City · Oxfordshire

Oxford area guide

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

Council: Oxford
Region: South East
Population: 172,162 (2024)

OxfordCity · Oxfordshire

At a glance

What Oxford is like

Oxford is a city in the South East. It is home to about 172,162 people across 57,611 households. 46.3% of households own their home, 31.8% rent privately and 20.3% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 50% 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 Oxford compares

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

AffluenceMore

6.9/ 10

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

CrimeMore

6/ 10

Around the middle: 28.8 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

3.0/ 10

Limited: 0 stations within a mile, 30 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

94%

Rated good or better across 53 inspected schools in Oxford.

Household incomeMore

£64,537

Average annual income before tax, higher than 75% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Oxford differs most from the national average.

01
A big private rental marketPositive
31.8% of households rent privately, against 20.5% across England. Tenant demand is established here.
02
A student area
26.3% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
03
A young populationPositive
31% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
04
Well-rated schoolsPositive
94% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better.

Questions

Oxford FAQs

Is Oxford a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 6.9 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 28.8 per 1,000 people a year, band 6 of 10 nationally. 94% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 3.0 out of 10 (limited).

Is Oxford safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 28.8 offences per 1,000 people a year around Oxford, broadly in line with the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 6 of 10.

Who lives in Oxford?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 13.4% of residents. 46.3% of households own their home. The most common property type is semi-detached (31.9%).

How well connected is Oxford?

Connectivity scores 3.0 out of 10.

There are 30 bus stops within 800m and 0 stations and tram stops within a mile, scoring 3.0 out of 10 (limited). The nearest station is Oxford Rail Station, 1.4 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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