City

Sunderland area guide

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

Council: Sunderland
Region: North East
Population: 179,216 (2024)

SunderlandCity

At a glance

What Sunderland is like

Sunderland is a city in the North East. It is home to about 179,216 people across 75,612 households. 55.1% of households own their home, 16.4% rent privately and 28.1% are in social housing. The largest age group is 55–59, and 49.1% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for England. Higher-harm crime is broadly in line with the England and Wales average.

Scores

How Sunderland compares

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

AffluenceMore

3.4/ 10

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

CrimeMore

7/ 10

Around the middle: 33.0 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

8.0/ 10

Excellent: 6 stations within a mile, 56 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

99%

Rated good or better across 67 inspected schools in Sunderland.

Household incomeMore

£40,552

Average annual income before tax, higher than 13% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Sunderland differs most from the national average.

01
A lot of social housingLook closer
28.1% of homes are social housing, against 17.1% across England.
02
Well connectedPositive
6 stations within a mile and 56 bus stops within a ten-minute walk.
03
Well-rated schoolsPositive
99% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better.

Questions

Sunderland FAQs

Is Sunderland a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 3.4 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 33.0 per 1,000 people a year, band 7 of 10 nationally. 99% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 8.0 out of 10 (excellent).

Is Sunderland safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 33.0 offences per 1,000 people a year around Sunderland, broadly in line with the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 7 of 10.

Who lives in Sunderland?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 55–59, at 7.4% of residents. 55.1% of households own their home. The most common property type is semi-detached (49.8%).

How well connected is Sunderland?

Connectivity scores 8.0 out of 10.

There are 56 bus stops within 800m and 6 stations and tram stops within a mile, scoring 8.0 out of 10 (excellent). The nearest station is Millfield (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), 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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