Hitchin has been named the eighth happiest place to live in the East of England and the 88th happiest in Great Britain, according to a new national survey.

The town secured its place in Rightmove's 2026 Happy at Home Index, which measures how people across Britain feel about where they live.

Hitchin finished eighth out of 23 locations surveyed in the East of England, ahead of Cambridge, Huntingdon, Chelmsford and neighbouring Hertfordshire towns including Hertford and Stevenage.

St Albans was the highest-ranking Hertfordshire location, finishing second in the region and 16th nationally, while Woodbridge in Suffolk topped the regional rankings and came 15th across Britain.

Other Hertfordshire towns included Hemel Hempstead in fifth place regionally, Hertford in 16th, Watford in 17th and Stevenage in 18th.

Hitchin's result represents a fall from its third-place regional finish in Rightmove's 2020 Happy at Home survey, although the number and mix of locations surveyed may have changed.

The latest results were based on responses from 24,375 people across 221 locations in Great Britain.

Participants were asked to rate their area's access to nature, green spaces, shops, local services, amenities and employment opportunities on a scale of one to ten.

Scores of seven to ten were considered 'happy', one to four were deemed unhappy, and five or six were classified as neither happy nor unhappy.

The survey found that 81 per cent of people were happy with where they lived, while nine per cent were unhappy.

Nationally, Richmond upon Thames was crowned Britain's happiest place to live, followed by Harrogate in Yorkshire and Cirencester in Gloucestershire.

Rightmove also found that access to nature and green spaces was an important factor in people's happiness, alongside convenient access to shops, services and public transport.

Hitchin offers a combination of these features, with its historic market town centre, independent shops, nearby countryside and direct rail connections to London and Cambridge.

The findings also revealed that people's happiness with where they live generally increases with age.

Rightmove property expert Colleen Babcock said: "This year's results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren't simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both."

The full results of Rightmove's 2026 Happy at Home Index can be viewed here⁠