Hillfields
Bristol 018 · 4 sub-areas · 7,006 residents
Bristol 018 is a residential neighbourhood within Bristol, home to around 7,000 people and notable for its unusually high social housing share — over one in four households rents from the council. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for around £1,550 a month, slightly above the national two-bed median but relatively moderate for Bristol overall. Rents here rose around 7.6% last year.
Hillfields is a green, lower-density part of Bristol — parks within walking distance of most addresses, a slower weekday rhythm, and a population skewed toward longer-tenure households rather than transient renters. The demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children.
Overview
What's it like to live in Hillfields?
Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; Crime sits around the national average — neither a notable concern nor a notable selling point; rents sit firmly in the upper bracket nationally, with a typical home letting at around £1,888 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.
Hillfields in Bristol
Living in Hillfields
Bristol 018 sits firmly in the residential grain of the city, shaped less by coffee-shop culture than by family life and settled communities. The high proportion of children — over a quarter of residents are under 18 — gives the area a different feel from Bristol's more transient student zones. Greenspace is genuinely accessible: the nearest patch is under 320 metres away on average, and nearly half of residents live within easy walking distance of green space.
On cost, this neighbourhood sits in the mid-range for Bristol. A two-bed runs around £1,550 a month — meaningfully above the UK median of roughly £1,200, but not in the same league as Bristol's pricier districts closer to the centre or Clifton. The deposit clock is ticking at about 4.7 years of saving, which reflects the city's broader affordability squeeze. Council tax comes in at around £2,714 a year for a Band D property.
The demographic picture is more mixed than many Bristol neighbourhoods. Around 57% of homes are owner-occupied, which is broadly typical for the city, but a notable 27% are socially rented — well above the national norm. That tenure split produces a community with a wide spread of ages and incomes living alongside each other. The ethnic diversity index sits at 47, and around one in five households is a couple with children.
Practically speaking, the neighbourhood is car-dependent for most trips: over half of residents drive to work, while fewer than 8% use public transport. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 3.5 km away, so most people drive or cycle to reach it. Broadband is strong, with 100% gigabit coverage and no premises below the minimum standard. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on specific pockets.
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Frequently asked
- Is Bristol 018 a nice place to live?
- It depends on what you're after. Bristol 018 is a settled, family-heavy neighbourhood with good greenspace access and solid broadband. The school quality picture is mixed — only around half of nearby schools are rated Good or Outstanding — and it's car-dependent for most journeys. Rents are moderate by Bristol standards, and the community is genuinely mixed in tenure and background.
- What is the rent in Bristol 018?
- A one-bed runs around £1,227 a month, a two-bed around £1,546, and a three-bed roughly £1,759. These are estimates scaled from city-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose around 7.6% over the past year, broadly in line with Bristol's wider upward trend.
- Is Bristol 018 safe?
- The crime rate sits at around 82 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — fractionally above the UK average of roughly 80. It's not a high-crime area by any dramatic measure, and it compares favourably to Bristol's busier central zones. Moderate deprivation levels mean property crime is worth being aware of, but it's not a significant outlier.
- What's the commute from Bristol 018 to Bristol city centre?
- Most residents drive — around 52% commute by car. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 3.5 km away, so cycling or driving to it is the realistic option. Fewer than 8% of residents use public transport for their daily commute, which reflects the limited bus frequency in parts of the area.
- Who lives in Bristol 018?
- It's a genuinely mixed community. Over a quarter of households are socially rented, around 57% are owner-occupied, and the rest privately rent. More than a quarter of residents are under 18, making it noticeably family-oriented. Around one in four households lives alone. The ethnic diversity index of 47 reflects a varied community by Bristol standards.
- What schools are near Bristol 018?
- There are around 101 schools within typical catchment distance, so supply isn't the issue — quality is. Only around 47% are rated Good or Outstanding, well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 1.6 km away. It's worth checking current catchment boundaries directly with Bristol City Council before making a decision.
- How affordable is Bristol 018 compared to the rest of Bristol?
- It sits in the mid-range for the city. A two-bed at around £1,550 a month is above the UK median but not in Bristol's priciest bracket. Saving a deposit takes roughly 4.7 years on the local median salary, and the rent-to-take-home ratio is high at around 78% — so affordability is stretched, as it is across much of Bristol.