Postcode · City of Edinburgh

EH1 2QD area guide

Who lives in EH1 2QD, what homes sell for, and how it compares on crime, schools and transport.

Neighbourhood: Old Town, Princes Street and Leith Street
Council: City of Edinburgh
Region: Scotland
Neighbourhood population: 1,361 (2024)

EH1 2QDCity of Edinburgh

At a glance

What EH1 2QD is like

EH1 2QD is a postcode in the Old Town, Princes Street and Leith Street area of City of Edinburgh. Because census and crime data isn’t published for single postcodes, the figures here cover the surrounding neighbourhood of about 1,361 people. 19% of households own their home, 58.1% rent privately and 21.8% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 19% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for Scotland.

Scores

How EH1 2QD compares

Headline figures for EH1 2QD, set against Scotland as a whole.

AffluenceMore

6.0/ 10

Around the middle. Scored from 1 (most deprived in Scotland) to 10 (least deprived).

CrimeMore

74per 1,000

Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in City of Edinburgh a year, against 57 across Scotland.

TransportMore

8.0/ 10

Excellent: 6 stations within a mile, 118 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

10 schools within 1 mile. None has a published inspection grade.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where EH1 2QD differs most from the national average.

01
A big private rental marketPositive
58.1% of households rent privately, against 12.9% across Scotland. Tenant demand is established here.
02
A student area
74.4% of adults are full-time students, against 8.8% across Scotland. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
03
A young populationPositive
54.7% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19% across Scotland.
04
Well connectedPositive
6 stations within a mile and 118 bus stops within a ten-minute walk.

Questions

EH1 2QD FAQs

Is EH1 2QD a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 6.0 out of 10 on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020, where 10 is the least deprived in Scotland. Transport connectivity scores 8.0 out of 10 (excellent).

Is EH1 2QD safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Police Scotland publishes crime by council area only. City of Edinburgh recorded 74 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2025-26, against 57 across Scotland.

Who lives in EH1 2QD?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 43.3% of residents. 19% of households own their home. The most common property type is purpose-built flat (95.4%).

Which council covers EH1 2QD?

The local authority for EH1 2QD is City of Edinburgh.

EH1 2QD comes under City of Edinburgh in Scotland. Council tax, planning applications and bin collections are handled there.

How well connected is EH1 2QD?

Connectivity scores 8.0 out of 10.

There are 118 bus stops within 800m and 6 stations and tram stops within a mile, scoring 8.0 out of 10 (excellent). The nearest station is Edinburgh Rail Station, 0.3 miles away.

Sources: Scotland's Census 2022 (NRS); 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; HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.

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