City

Portsmouth area guide

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

Council: Portsmouth
Region: South East
Population: 230,171 (2024)

PortsmouthCity

At a glance

What Portsmouth is like

Portsmouth is a city in the South East. It is home to about 230,171 people across 92,489 households. 55% of households own their home, 26.8% rent privately and 17.2% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 54.3% 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 Portsmouth compares

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

AffluenceMore

4.9/ 10

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

CrimeMore

8/ 10

Higher than most: 39.8 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

3.0/ 10

Limited: 0 stations within a mile, 38 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

93%

Rated good or better across 67 inspected schools in Portsmouth.

Household incomeMore

£53,842

Average annual income before tax, higher than 52% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Portsmouth differs most from the national average.

01
A student area
13.1% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
02
Higher crime than mostLook closer
39.8 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year, against 31.1 across England and Wales.
03
A young populationPositive
23.8% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
04
A big private rental marketPositive
26.8% of households rent privately, against 20.5% across England. Tenant demand is established here.
05
Well-rated schoolsPositive
93% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better.

Questions

Portsmouth FAQs

Is Portsmouth a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 4.9 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 39.8 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 3.0 out of 10 (limited).

Is Portsmouth safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 39.8 offences per 1,000 people a year around Portsmouth, above the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 8 of 10.

Who lives in Portsmouth?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 9.2% of residents. 55% of households own their home. The most common property type is terraced (41.8%).

How well connected is Portsmouth?

Connectivity scores 3.0 out of 10.

There are 38 bus stops within 800m and 0 stations and tram stops within a mile, scoring 3.0 out of 10 (limited). The nearest station is Portsmouth International Cruise & Ferry Terminal, 0.5 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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