City · Lancashire

Preston area guide

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

Council: Preston
Region: North West
Population: 103,700 (2024)

PrestonCity · Lancashire

At a glance

What Preston is like

Preston is a city in the North West. It is home to about 103,700 people across 39,064 households. 48.9% of households own their home, 28.2% rent privately and 22.2% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 50.7% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for England. Higher-harm crime is well above the England and Wales average.

Scores

How Preston compares

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

AffluenceMore

3.0/ 10

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

CrimeMore

8/ 10

Higher than most: 47.5 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

5.0/ 10

Good: 1 station within a mile, 50 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

95%

Rated good or better across 38 inspected schools in Preston.

Household incomeMore

£41,219

Average annual income before tax, higher than 15% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Preston differs most from the national average.

01
A student area
15.7% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
02
Higher crime than mostLook closer
47.5 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year, against 31.1 across England and Wales.
03
A young populationPositive
26.5% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
04
A big private rental marketPositive
28.2% 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

Preston FAQs

Is Preston a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 3.0 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 47.5 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 Preston safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 47.5 offences per 1,000 people a year around Preston, well above the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 8 of 10.

Who lives in Preston?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 10.4% of residents. 48.9% of households own their home. The most common property type is terraced (38.9%).

How well connected is Preston?

Connectivity scores 5.0 out of 10.

There are 50 bus stops within 800m and 1 station or tram stop within a mile, scoring 5.0 out of 10 (good). The nearest station is Preston Rail Station, 0.9 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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