Bowling Park
Bradford 053 · 4 sub-areas · 7,106 residents
Bradford 053 is a densely residential neighbourhood within Bradford, home to around 7,100 people and among the most affordable places to rent anywhere in the Yorkshire and The Humber region. A typical two-bedroom lets for about £668 a month — well under half the UK national median for a 2-bed — though schools within catchment distance are a clear trade-off, with only around 30% rated Good or Outstanding.
Bowling Park is a commuter neighbourhood within Bradford — train into Leeds runs in around 41 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 Bowling Park?
2 parks and 2 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; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are below the national norm, with a typical home letting at around £737 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.
Bowling Park in Bradford
Living in Bowling Park
Bradford 053 sits firmly at the affordable end of Bradford's rental market, and Bradford itself is already one of the cheaper cities in the north of England. What defines this neighbourhood day-to-day is its strong family character: nearly a third of residents are under 18, and couples with children make up more than a quarter of all households. It's a community-oriented area, densely populated, and with greenspace closer than you might expect — the nearest park or open land is typically within about 190 metres, and more than four in five residents have walkable green space nearby.
On rent, the numbers are striking. A one-bed runs around £544 a month, a two-bed £668, and a three-bed £799. These are genuinely low figures — a two-bed here costs less than half the UK national median of around £1,200 a month. Rents rose about 3.8% over the past year, broadly in line with regional trends rather than the sharper increases seen in bigger city centres. Council tax at Band D comes to around £2,361 a year, and the median house price of roughly £131,000 means the deposit hurdle is unusually low — around 2.3 years of saving at typical local salaries.
Just under half of residents own their home outright or with a mortgage, while around 28% rent privately and nearly 20% are in social housing — a notably higher social tenure share than you'd find in most Bradford neighbourhoods. Degree-level qualifications are held by around 19% of residents, and the claimant unemployment rate sits at 7%, which is elevated relative to UK norms. The ethnic diversity index of 55 reflects a genuinely mixed community, with around 32% of residents born outside the UK — the area has long been home to established South Asian communities alongside more recent arrivals.
For getting around, most residents drive — over half commute by car, and only 9% use public transport. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 2 km away (about a 25-minute walk), and there's no realistic metro or tram service here. The nearest major employment hub is around 41 minutes away. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on specific pockets within the neighbourhood.
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Frequently asked
- Is Bradford 053 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. Rents are very low — a two-bed runs around £668 a month — greenspace is close, and there's a strong family community feel. The trade-offs are a crime rate above the national average and a limited proportion of nearby schools rated Good or Outstanding. It suits those who value affordability and community roots over neighbourhood polish.
- What is the rent in Bradford 053?
- A one-bed averages around £544 a month, a two-bed around £668, and a three-bed around £799. These figures are estimates scaled from Bradford-wide data using local sale prices. Rents rose around 3.8% in the past year, a moderate increase by national standards.
- Is Bradford 053 safe?
- Crime runs at around 144 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, which is notably above the UK national average of roughly 80. The area falls in the most deprived 10–20% of English neighbourhoods, which correlates with the higher crime rate. It's not the highest-crime part of Bradford, but it's worth researching specific streets before committing.
- What's the commute from Bradford 053 to Bradford city centre?
- The nearest mainline rail station is about 2 km away — roughly a 25-minute walk. Most residents drive rather than use public transport: only 9% commute by public transport. The nearest major employment hub is around 41 minutes away, and Manchester is around 78 minutes by rail.
- Who lives in Bradford 053?
- Mostly families — nearly a third of residents are under 18, and couples with children make up over a quarter of households. It's a diverse community, with around 32% of residents born outside the UK and a strong South Asian heritage presence. Just over half of households own their home; about 20% are in social housing.
- What schools are near Bradford 053?
- There are 99 schools within 2 km of typical residents, so provision is dense. The challenge is quality: only around 30% of those nearby schools are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is just over 1 km away — reachable on foot, but catchment places aren't guaranteed.
- How affordable is buying a home in Bradford 053?
- Very affordable by national standards. The median sold price is around £131,000, and it takes roughly 2.3 years of saving on a typical local salary to build a deposit. That's among the lowest deposit hurdles in Yorkshire. The local median resident salary is around £28,400 a year.