City

Leicester area guide

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

Council: Leicester
Region: East Midlands
Population: 429,041 (2024)

LeicesterCity

At a glance

What Leicester is like

Leicester is a city in the East Midlands. It is home to about 429,041 people across 142,576 households. 50% of households own their home, 27.8% rent privately and 21.4% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 51.2% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for England. Higher-harm crime is above the England and Wales average.

Scores

How Leicester compares

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

AffluenceMore

3.6/ 10

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

CrimeMore

8/ 10

Higher than most: 38.4 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

5.0/ 10

Good: 1 station within a mile, 125 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

95%

Rated good or better across 115 inspected schools in Leicester.

Household incomeMore

£45,858

Average annual income before tax, higher than 29% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Leicester differs most from the national average.

01
A student area
14.3% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
02
Higher crime than mostLook closer
38.4 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year, against 31.1 across England and Wales.
03
A young populationPositive
24% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
04
A big private rental marketPositive
27.8% of households rent privately, against 20.5% across England. Tenant demand is established here.
05
Well-rated schoolsPositive
95% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better.

Questions

Leicester FAQs

Is Leicester a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 3.6 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 38.4 per 1,000 people a year, band 8 of 10 nationally. 95% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 5.0 out of 10 (good).

Is Leicester safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 38.4 offences per 1,000 people a year around Leicester, above the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 8 of 10.

Who lives in Leicester?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 9.3% of residents. 50% of households own their home. The most common property type is semi-detached (37.9%).

How well connected is Leicester?

Connectivity scores 5.0 out of 10.

There are 125 bus stops within 800m and 1 station or tram stop within a mile, scoring 5.0 out of 10 (good). The nearest station is Leicester 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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