Hawkesley
Birmingham 128 · 5 sub-areas · 7,535 residents
Birmingham 128 is a residential neighbourhood within Birmingham, home to around 7,500 people with a notably high share of social housing. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for around £990 a month — below the UK national median for a 2-bed, making it one of the more affordable parts of the city. Nearly half of households here rent from a social landlord, which sets it apart from much of Birmingham.
Hawkesley is a commuter neighbourhood within Birmingham — train into Birmingham runs in around 43 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it. The demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children.
Overview
What's it like to live in Hawkesley?
3 parks and 1 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; 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 roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,086 a month for a typical home; 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.
Hawkesley in Birmingham
Living in Hawkesley
This part of Birmingham carries a distinctly community-rooted character. Nearly half of all households are in social rented accommodation — a proportion that's genuinely unusual even by Birmingham standards — which shapes the feel of the area: more long-established residents, fewer transient renters, a stronger sense of settled neighbourhoods. The unemployment claimant rate of around one in ten working-age residents is elevated, and the deprivation score places the area firmly in the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods in England, so the trade-offs here are real.
On rent, Birmingham 128 sits below both the Birmingham average and the UK national median for a two-bedroom home. At around £990 a month for a 2-bed, you're paying noticeably less than you would in most comparable urban neighbourhoods elsewhere in the country. That affordability comes alongside a property market where the median sale price is around £193,000 — relatively accessible by UK city standards, and it takes roughly 3.2 years to save a deposit at the median local salary.
The population skews younger than many parts of the city: more than a quarter of residents are under 18, which reflects the high proportion of family households. Single-person households are also common, making up more than a third of all homes. The ethnic diversity index sits at 43, and around 87% of residents were born in the UK — broadly in line with the wider Birmingham picture.
Getting around relies heavily on the car: nearly six in ten residents drive to work, with public transport used by around one in seven. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 2 km away — about a 25-minute walk — and there's no metro or tram service nearby. The city centre is reachable in just over 40 minutes by public transport, though most residents will find a car makes daily life considerably easier. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
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Frequently asked
- Is Birmingham 128 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. Rent is genuinely affordable — a 2-bed runs around £990 a month, below the UK median — and it's a settled, family-oriented area with a strong social housing stock. The trade-offs are a crime rate above the national average and a relatively low share of nearby schools rated Good or Outstanding. It suits people who want affordable space in Birmingham and don't need to be close to a rail station.
- What is the rent in Birmingham 128?
- A one-bedroom flat runs around £820 a month, a two-bedroom around £990, and a three-bedroom around £1,120. These are estimates scaled from city-level data using local sale prices. The 2-bed figure is below the UK national median of around £1,200, making it one of the more affordable residential pockets in Birmingham.
- Is Birmingham 128 safe?
- Crime runs at around 117 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — noticeably above the UK national rate of roughly 80 per 1,000. It's not the highest-crime part of Birmingham, but it's above average and worth considering. As always, specific streets vary considerably, and visiting the area in person gives a much better read than the headline figure.
- What's the commute from Birmingham 128 to Birmingham city centre?
- By public transport it's around 41 minutes to the city centre. Most residents drive — around 59% commute by car — partly because public transport connections are limited. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 2 km away, and there's no metro or tram service nearby. If you're commuting daily, a car makes a real difference here.
- Who lives in Birmingham 128?
- Predominantly families and single-person households, with a notably high proportion — nearly half — in social rented accommodation. Over a quarter of residents are under 18, reflecting the family-heavy population. Around 87% were born in the UK. It's a settled community with a lower turnover of residents than more privately rented parts of Birmingham.
- What schools are near Birmingham 128?
- There are 59 schools within typical catchment distance, so choice isn't the issue. Quality is more mixed: around 44% are rated Good or Outstanding, which is well below the national share of approximately 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 3.6 km away. Families with school-age children should check Birmingham's admissions boundaries carefully and visit prospective schools directly.
- How affordable is buying a home in Birmingham 128?
- The median sale price is around £193,000 — relatively accessible by UK city standards. At local salary levels it takes roughly 3.2 years to save a deposit, which is manageable compared to many southern cities. The main pressure is that rent absorbs around 56% of take-home pay at the median salary, making it harder to save while renting.