City

Birmingham area guide

Who lives in Birmingham, how they live, and how it compares on crime, schools and transport.

Council: Birmingham
Region: West Midlands
Population: 1,162,913 (2024)

BirminghamCity

At a glance

What Birmingham is like

Birmingham is a city in the West Midlands. It is home to about 1,162,913 people across 414,136 households. 50.8% of households own their home, 22.8% rent privately and 25.1% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 47% of adults are in work. It ranks among the more deprived parts of England. Higher-harm crime is well above the England and Wales average.

Scores

How Birmingham compares

Headline figures for Birmingham, set against England as a whole.

AffluenceMore

2.8/ 10

More deprived than most. Scored from 1 (most deprived in England) to 10 (least deprived).

CrimeMore

10/ 10

Higher than most: 56.0 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

10.0/ 10

Excellent: 12 stations within a mile, 71 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

92%

Rated good or better across 421 inspected schools in Birmingham.

Household incomeMore

£46,443

Average annual income before tax, higher than 31% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Birmingham differs most from the national average.

01
A student area
13.7% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
02
Higher crime than mostLook closer
56.0 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year, against 31.1 across England and Wales.
03
A young populationPositive
23.3% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
04
More deprived than mostLook closer
Scores 2.8 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (where 1 is most deprived). Yields can be higher, but check tenant demand street by street.
05
A lot of social housingLook closer
25.1% of homes are social housing, against 17.1% across England.

Questions

Birmingham FAQs

Is Birmingham a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 2.8 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 56.0 per 1,000 people a year, band 10 of 10 nationally. 92% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 10.0 out of 10 (excellent).

Is Birmingham safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 56.0 offences per 1,000 people a year around Birmingham, well above the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 10 of 10.

Who lives in Birmingham?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 8.3% of residents. 50.8% of households own their home. The most common property type is semi-detached (35.7%).

How well connected is Birmingham?

Connectivity scores 10.0 out of 10.

There are 71 bus stops within 800m and 12 stations and tram stops within a mile, scoring 10.0 out of 10 (excellent). The nearest station is Bordesley Rail Station, 0.3 miles away.

Sources: Census 2021 (ONS); ONS mid-year population estimates; police recorded crime; the English, Welsh and Scottish indices of deprivation; ONS small area income estimates; ONS private rents; DfE, Welsh and Scottish school registers and Ofsted; DfT NaPTAN; ORR estimates of station usage. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.

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