Murton North & Parkside
County Durham 018 · 6 sub-areas · 8,953 residents
County Durham 018 is a residential area within County Durham, home to around 8,900 people. Rents here are among the most affordable in England — a typical two-bedroom lets for around £563 a month, a fraction of the national average. Social housing makes up a significant share of the local stock, and nearly half of all residents own their home outright or with a mortgage.
Murton North & Parkside is a settled residential pocket of County Durham. The bigger gravitational centre is Leeds, around 110 minutes away by direct train, but most days don't require leaving — local life is what people are here for. The demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children.
Overview
What's it like to live in Murton North & Parkside?
Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; 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; rents are below the national norm, with a typical home letting at around £632 a month; 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.
Murton North & Parkside in County Durham
Living in Murton North & Parkside
County Durham 018 sits within one of England's most affordable housing markets, and this neighbourhood reflects that fully. The area has a settled, predominantly owner-occupied and social-rented character — more than four in ten households rent through social housing, while another 44% own. That combination makes it unusual even within the North East, where social tenure concentrations this high typically signal a neighbourhood that has seen sustained investment in council or housing association stock.
The cost picture is genuinely low by any national benchmark. A median two-bedroom property lets for around £563 a month — less than half the UK's typical two-bedroom rent of around £1,200. Even by County Durham standards that's competitive. Rents rose around 6.5% over the past year, which is meaningful locally but still leaves the area well below what renters pay almost anywhere in southern England.
The population skews toward families and older residents. Nearly a quarter of the area is under 18, and one in five is 65 or older — a relatively mature demographic profile. Single-person households account for around a third of all homes. Degree-level qualifications are relatively rare at around 17%, and the resident median salary sits at roughly £29,700 a year, broadly in line with what jobs in the area itself pay.
Practically, the nearest mainline rail station is just under 2km away — roughly a 24-minute walk — and the majority of residents (around 62%) travel to work by car. Public transport use for commuting is low, at under 7%, which is typical for dispersed County Durham communities where driving is simply more practical. Greenspace is accessible, with the nearest open space under 500 metres away on average. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on how conditions vary across the neighbourhood.
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Frequently asked
- Is County Durham 018 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. It's genuinely affordable — rents are well under half the UK average — and there's accessible greenspace within a short walk. The trade-off is that Ofsted ratings for nearby schools are below the national average, crime is elevated, and the area sits in the most deprived 20% of English neighbourhoods. For buyers and renters on a tight budget who value owning over renting, it can work well.
- What is the rent in County Durham 018?
- A typical one-bedroom property runs around £444 a month, a two-bedroom around £563, and a three-bedroom around £673. These are estimated figures scaled from county-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose around 6.5% over the past year but remain among the cheapest in England.
- Is County Durham 018 safe?
- The recorded crime rate is around 157 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — roughly twice the UK national average. The area is in the most deprived 20% of English neighbourhoods, which tends to correlate with higher crime figures. It's worth checking street-level data on the Police.uk crime map for the specific streets you're considering.
- What's the commute from County Durham 018 to the nearest city centre?
- Most residents drive — around 62% commute by car. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 1.9km away (about a 24-minute walk). Public transport to a major UK employment hub takes around 117 minutes. If you're commuting regularly to a large city, a car is pretty much essential here.
- Who lives in County Durham 018?
- It's a mixed but settled community — around 44% own their home and 43% are in social housing, which is unusually high. Nearly a quarter of residents are under 18, and one in five is 65 or older. The area is ethnically homogeneous, with around 97% of residents born in the UK, and degree-level qualifications are below the national average.
- What schools are near County Durham 018?
- There are 38 schools within roughly 2km, but only around 46% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — significantly below the national share of approximately 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is just under 5km away. It's worth checking individual schools on the Ofsted website before choosing where to live.
- Is it easy to buy a home in County Durham 018?
- Yes, by national standards. The median sale price is around £115,600, and the average renter here can save a deposit in under two years — one of the shortest timescales in England. That makes it a realistic option for first-time buyers, particularly those already renting locally.