Fulwood
Preston 003 · 6 sub-areas · 9,959 residents
Preston 003 is a predominantly residential neighbourhood within Preston, home to around 9,959 people and standing out for its unusually high rate of owner-occupation. A typical two-bedroom home lets for around £719 a month — well below the UK median for a two-bed, and reflecting Preston's broader reputation as one of the more affordable cities in the North West.
Fulwood is a green, lower-density part of Preston — 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 older, with a long-settled feel and a high share of retirees; most homes are owner-occupied, so turnover is low and many residents have been here a long time.
Overview
What's it like to live in Fulwood?
Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; Transport links are limited — a car or e-bike is a practical assumption for most regular trips; rents are below the national norm, with a typical home letting at around £778 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.
Fulwood in Preston
Living in Fulwood
Preston 003 sits firmly on the settled, suburban side of the city. It's the kind of area where most residents own their homes — around four in five households, which is strikingly high for an urban neighbourhood — and where the population skews noticeably older than Preston's centre. That shape comes through in the streets: quieter, less transient, with families and older couples making up much of the community.
The cost picture is genuinely competitive. A two-bed runs roughly £719 a month and a three-bed around £844 — figures that compare very favourably with anywhere in the South and even most of the North West's larger cities. Rents did rise around 7.8% year-on-year, so affordability is tightening slightly, but the starting point remains low. Buying is similarly accessible: the median sale price sits at around £220,000 and the average time to save a deposit is under four years — one of the shorter timelines you'll find in any English urban area.
The resident profile here is predominantly owner-occupier and long-settled, with over 82% of households owning their home. Private renting accounts for only around 12% of households — far below the national average — and social housing is a small slice at around 4%. Nearly a quarter of residents are aged 65 or over, and a similar share are under 18, pointing to a community weighted towards families and retirees rather than young professionals or students. Around 42% of residents hold a degree-level qualification, which is relatively strong for a suburban Preston neighbourhood.
The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 4.2 km away — about a 52-minute walk or a short drive — which makes a car the practical default for most daily travel. That's reflected in the commute data: over half of residents drive to work. Greenspace is more accessible than the suburban feel might suggest, with the nearest open space under 400 metres away. See the streets and sub-areas below for more on how the neighbourhood breaks down.
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Frequently asked
- Is Preston 003 a nice place to live?
- For settled families and older residents, it's a comfortable, affordable part of Preston. Owner-occupation rates are very high, crime is below average, and greenspace is close by. It's quieter and more suburban than central Preston, which suits some people perfectly and others not at all.
- What is the rent in Preston 003?
- A one-bed runs around £570 a month, a two-bed around £719, and a three-bed around £844. These are estimates scaled from city-level data using local sale prices, but they're broadly representative of the area. Rents rose roughly 7.8% in the past year.
- Is Preston 003 safe?
- Relatively, yes. The crime rate is around 62.7 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — noticeably below the UK national figure of roughly 80. The area also ranks in the least deprived 15% of English neighbourhoods, which tends to go hand-in-hand with lower crime.
- What's the commute from Preston 003 to Preston city centre?
- Most residents drive — over 55% commute by car. The nearest rail station is around 4.2 km away, making public transport less convenient than in more central parts of the city. The public-transport journey to Manchester takes around 87 minutes.
- Who lives in Preston 003?
- Mostly settled, older households who own their homes. Over four in five households are owner-occupiers, the over-65 share is around 22%, and families with children are well-represented. It's not an area with a large young-professional or student population.
- What schools are near Preston 003?
- There are 93 schools within 2 km of typical residents, so options are plentiful. However, around 32% of those nearby are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national average. The nearest Outstanding school is roughly 2 km away, so it's worth checking individual ratings carefully.
- Is Preston 003 a good area for families?
- It has several family-friendly attributes: low crime, affordable rents, high owner-occupation, nearby greenspace under 400 metres away, and a large share of under-18s in the community. The main caveat is school quality — Ofsted ratings in the immediate area are below the national average.