City

Plymouth area guide

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

Council: Plymouth
Region: South West
Population: 272,397 (2024)

PlymouthCity

At a glance

What Plymouth is like

Plymouth is a city in the South West. It is home to about 272,397 people across 114,716 households. 57.6% of households own their home, 22.8% rent privately and 18.4% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 53.2% 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 Plymouth compares

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

AffluenceMore

5.0/ 10

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

CrimeMore

8/ 10

Higher than most: 39.0 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

3.0/ 10

Limited: 0 stations within a mile, 63 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

92%

Rated good or better across 96 inspected schools in Plymouth.

Household incomeMore

£48,638

Average annual income before tax, higher than 38% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Plymouth differs most from the national average.

01
Higher crime than mostLook closer
39.0 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year, against 31.1 across England and Wales.
02
Well-rated schoolsPositive
92% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better.

Questions

Plymouth FAQs

Is Plymouth a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 5.0 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 39.0 per 1,000 people a year, band 8 of 10 nationally. 92% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 3.0 out of 10 (limited).

Is Plymouth safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 39.0 offences per 1,000 people a year around Plymouth, above the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 8 of 10.

Who lives in Plymouth?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 8% of residents. 57.6% of households own their home. The most common property type is terraced (32.9%).

How well connected is Plymouth?

Connectivity scores 3.0 out of 10.

There are 63 bus stops within 800m and 0 stations and tram stops within a mile, scoring 3.0 out of 10 (limited). The nearest station is Plymouth Rail Station, 1 mile 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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