Leagrave
Luton 005 · 6 sub-areas · 11,419 residents
Luton 005 is a residential stretch within Luton, home to around 11,400 people and carrying one of the town's higher social-housing concentrations. A typical two-bedroom home lets for around £1,100 a month — slightly below the UK national median for a 2-bed — and the rail commute into London takes under 50 minutes, making it a genuinely affordable foothold for commuters priced out of the capital.
Leagrave is a commuter neighbourhood within Luton — train into London runs in around 49 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 Leagrave?
2 parks and 2 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; there's effectively nothing within walking distance — eating out, drinking and shopping mean a drive; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; 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 £1,211 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.
Leagrave in Luton
Living in Leagrave
Luton 005 has a distinctly workaday, family-oriented character. Nearly three in ten residents live alone, but the most common household type is couples with children, and with over a quarter of the population under 18, this is clearly an area where families have put down roots. The ethnic diversity index sits at 66.5 — significantly higher than many comparable English towns — and only two-thirds of residents were born in the UK, reflecting Luton's long history as a destination for successive waves of migration.
On cost, this area sits at the more accessible end of the Luton market. A one-bedroom home runs around £900 a month; a two-bedroom around £1,100; a three-bedroom around £1,320. Council tax (Band D) comes to roughly £2,440 a year. Rents rose around 3.4% in the past year, broadly in line with regional trends. That said, at 65.8% of take-home pay going on rent, affordability is genuinely stretched for anyone on a local wage — the median resident salary is just under £29,000 a year.
The neighbourhood has a notable social-rented sector: 31.6% of homes are social housing, which is well above typical rates for the East of England. Owner-occupation sits at 52.6%, and private renting at 15.1%. The degree-qualified share — 27.8% — is below national graduate-heavy urban norms, pointing to a more mixed, working-population profile. Deprivation is real here: the Index of Multiple Deprivation score of 31 places this area in roughly the bottom third of neighbourhoods nationally (decile 3.4).
Practically, the nearest mainline rail station is around 900 metres away — about an 11-minute walk — and from there London is roughly 48 minutes by rail, making this one of the more realistic commuter bases within Luton for capital workers. Most residents drive: nearly 60% travel to work by car, while just over 8% use public transport. Broadband coverage is strong, with 100% gigabit-capable infrastructure across the area. For sub-areas, see the streets and sub-areas listed below for more detail.
What you'll need on day one
Compare Leagrave with
Frequently asked
- Is Luton 005 a nice place to live?
- It depends what you're looking for. It's affordable, with a fast London commute under 50 minutes, and the crime rate is below the UK average. The trade-off is meaningful deprivation — it sits in roughly the bottom third of English neighbourhoods on the IMD — and a lower share of Good or Outstanding schools nearby than the national norm. Families and commuters on tighter budgets tend to find it workable; those prioritising school quality should look carefully at specific catchments.
- What is the rent in Luton 005?
- A one-bedroom home runs around £900 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,100, and a three-bedroom around £1,320. These are estimates scaled from borough-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose roughly 3.4% in the past year. At these levels, rent still absorbs around 66% of the median local take-home pay, so affordability is tight despite the relatively modest headline figures.
- Is Luton 005 safe?
- The recorded crime rate is around 68 per 1,000 residents annually, which is below the UK national average of roughly 80. That's a reasonable baseline, but the area has above-average deprivation, and street-level crime and antisocial behaviour are the categories most likely to affect day-to-day life. Conditions vary by street, so walking the specific area you're considering is worthwhile.
- What's the commute from Luton 005 to London?
- Around 48 minutes by rail — one of Luton's genuine advantages. The nearest mainline station is roughly 900 metres away, about an 11-minute walk. Most residents still commute by car (nearly 60%), but for London workers the train is the obvious option. Around one in five residents works from home, which cuts the commute question out entirely.
- Who lives in Luton 005?
- Mostly families — couples with children are the most common household type, and over a quarter of residents are under 18. It's an ethnically diverse area, with around a third of residents born outside the UK. Over 30% of homes are socially rented, giving it a more mixed tenure profile than many comparable areas. The typical resident earns just under £29,000 a year.
- What schools are near Luton 005?
- There are 122 schools within typical catchment distance, but only around 46% are rated Good or Outstanding — well below the national share of approximately 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is roughly 950 metres away. School quality varies significantly across the area, so checking Luton Borough Council's admissions pages for current catchment boundaries is essential before committing to a specific street.
- How affordable is buying a home in Luton 005?
- The median sale price is around £284,000, and on a typical local salary it takes just under five years to save a deposit — manageable compared to many southern English towns, but still a stretch when rent is consuming two-thirds of take-home pay. The area sits well below London prices, which is part of what attracts commuters willing to trade a longer journey for significantly lower housing costs.