City

Peterborough area guide

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

Council: Peterborough
Region: East of England
Population: 199,485 (2024)

PeterboroughCity

At a glance

What Peterborough is like

Peterborough is a city in the East of England. It is home to about 199,485 people across 74,800 households. 53.3% of households own their home, 25.4% rent privately and 19.7% are in social housing. The largest age group is 30–34, and 58.8% 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 Peterborough compares

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

AffluenceMore

4.0/ 10

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

CrimeMore

8/ 10

Higher than most: 42.6 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

6.5/ 10

Very good: 2 stations within a mile, 65 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

93%

Rated good or better across 67 inspected schools in Peterborough.

Household incomeMore

£52,347

Average annual income before tax, higher than 49% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Peterborough differs most from the national average.

01
Higher crime than mostLook closer
42.6 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year, against 31.1 across England and Wales.
02
A big private rental marketPositive
25.4% of households rent privately, against 20.5% across England. Tenant demand is established here.
03
Well connectedPositive
2 stations within a mile and 65 bus stops within a ten-minute walk.
04
Well-rated schoolsPositive
93% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better.

Questions

Peterborough FAQs

Is Peterborough a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 4.0 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 42.6 per 1,000 people a year, band 8 of 10 nationally. 93% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 6.5 out of 10 (very good).

Is Peterborough safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 42.6 offences per 1,000 people a year around Peterborough, above the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 8 of 10.

Who lives in Peterborough?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 30–34, at 8.3% of residents. 53.3% of households own their home. The most common property type is semi-detached (32.8%).

How well connected is Peterborough?

Connectivity scores 6.5 out of 10.

There are 65 bus stops within 800m and 2 stations and tram stops within a mile, scoring 6.5 out of 10 (very good). The nearest station is Peterborough 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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