Walking, cycling and public transport work well here: on the way to work, 78% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Southwark’s overall grade is B−, better than 52% of UK towns. It ranks #20 of 33 in London. Schools do well (A): primary results beat 87% of towns in England; secondary results beat 84% of towns in England. Crime runs high: 40 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 22.1 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more, it has less crime per resident than 43%. Housing is expensive: the median home sold for £545,000, 7.4 years of area income.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Southwark is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Southwark.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
The car carries only 18% of commuters in Southwark, fewer than in London’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 48% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
5.7% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 54%, above both London’s towns (43%) and England’s towns (45%). Home was the main workplace for 48% of workers at the census. About 25% of its commuters stay in Southwark for work.
78%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Bus27%
Driving18%
Underground, tram16%
On foot15%
Bicycle11%
Train8%
54%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
48%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£74K
mean household income, before tax
5.7%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A+
Walkability: more walkable than almost every UK town
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
SchoolsA
On exam results, Southwark’s schools beat 90% of towns in England
Of its 101 schools, three are shown below, each with the reason. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 66 primary schools: 69% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Some 39,418 pupils attend Southwark’s 67 primaries and 20 secondaries.
Southwark records more crime per resident than 89% of UK towns
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 40,130 recorded crimes inside Southwark’s built-up area, and 9,711 reports of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 31.4 reports per 1,000, above both London’s towns (24.1) and England’s towns (7.8). Of all the crimes, 26% were violence and sexual offences.
40violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearDSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 43% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual10,278
Theft from person7,264
Other theft5,193
Shoplifting3,392
Vehicle crime2,440
Burglary2,288
Public order2,152
Robbery2,053
Anti-social9,711
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
40
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
22.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
31.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
History
910 listed buildings, 4 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes built before 1919 account for 26% of the housing. Conservation areas cover 23% of Southwark’s land, lower than London’s towns (27%) yet higher than England’s towns (7%). The town has 9 scheduled monuments.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C
Fewer households own their home in Southwark than in London’s towns or across England’s towns: 29%
Social housing holds two in five households. 8,370 standard sales inside Southwark’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £545,000. Private rents average £2,474 a month across the Southwark council area.
£545Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Southwark£545K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£1,467,500
105
Semi-detached
£1,300,000
384
Terraced
£895,000
1,641
Flat or maisonette
£470,000
6,240
29%
of households own their home · England 61%
29%
rent privately · England 21%
£2,474
average private rent a month, Southwark council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
In Southwark, 86% say their health is good or very good
At the census, 14% of people here had a disability, near London’s towns (13%) and lower than England’s towns (17%). 32 GP practices serve the town; 75% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Women here live to 83.5 on average and men to 78.3 (2019–23).
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Who lives here
Degrees are more common in Southwark than in London’s towns or across England’s towns: 55% of adults
People aged 15 to 24 make up 14% of the town, above both London’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 8.4% of residents. Residents of Southwark have a median age of 33.6. Under 15: 16% of residents.
33.6median age
SouthwarkLondonEngland
Ages · share of residents
14%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship3%
A levels or similar12%
Degree level55%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Michael Faraday: Thomas Phillips, Public domain · Michael Caine: Manfred Werner / Tsui, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rio Ferdinand: Web Summit, CC BY 2.0 · Anthony James Leggett: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tim Roth: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £545,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £470,000, terraced houses £895,000, semi-detached houses £1,300,000 and detached houses £1,467,500.
Are schools in Southwark good?
GCSE results beat 84% of towns in England, and primary results beat 87% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Is Southwark safe?
About the middle for its size: 57% of the 207 UK towns and cities of 50,000 or more report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, most of them far smaller, it grades D.
About Southwark
London borough in London
Southwark is a built-up area of 307,076 people, in the Southwark council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
Population
307,076 (Census 2021)
Council
Southwark (mostly)
City
London
Region
London
Area
10.5 sq mi (27.2 km²)
ONS code
E63004965
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
