Wollaston
Dudley 029 · 4 sub-areas · 5,737 residents
Dudley 029 is a settled, largely owner-occupied neighbourhood in Dudley, home to around 5,700 people. A typical two-bedroom home lets for about £770 a month — well below the UK median for a 2-bed and a fraction of what comparable space costs in Birmingham's city core. The area skews noticeably older than Dudley as a whole, with over a quarter of residents aged 65 or above.
Wollaston is a commuter neighbourhood within Dudley — train into Birmingham runs in around 44 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it. 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 Wollaston?
Day-to-day life sits close to greenery — a park or playing field is within easy walking distance of most addresses; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; rents are below the national norm, with a typical home letting at around £846 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.
Wollaston in Dudley
Living in Wollaston
This part of Dudley feels distinctly suburban and residential — quiet streets, a high rate of home ownership, and a population that has largely put down roots. Around three in four households own their home, which sets it apart from much of the wider West Midlands rental market and gives the area a more stable, long-term feel.
On cost, it's genuinely affordable. A two-bedroom property runs around £770 a month, and even a three-bedroom comes in under £930 — figures that compare favourably with the regional average and sit well below the UK's national 2-bed median of around £1,200. The deposit hurdle reflects this too: you're looking at roughly 4.8 years of saving at median income, which is manageable by most UK urban standards.
The demographic picture here is older than Dudley's average. More than a quarter of residents are 65 or over, and the 50–64 bracket adds another 21%. Under-18s and young adults each make up less than 17% of the population. Single-person households account for around a third of all homes — a figure that partly reflects the older age profile. It's not a young professional enclave; it's a settled community.
Practically, you'll need a car. Nearly two in three working residents drive to work, and public transport accounts for just 4% of commutes. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 1.9 km away — about a 23-minute walk — and Birmingham is reachable by public transport in around 44 minutes. Broadband is a genuine bright spot: gigabit-capable coverage reaches 100% of the area, with no premises falling below the universal service obligation threshold. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
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Frequently asked
- Is Dudley 029 a nice place to live?
- It's a quiet, settled suburban neighbourhood with low crime by UK standards, high home ownership, and genuinely affordable rents. It suits people who want a calm residential base rather than an urban buzz. The trade-off is that you'll almost certainly need a car, and school quality within catchment distance is below the national average.
- What is the rent in Dudley 029?
- A one-bedroom typically runs around £600 a month, a two-bedroom around £770, and a three-bedroom about £930. These are estimates scaled from council-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose around 7.5% over the past year.
- Is Dudley 029 safe?
- By UK standards, yes. The crime rate runs at around 47 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — well below the national rate of roughly 80 per 1,000. The area sits in the less deprived half of English neighbourhoods on the IMD index, which tends to correlate with lower crime.
- What's the commute from Dudley 029 to Birmingham city centre?
- Around 44 minutes by public transport. Most residents drive — 64% commute by car — but the rail connection is usable for regular trips into Birmingham. The nearest mainline station is roughly 1.9 km away, or about a 23-minute walk.
- Who lives in Dudley 029?
- Predominantly older, long-settled owner-occupiers. Over a quarter of residents are 65 or above, and three in four households own their home. It's a largely UK-born population with lower ethnic diversity than much of the wider West Midlands. About a third of households are single-person.
- What schools are near Dudley 029?
- There are 41 schools within typical catchment distance, but only around 42% are rated Good or Outstanding — significantly below the national share of about 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is just under 3 km away. Checking individual admissions boundaries is worthwhile given the variation in quality across the area.
- How fast is the broadband in Dudley 029?
- Excellent. Gigabit-capable infrastructure covers 100% of the neighbourhood, and no premises fall below the universal service obligation minimum speed. It's one of the better-connected suburban areas in the West Midlands for home workers.