Ladywood - Summer Hill
Birmingham 137 · 6 sub-areas · 8,653 residents
Birmingham 137 is a dense, youthful pocket of Birmingham, home to around 8,600 people and dominated by private renters in their 20s and early 30s. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for around £990 a month — noticeably below the UK median for a 2-bed — and the city centre is just 10 minutes away by public transport. Over half of residents hold a degree.
Ladywood - Summer Hill is a commuter neighbourhood within Birmingham — train into Birmingham runs in around 11 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it. The population skews young, with a high concentration of 18- to 34-year-olds; the rental market is active and turnover is high — people move through rather than stay.
Overview
What's it like to live in Ladywood - Summer Hill?
3 parks and 2 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; food and drink within walking distance is workable but not dense — around 35 restaurants and 6 pubs in five minutes; nightlife is genuinely on tap — 5 clubs within a kilometre; 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 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 6 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Ladywood - Summer Hill in Birmingham
Living in Ladywood - Summer Hill
This neighbourhood's defining characteristic is its age profile. More than half of residents — around 54% — are between 18 and 34, which gives it the energy and transience of a student and young-professional quarter. Single-person households make up nearly 45% of all homes, and the private rental sector accounts for over half the housing stock. It's the kind of area where the population turns over quickly and the streets are busy during the day.
On rent, it sits towards the affordable end of Birmingham's range. A two-bedroom lets for roughly £990 a month — below the UK national median of around £1,200 for a 2-bed — and even a three-bedroom comes in at about £1,120. That said, rent-to-take-home is still a stretch: residents pay around 56% of their take-home pay on rent, which is high by any standard and reflects relatively modest local salaries (the median resident earns around £30,200 a year).
The area is notably international and mixed. Fewer than 59% of residents were born in the UK, and the ethnic diversity index sits at 59.5. There's no single dominant community — it's a genuinely varied neighbourhood, which tends to show in the food options, the street-level retail, and the general feel of the area. Social housing accounts for 25% of tenure, which is above average and keeps part of the stock accessible to lower-income households.
Practically speaking, the nearest mainline rail station is under 800 metres away — about a 10-minute walk — and Birmingham city centre is reachable in around 10 minutes by public transport. That makes this one of the more connected spots in the city for people without a car. Broadband is fully gigabit-capable across the area, with no properties falling below the universal service obligation. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Birmingham 137 a nice place to live?
- It depends what you're after. It's well-connected, affordable relative to the national average, and has a young, international feel. The trade-off is a high crime rate — roughly double the UK average — and school quality within catchment distance is below the national norm. It suits renters who prioritise cost and city access over quiet suburban life.
- What is the rent in Birmingham 137?
- A one-bedroom 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. Rents rose roughly 3.5% over the past year. Council tax (Band D) adds about £2,360 a year on top.
- Is Birmingham 137 safe?
- Crime is elevated — around 154 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, roughly twice the UK national rate. It's not the highest in Birmingham, but it's well above average and worth weighing seriously. As with most dense urban areas, risk isn't evenly spread across the neighbourhood, so specific streets can vary considerably.
- What's the commute from Birmingham 137 to Birmingham city centre?
- Around 10 minutes by public transport, and the nearest mainline rail station is under 800 metres away on foot — roughly a 10-minute walk. It's one of the better-connected spots in the city for car-free residents. Longer rail journeys to London or Manchester each take around 96–97 minutes.
- Who lives in Birmingham 137?
- Predominantly young renters: over half of residents are between 18 and 34, nearly 45% live alone, and more than half are in private rented accommodation. It's a well-educated area — 57% hold a degree — and genuinely diverse, with fewer than 59% of residents born in the UK.
- What schools are near Birmingham 137?
- There are 152 schools within 2 km, but only around 41% are rated Good or Outstanding — well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding school is about 1,560 metres away. Families should check current Ofsted ratings and catchment boundaries directly with Birmingham City Council before choosing a school.
- Is Birmingham 137 good for working from home?
- Yes — 43% of residents already work from home, which is high even by post-pandemic standards. Broadband is fully gigabit-capable across the area, with no properties falling below the minimum universal service standard. The high WFH rate likely reflects the graduate and professional makeup of the local renter population.