West Knighton
Leicester 038 · 5 sub-areas · 9,887 residents
Leicester 038 is a mid-city Leicester neighbourhood of around 9,900 people with a notably mixed population and competitive rents. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £895 a month — meaningfully below the UK median for a 2-bed — and the area sits within roughly 77 minutes of Birmingham by public transport. Rents rose around 4% last year, in line with wider East Midlands trends.
West Knighton 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.
Overview
What's it like to live in West Knighton?
Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; Crime sits around the national average — neither a notable concern nor a notable selling point; 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 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
West Knighton in Leicester
Living in West Knighton
Leicester 038 sits in the broader Leicester urban area and has a character shaped by its demographic diversity — an ethnic diversity index of 62, well above most English neighbourhoods outside the major conurbations. The streets here are predominantly residential, with a strong owner-occupier base alongside a significant private rental market. Greenspace is close: the nearest park or open space is around 320 metres away on average, and nearly 43% of residents are within easy walking distance of meaningful greenery.
On cost, this neighbourhood is one of the more accessible parts of Leicester. You'll pay around £895 a month for a two-bed — noticeably below the UK national median of roughly £1,200 for the same size. A one-bed comes in at about £718, and three-bed homes sit around £1,046. The deposit-to-income picture is also manageable: it takes roughly 4.4 years of saving to reach a purchase deposit at the median local sale price of about £247,000. Council tax (Band D) runs £2,529 a year.
Just over half of residents own their home outright or with a mortgage — 58% — which is the majority, though the 28% in private rented accommodation gives the area a meaningful rental community too. Around a third of working-age residents hold a degree, slightly below the national graduate average, and the working population skews younger, with nearly a third of residents aged 18–34. Families with children make up around one in five households.
For practical move-in purposes, the nearest mainline rail station is about 2.3 km away — roughly a 28-minute walk or a short bus ride. There's no metro or tram service. Most residents drive: nearly half commute by car, while public transport accounts for fewer than one in ten. Broadband coverage is excellent — 100% of premises can access gigabit speeds. For sub-areas and street-level detail, see the streets and sub-areas below for more.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Leicester 038 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. Leicester 038 is affordable, diverse, and has good greenspace access — the nearest park is under 400 metres away for most residents. The trade-off is a crime rate above the national average and a below-average share of Ofsted-rated Good or Outstanding schools within catchment distance. It suits renters and buyers who want city living without London-level costs.
- What is the rent in Leicester 038?
- A one-bed runs about £718 a month, a two-bed around £895, and a three-bed roughly £1,046. These are estimates scaled from Leicester-wide ONS data using local sale prices. Rents rose around 4% in the past year. All three sizes sit below the UK national median for their type.
- Is Leicester 038 safe?
- Crime runs at around 93 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — above the UK average of roughly 80. It's a higher-crime area by national standards, consistent with many inner-city urban neighbourhoods. The deprivation score places it around the middle nationally, so it's not among the most deprived areas in England, but crime levels are worth factoring into your decision.
- What's the commute from Leicester 038 to Leicester city centre?
- The nearest mainline rail station is about 2.3 km away — a 28-minute walk or short bus ride. Most residents drive (48%) rather than use public transport (7%). Birmingham is around 77 minutes by rail or bus, and London roughly 95 minutes. Nearly three in ten residents work from home, the highest commute mode after the car.
- Who lives in Leicester 038?
- A younger, diverse mix — nearly a third of residents are aged 18–34, and the area has an ethnic diversity index of 62, high by East Midlands standards. Most residents (58%) own their home. Around a third hold a degree. Families with children make up about one in five households, and single-person households account for 28%.
- What schools are near Leicester 038?
- There are 92 schools within 2 km — a high count for an urban neighbourhood. Around 46% are rated Good or Outstanding within typical catchment distance, which is well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding school is about 790 metres away. Families should check individual school ratings carefully, as quality varies considerably across the area.
- How does Leicester 038 compare to the rest of Leicester for affordability?
- It's on the affordable end within Leicester. A two-bed at around £895 a month is below the UK national median of roughly £1,200 for the same size. The deposit-to-income timeline of 4.4 years is manageable. The main affordability pressure is that rent-to-take-home sits at around 55%, driven by modest local wages rather than high rents.