Laisterdyke & Bowling
Bradford 046 · 4 sub-areas · 7,984 residents
Bradford 046 is a residential neighbourhood within Bradford, home to around 7,984 people and significantly more affordable than most UK urban areas. A typical two-bedroom home lets for about £668 a month — well under half the national median for a two-bed — though the area sits in the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods in England, something worth weighing against the low rents.
Laisterdyke & Bowling is a commuter neighbourhood within Bradford — train into Leeds runs in around 44 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 Laisterdyke & Bowling?
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.
Laisterdyke & Bowling in Bradford
Living in Laisterdyke & Bowling
Bradford 046 sits firmly at the affordable end of the Bradford rental market, and by UK-wide standards the costs here are genuinely low. The neighbourhood has a strong community character, with nearly three in ten residents under 18 and a high proportion of social housing — almost 36% of homes are social rented, which is notably higher than Bradford as a whole and shapes who lives here and how long they stay.
The cost picture is the headline draw. Rents are well below what you'd pay almost anywhere in the South, and the deposit hurdle is minimal — a typical buyer here could save a deposit in around two years, which is rare in modern UK housing. The trade-off is that the neighbourhood scores in the bottom tenth nationally on the Index of Multiple Deprivation, meaning higher unemployment, lower qualifications, and stretched public services relative to most of England.
The people living here skew young: the under-18 share of 30% is high, and the 18–34 group adds another 24%, making this one of the younger-demographic corners of Bradford. Owner-occupation stands at just under 40%, with private renting accounting for roughly a quarter of households alongside the substantial social sector. The ethnic diversity index of 51 points to a genuinely mixed community, and around 18% of residents were born outside the UK.
For practical day-to-day life, the nearest mainline rail station is roughly 2.2 km away — about a 27-minute walk, or a short drive. Most residents commute by car (around 56%), with only about 10% using public transport. Working from home is now a factor for roughly one in six residents. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
What you'll need on day one
Compare Laisterdyke & Bowling with
Frequently asked
- Is Bradford 046 a nice place to live?
- It depends what you're prioritising. Rents are genuinely low — a two-bed runs about £668 a month — and the community is young and mixed. The trade-offs are real though: the area sits in the bottom 10% nationally for deprivation, crime rates are well above average, and only around 40% of nearby schools are rated Good or Outstanding. It suits people for whom affordability is the priority and who have lower exposure to the factors that drive the deprivation score.
- What is the rent in Bradford 046?
- A one-bedroom home runs around £544 a month, a two-bed about £668, and a three-bed roughly £799. These are estimates scaled from Bradford-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose about 3.8% over the past year. For context, the national median two-bed rent is around £1,200 — so Bradford 046 is less than half that.
- Is Bradford 046 safe?
- Crime runs at roughly 209 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, more than double the UK national rate of around 80. It's one of the higher-crime areas within Bradford, which itself sits above the national average. The deprivation score — bottom 10% nationally — correlates with elevated crime. It's worth visiting in person and talking to local residents before deciding.
- What's the commute from Bradford 046 to Bradford city centre?
- Most residents drive — about 56% commute by car. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 2.2 km away, around a 27-minute walk. By public transport, Manchester is about 80 minutes away. The nearest major employment hub is accessible in roughly 43 minutes by public transport or car. There's no tram or metro service in the area.
- Who lives in Bradford 046?
- Mostly a young, family-heavy community: nearly 30% of residents are under 18, and the 18–34 group adds another 24%. About 36% of homes are social rented, which is high. Owner-occupation sits at around 40%. It's a mixed community — the diversity index is 51 — with around 18% of residents born outside the UK. Degree-holders make up only about 18% of residents.
- What schools are near Bradford 046?
- There are 86 schools within 2 km, so access isn't the issue — quality is. Around 40% of those are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, compared to a national share of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 1.2 km away. Families should check current Ofsted reports for specific schools and verify catchment boundaries for their address.
- How affordable is buying a home in Bradford 046?
- Very affordable by UK standards. The median sale price is around £114,000, and a typical household here can save a deposit in about two years — that's unusually low compared to most English cities. The challenge is that even at these low rents, housing costs still take around 40% of take-home pay, reflecting compressed local wages rather than high prices.