South Hackney
Hackney 022 · 5 sub-areas · 8,424 residents
Hackney 022 is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Hackney, home to around 8,400 people. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £2,430 a month — broadly in line with much of inner east London but roughly double the UK national average for a two-bed. The standout local fact is tenure: more than half of all households here are in social housing, which is unusually high even by Hackney's standards.
South Hackney is a mid-density neighbourhood of Hackney in the London region. It sits between busier and quieter parts of the local authority and isn't dominated by a single use — there's a mix of workplaces, housing and local services. 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 South Hackney?
The area is unusually green for its density — 6 parks and 6 playgrounds sit within five minutes' walk of the centroid; food and drink within walking distance is workable but not dense — around 32 restaurants and 7 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 sit firmly in the upper bracket nationally, with a typical home letting at around £2,598 a month; 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.
South Hackney in Hackney
Living in South Hackney
Hackney 022 sits within one of inner London's more economically mixed boroughs, and that mix is visible on the ground. The neighbourhood is defined less by a single character and more by contrast — a high concentration of social housing sits alongside a significant private-rented sector, with owner-occupiers making up fewer than one in four households (around 23%). That tenure split shapes the feel of the place considerably more than it does in most comparable London neighbourhoods.
On cost, rents here are firmly in inner-London territory without quite reaching the heights of Westminster or the City fringes. A one-bed runs around £1,950 a month, a two-bed around £2,430, and a three-bed roughly £2,780. That's well above the national median but not exceptional for Zone 2 London. Council tax (Band D) comes to around £2,060 a year. The affordability picture is tight: median rent-to-take-home pay runs at over 100%, which means the typical resident wage doesn't cover a median private rent on its own — a pattern common across inner London but worth knowing before you commit.
Who lives here reflects the borough's history as much as its current trajectory. Around 29% of residents are aged 18–34, with a further 22% in the 35–49 bracket. One-person households account for just over a third of all homes. The ethnic diversity index sits at 61, meaning the population is meaningfully mixed — with just under 68% UK-born. Degree-holders make up 48% of residents, noticeably high and consistent with the broader pattern of graduate in-migration that's reshaped much of Hackney over the past two decades.
Practically, the neighbourhood is well-connected. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 700 metres away — about a nine-minute walk — and greenspace is close, with nearly 90% of residents within a short walk of a park or open space. For a more detailed look at streets and sub-areas, see the breakdown below.
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Frequently asked
- Is Hackney 022 a nice place to live?
- It depends what you're looking for. It's well-connected — under ten minutes to central London by rail — with good greenspace access and a graduate-heavy population. The trade-off is a high crime rate relative to the national average and very stretched affordability: median rent exceeds the typical take-home pay in this area. It suits people who prioritise central access and are happy with inner-city density.
- What is the rent in Hackney 022?
- A one-bed typically runs around £1,950 a month, a two-bed around £2,430, and a three-bed roughly £2,780. These are estimates scaled from borough-level data using local sale prices, not official per-neighbourhood figures. Rents rose about 2.5% over the past year.
- Is Hackney 022 safe?
- The recorded crime rate is around 147 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — roughly double the UK national average of about 80. That's high, though it's consistent with much of inner east London. The neighbourhood sits in the second most deprived decile nationally, which tends to correlate with higher crime figures. It's not a significant outlier within Hackney itself.
- What's the commute from Hackney 022 to central London?
- By public transport, central London is reachable in under ten minutes — the nearest mainline rail station is about a nine-minute walk away at roughly 690 metres. The nearest underground station is around 1.7 kilometres away. Nearly half of residents work from home, so the commute question is becoming less relevant for a significant share of the local population.
- Who lives in Hackney 022?
- A genuinely mixed population. Over half of households are in social housing, reflecting the area's long-established council estate presence. Alongside that, around 48% of residents hold a degree and nearly 30% are aged 18–34 — signs of the graduate in-migration that's changed much of Hackney. One-person households make up over a third of all homes.
- What schools are near Hackney 022?
- There are 242 schools within 2 kilometres, though only around half are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is just 360 metres away, under a five-minute walk. For specific named schools, the Hackney council school finder will give you current ratings and admissions details.
- How affordable is renting in Hackney 022?
- It's very stretched. Median rent-to-take-home pay here exceeds 100%, meaning the typical resident salary doesn't cover a median private rent on its own. The median annual resident salary is around £40,200, but a two-bed alone would cost nearly £29,000 a year. It's a pattern common across inner London, but it's sharp here.