St Matthews & Highfields North
Leicester 018 · 6 sub-areas · 12,312 residents
Leicester 018 is a densely populated neighbourhood within Leicester, home to around 12,300 people. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £895 a month — noticeably below the UK median for a 2-bed — though nearly half of residents here are in social housing, which shapes the area's character significantly. High child density and a strongly multicultural population make this one of Leicester's most family-oriented corners.
St Matthews & Highfields North is a green, lower-density part of Leicester — parks within walking distance of most addresses, a slower weekday rhythm, and a population skewed toward longer-tenure households rather than transient renters. The demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children.
Overview
What's it like to live in St Matthews & Highfields North?
2 parks and 17 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; food and drink within walking distance is workable but not dense — around 25 restaurants and 0 pubs in five minutes; Crime sits around the national average — neither a notable concern nor a notable selling point; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,026 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 6 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
St Matthews & Highfields North in Leicester
Living in St Matthews & Highfields North
Leicester 018 stands out from much of the city by the sheer proportion of families living here. Three in ten households are couples with children, and nearly a third of all residents are under 18 — both figures well above what you'd find in Leicester's more centrally located, younger-professional neighbourhoods. This is an area built around family life, not nightlife or coworking cafés.
The cost picture reflects the area's social-housing concentration. Around 47% of homes here are social-rented — an unusually high figure — which keeps overall rent levels lower than Leicester's average. If you're renting privately, a 2-bed runs around £895 a month and a 3-bed around £1,046. Those are competitive figures by any measure, sitting noticeably below the UK's £1,200-a-month median for a 2-bed. The trade-off is that the area scores in the bottom decile nationally on the Index of Multiple Deprivation — this is one of Leicester's more deprived neighbourhoods, and that shows in things like local employment rates and public-service quality.
The population is strikingly diverse: fewer than half of residents — around 43% — were born in the UK, and the ethnic diversity index sits at 42.9. This reflects Leicester's broader character as one of the UK's most ethnically diverse cities, but Leicester 018 sits at the more diverse end of that spectrum even by local standards. Degree-level qualifications are relatively uncommon here, with around 18% of residents holding one — well below the national average.
Practically, the nearest mainline rail station is roughly 930 metres away — about a 12-minute walk — and Birmingham is around an hour by public transport. Greenspace is more accessible than you might expect: over half of residents are within a walkable distance of green space, and the nearest is under 305 metres away. See the streets and sub-areas below for more on specific pockets of the neighbourhood.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Leicester 018 a nice place to live?
- It depends what you're looking for. It's affordable and has a strong community feel, with a young, family-oriented and multicultural population. The trade-off is that it ranks in the bottom 2% nationally on deprivation, school quality is variable, and car ownership is almost necessary for day-to-day life. It suits families in social housing or renters on a tight budget more than young professionals.
- What is the rent in Leicester 018?
- A 1-bed typically runs around £718 a month, a 2-bed around £895, and a 3-bed around £1,046. These are estimated figures scaled from city-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose around 4.4% over the past year. With nearly half of homes in social housing, private rental availability can be limited.
- Is Leicester 018 safe?
- Crime runs at around 78 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — broadly average by UK national standards. It's higher than Leicester's quieter outer suburbs but not dramatically so for a dense inner-city area. The neighbourhood scores poorly on the deprivation index, which is typically associated with higher acquisitive crime and antisocial behaviour.
- What's the commute from Leicester 018 to Leicester city centre?
- The nearest mainline rail station is about a 12-minute walk away. Most residents commute by car — nearly half drive — and only around 8% use public transport. For longer trips, Birmingham is around an hour by rail and London around 75 minutes. There's no tram or metro service in this part of Leicester.
- Who lives in Leicester 018?
- Predominantly families — around 29% of households are couples with children, and 30% of residents are under 18. It's one of Leicester's most ethnically diverse areas, with fewer than half of residents born in the UK. Nearly half of homes are social-rented, so this is not a typical renter or owner-occupier neighbourhood. Degree holders are less common than in the city's more professional areas.
- What schools are near Leicester 018?
- There are around 167 schools within 2km of most residents, but only about 37% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding school is under a kilometre away. School quality here is more variable than in other parts of Leicester, so it's worth checking individual Ofsted reports before committing.
- How does Leicester 018 compare to other Leicester neighbourhoods for affordability?
- It's among the more affordable areas for private renters — a 2-bed at around £895 a month sits below both the Leicester average and the UK median of roughly £1,200. The median house price of around £187,000 is also low by regional standards, with a deposit achievable in roughly 3.3 years on a typical local salary. The high social-housing share suppresses overall costs.