City

Leeds area guide

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

Council: Leeds
Region: Yorkshire and The Humber
Population: 546,800 (2024)

LeedsCity

At a glance

What Leeds is like

Leeds is a city in the Yorkshire and The Humber. It is home to about 546,800 people across 214,477 households. 47.2% of households own their home, 26.4% rent privately and 25.6% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 51.9% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for England. Higher-harm crime is well above the England and Wales average.

Scores

How Leeds compares

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

AffluenceMore

4.4/ 10

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

CrimeMore

10/ 10

Higher than most: 52.2 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

5.0/ 10

Good: 1 station within a mile, 51 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

91%

Rated good or better across 164 inspected schools in Leeds.

Household incomeMore

£47,839

Average annual income before tax, higher than 35% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Leeds differs most from the national average.

01
A student area
16.1% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
02
Higher crime than mostLook closer
52.2 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year, against 31.1 across England and Wales.
03
A young populationPositive
27.5% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
04
A big private rental marketPositive
26.4% of households rent privately, against 20.5% across England. Tenant demand is established here.
05
A lot of social housingLook closer
25.6% of homes are social housing, against 17.1% across England.

Questions

Leeds FAQs

Is Leeds a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 4.4 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 52.2 per 1,000 people a year, band 10 of 10 nationally. 91% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 5.0 out of 10 (good).

Is Leeds safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 52.2 offences per 1,000 people a year around Leeds, well above the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 10 of 10.

Who lives in Leeds?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 11% of residents. 47.2% of households own their home. The most common property type is semi-detached (36.1%).

How well connected is Leeds?

Connectivity scores 5.0 out of 10.

There are 51 bus stops within 800m and 1 station or tram stop within a mile, scoring 5.0 out of 10 (good). The nearest station is Leeds Rail Station, 0.9 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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