one which varies significantly across Wales. Gwynedd leads the way with a Healthcare Score of 15.4 out of a possible 17 thanks to its 15 dental practices and 19 GPs per 100,000 people, followed by Blaenau Gwent and Denbighshire (both scoring 14.6 for Healthcare). Merthyr Tydfil records the highest number of dental practices per capita in Wales, at 23.7 per 100,000 people, though having fewer GPs per head brought its overall score down to 12.1 out of 17.

Flintshire posts one of the best Road Safety Scores on the list, with road casualties down 33.8 per cent, while Neath Port Talbot and Torfaen also record healthy year-on-year drops.