Harpenden Common
St Albans 005 · 4 sub-areas · 6,824 residents
St Albans 005 is a settled, family-oriented pocket of St Albans in the East of England, home to around 6,800 people. A typical two-bedroom rent runs about £1,615 a month — noticeably above the UK median but reflecting a neighbourhood where nearly nine in ten homes are owner-occupied and over three in five residents work from home. It's commuter country, with London reachable in roughly 45 minutes by rail.
Harpenden Common is a commuter neighbourhood within St Albans — train into London runs in around 44 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it. Most homes are owner-occupied, so turnover is low and many residents have been here a long time; a high share of adults are degree-educated, which often shows up in the kind of jobs people commute to.
Overview
What's it like to live in Harpenden Common?
2 parks and 1 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; rents sit firmly in the upper bracket nationally, with a typical home letting at around £1,912 a month; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 4 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Harpenden Common in St Albans
Living in Harpenden Common
St Albans 005 is one of the most owner-occupied corners of St Albans — around 87% of households own their home, which sets the tone immediately. This isn't a neighbourhood of transient renters; it's the kind of place where people put down roots, raise families, and stay. The streets are quiet by design, the population skews towards families and older residents, and the pace reflects that. Greenspace is genuinely close — the typical resident is within about 390 metres of open space, and nearly 44% of the area qualifies as walkable greenspace.
The cost picture is significant. Median property prices here sit above £1 million, and renting isn't cheap either — a two-bedroom flat costs roughly £1,615 a month, and a three-bedroom home pushes nearly £2,000. That translates to a rent-to-take-home ratio of around 61%, which is demanding by any measure. Council tax (Band D) adds a further £2,419 a year. If you're buying, the deposit challenge is real: at current prices, it takes an estimated 11 years to save a typical deposit.
The people who live here are notably well-qualified — around 59% hold a degree-level qualification, well above the national average — and they earn accordingly. The median resident salary is roughly £45,500 a year, though the jobs physically located in this area pay considerably less (a median of about £33,500), which tells you most residents commute out, predominantly to London. The work-from-home rate of 61% is striking and shapes daily life: the area has the feel of a place that empties out less than it once did.
For families specifically, the area has real pull: nearly 31% of households are couples with children, and 24% of the population is under 18. Crime sits at just 25 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — well below national rates — and the nearest Outstanding-rated school is less than 800 metres away. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
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Frequently asked
- Is St Albans 005 a nice place to live?
- For families and older owner-occupiers, it's genuinely excellent — very low crime (around 25 incidents per 1,000 residents a year), good greenspace access, and a quiet residential character. The trade-off is cost: rents are well above the UK median and property prices top £1 million. It suits people who want suburban stability within commuting distance of London.
- What is the rent in St Albans 005?
- A one-bedroom flat runs roughly £1,257 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,615, and a three-bedroom close to £2,000. These are estimates scaled from city-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose about 3% over the past year. The private rental market is small here — only around 10% of homes are privately rented — so availability can be limited.
- Is St Albans 005 safe?
- Yes, very. The crime rate is around 25 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, roughly a third of the UK national average. The area ranks in the top decile for low deprivation nationally. It's consistently one of the safer neighbourhoods in the East of England.
- What's the commute from St Albans 005 to London?
- The rail commute to London takes around 45 minutes by public transport from the nearest mainline station, which is roughly 1.6km away — about a 20-minute walk. That said, 61% of residents work from home, so many people here don't commute at all on a daily basis.
- Who lives in St Albans 005?
- Predominantly older, settled, highly-educated owner-occupiers. Nearly 87% own their home, around 59% hold a degree-level qualification, and over 42% of residents are aged 50 or over. Around 31% of households are couples with children. It's not a neighbourhood with many young renters — the 18–34 age group makes up just 13% of the population.
- What schools are near St Albans 005?
- There are 27 schools within 2km of typical residents, with around 60% rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is approximately 790 metres away — roughly a 10-minute walk. Given how many families live here, catchment competition can be real, so it's worth checking school boundaries before committing to a specific street.
- Is St Albans 005 good for families?
- It's one of the stronger family neighbourhoods in the East of England. Crime is very low, greenspace is close, there are 27 schools within catchment distance, and nearly a third of households are already couples with children. The main barrier is cost — a three-bedroom home rents for close to £2,000 a month, and properties sell for over £1 million.