City

Sheffield area guide

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

Council: Sheffield
Region: Yorkshire and The Humber
Population: 524,261 (2024)

SheffieldCity

At a glance

What Sheffield is like

Sheffield is a city in the Yorkshire and The Humber. It is home to about 524,261 people across 206,560 households. 55.9% of households own their home, 19.7% rent privately and 23.9% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 49.9% 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 Sheffield compares

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

AffluenceMore

4.7/ 10

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

CrimeMore

8/ 10

Higher than most: 37.1 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

8.0/ 10

Excellent: 61 stations within a mile, 105 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

92%

Rated good or better across 148 inspected schools in Sheffield.

Household incomeMore

£47,901

Average annual income before tax, higher than 36% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Sheffield differs most from the national average.

01
A student area
14.7% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
02
Higher crime than mostLook closer
37.1 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year, against 31.1 across England and Wales.
03
A young populationPositive
24.4% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
04
Well connectedPositive
61 stations within a mile and 105 bus stops within a ten-minute walk.
05
Well-rated schoolsPositive
92% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better.

Questions

Sheffield FAQs

Is Sheffield a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 4.7 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 37.1 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 8.0 out of 10 (excellent).

Is Sheffield safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 37.1 offences per 1,000 people a year around Sheffield, above the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 8 of 10.

Who lives in Sheffield?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 9.7% of residents. 55.9% of households own their home. The most common property type is semi-detached (37.7%).

How well connected is Sheffield?

Connectivity scores 8.0 out of 10.

There are 105 bus stops within 800m and 61 stations and tram stops within a mile, scoring 8.0 out of 10 (excellent). The nearest station is Granville Rd-Sheff Coll to City, 92 yards 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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