City

Salford area guide

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

Council: Salford
Region: North West
Population: 125,687 (2024)

SalfordCity

At a glance

What Salford is like

Salford is a city in the North West. It is home to about 125,687 people across 45,545 households. 31% of households own their home, 39.3% rent privately and 28.8% are in social housing. The largest age group is 25–29, and 55.4% 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 Salford compares

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

AffluenceMore

3.5/ 10

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

CrimeMore

9/ 10

Higher than most: 41.8 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.3 nationally.

TransportMore

6.5/ 10

Very good: 2 stations within a mile, 55 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

82%

Rated good or better across 33 inspected schools in Salford.

Household incomeMore

£44,072

Average annual income before tax, higher than 24% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Salford differs most from the national average.

01
A big private rental marketPositive
39.3% of households rent privately, against 20.5% across England. Tenant demand is established here.
02
A student area
15.9% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
03
Higher crime than mostLook closer
41.8 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year, against 31.3 across England and Wales.
04
A young populationPositive
35.6% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
05
A lot of social housingLook closer
28.8% of homes are social housing, against 17.1% across England.

Questions

Salford FAQs

Is Salford a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 3.5 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 41.8 per 1,000 people a year, band 9 of 10 nationally. 82% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 6.5 out of 10 (very good).

Is Salford safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 41.8 offences per 1,000 people a year around Salford, above the 31.3 average across England and Wales, band 9 of 10.

Who lives in Salford?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 25–29, at 13% of residents. 31% of households own their home. The most common property type is purpose-built flat (44.6%).

How well connected is Salford?

Connectivity scores 6.5 out of 10.

There are 55 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 Salford Crescent 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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