City · Lancashire

Lancaster area guide

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

Council: Lancaster
Region: North West
Population: 54,416 (2024)

LancasterCity · Lancashire

At a glance

What Lancaster is like

Lancaster is a city in the North West. It is home to about 54,416 people across 21,921 households. 58.1% of households own their home, 24.6% rent privately and 16.2% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 49.6% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for England. Higher-harm crime is broadly in line with the England and Wales average.

Scores

How Lancaster compares

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

AffluenceMore

5.5/ 10

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

CrimeMore

7/ 10

Around the middle: 32.7 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

5.0/ 10

Good: 1 station within a mile, 74 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

85%

Rated good or better across 20 inspected schools in Lancaster.

Household incomeMore

£46,667

Average annual income before tax, higher than 32% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Lancaster differs most from the national average.

01
A student area
19.8% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
02
A young populationPositive
27.6% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
03
A big private rental marketPositive
24.6% of households rent privately, against 20.5% across England. Tenant demand is established here.

Questions

Lancaster FAQs

Is Lancaster a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 5.5 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 32.7 per 1,000 people a year, band 7 of 10 nationally. 85% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 5.0 out of 10 (good).

Is Lancaster safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 32.7 offences per 1,000 people a year around Lancaster, broadly in line with the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 7 of 10.

Who lives in Lancaster?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 13.8% of residents. 58.1% of households own their home. The most common property type is terraced (37.3%).

How well connected is Lancaster?

Connectivity scores 5.0 out of 10.

There are 74 bus stops within 800m and 1 station or tram stop within a mile, scoring 5.0 out of 10 (good). The nearest station is Lancaster 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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