Radford
Nottingham 026 · 7 sub-areas · 14,932 residents
Nottingham 026 is a densely populated inner area of Nottingham, home to around 14,900 people and skewed heavily towards young renters. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for around £910 a month — noticeably below the UK median for a 2-bed and reflecting how affordable this part of the city remains. Over half of residents rent privately, and the age profile here is among the youngest you'll find anywhere in the East Midlands.
Radford is a green, lower-density part of Nottingham — parks within walking distance of most addresses, a slower weekday rhythm, and a population skewed toward longer-tenure households rather than transient renters. The population skews young, with a high concentration of 18- to 34-year-olds; the rental market is active and turnover is high — people move through rather than stay.
Overview
What's it like to live in Radford?
The area is unusually green for its density — 8 parks and 4 playgrounds sit within five minutes' walk of the centroid; food and drink within walking distance is workable but not dense — around 17 restaurants and 1 pubs in five minutes; Recorded crime is higher than the national norm — common for built-up urban areas, but worth weighing if you're looking for a quieter base; 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 £1,008 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 7 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Radford in Nottingham
Living in Radford
This is one of Nottingham's youngest and most renter-heavy neighbourhoods. Around half the population is aged between 18 and 34 — a figure that immediately tells you the character of the place: lots of students and early-career renters, a fast-moving housing market, and the kind of density that comes with it. Just over one in four residents is under 18, so there's a family presence too, but this is mostly young adult territory.
Rents are genuinely affordable by almost any measure. A 2-bed comes in at around £910 a month — well under the national median of roughly £1,200 for the same size. Even a 3-bed is just over £1,000. The trade-off is that the area sits in the third deprivation decile nationally, so while your rent goes further here than in most English cities, the neighbourhood's underlying economic picture is more stretched than the numbers alone suggest.
Just over half of residents are private renters, which is unusually high — the national private rental share runs well below that. Social housing accounts for nearly 28% of tenures, and owner-occupation is low at around 18%. That tenure mix, combined with the age profile, gives the area a transient, student-inflected feel rather than a settled residential one.
The nearest tram stop is under a kilometre away on foot — roughly a 12-minute walk — which is the main public transport lifeline into central Nottingham. The nearest mainline rail station is about 2.4 km away in a straight line, a walk of around 30 minutes, though the tram will get most residents where they need to go faster. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on which pockets offer slightly better access or quieter stretches.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Nottingham 026 a nice place to live?
- It depends what you're after. Rents are low, the tram is close, and the area has real energy given its young demographic. The trade-offs are a crime rate well above the national average and a below-average share of well-rated schools nearby. It suits renters prioritising affordability over neighbourhood polish.
- What is the rent in Nottingham 026?
- A one-bedroom flat averages around £732 a month, a two-bedroom around £910, and a three-bedroom just over £1,044. These figures are estimates scaled from city-level data using local sale prices. All sit comfortably below the UK national median for equivalent bedroom counts.
- Is Nottingham 026 safe?
- Crime runs at around 136 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — roughly 70% above the UK national rate of around 80. It's one of the higher-crime neighbourhoods in Nottingham, consistent with dense inner-city areas nationally. That's worth weighing up against the affordability before committing.
- What's the commute from Nottingham 026 to Nottingham city centre?
- The nearest tram stop is under a kilometre away — around a 12-minute walk — providing a direct link into the city centre. Most residents rely on the tram or drive; about 16% use public transport for commuting and 35% drive. The mainline rail station is around 2.4 km away.
- Who lives in Nottingham 026?
- Mostly young people — over half the population is aged 18–34, pointing to a heavy student and young-renter mix. Over a quarter of residents are under 18, so there's a family presence too. Around 53% rent privately and only 18% own, giving the area a transient, mobile character.
- What schools are near Nottingham 026?
- There are 155 schools within 2 km of typical residents, so choice on proximity isn't the issue. Around 45% of those nearby schools are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 1.7 km away.
- How affordable is buying a home in Nottingham 026?
- The median house price is around £147,000 — low by national standards. The typical time to save a deposit works out at roughly 2.8 years, one of the shorter timescales in England. That said, the area's low resident salaries (median around £26,500) mean affordability is relative.