What it's like to live in Nottingham

Housing in the Nottingham council area leans more towards renting than most of England. Census 2021 shows 45.1% of homes owned, 28.6% privately rented and 25.5% socially rented, well above the England figure of 17.1%. Council homes make up 18.3% and housing associations 7.2%.

Nottingham City Council is by far the biggest social landlord with around 24,300 homes. Nottingham Community Housing Association follows with about 2,460, then Metropolitan Housing Trust with 1,931, Tuntum Housing Association with 988 and Places for People Homes with 948. Average weekly social rents in 2024/25 were £81 for a one bed, £96 for two and £101 for three.

The age profile is young. Over a fifth of residents are 16 to 24, well above the national 10.6%, and only 11.7% are 65 or over compared with 18.4% in England. That gives the city energy, but it also means demand for homes is high: the council's housing register held 11,228 households at the end of March 2025. Exchanging is one realistic route in.

There is more family life in the centre than people expect. St Joseph's School is about 0.3 miles away, with Huntingdon Academy, Sycamore Academy, Welbeck Primary School and Fig Tree Primary School all within a mile. That is a decent choice of primaries for a city centre address, though places depend on admissions in the usual way.

For older children, Stone Soup Academy and Denewood Academy are close by, along with Sutherland House School, which supports pupils with additional needs. Nottingham High School and Nottingham Girls' High School also sit within half a mile, though these are independent.

Families get good use out of the smaller green spaces: the Arboretum is the main one, roughly 0.4 miles away. Libraries are a quiet win here, with Bromley House Library, Nottingham Central Library, St Ann's Valley Library and Hyson Green Library all within a mile or so. Community centres including the International Community Centre, College Street Centre and The Pakistan Centre run local activity, and there is a Scout group nearby. Queens Medical Centre is about 1.7 miles for hospital care.

You can live here without a car, and plenty do. Nottingham station is about 0.7 miles away, with services across the East Midlands and beyond, and Netherfield station is around three miles out. Victoria Bus Station is a couple of minutes from the centre and Broad Marsh Bus Station is about half a mile, so local and longer-distance buses are both easy to reach.

Walking is the real advantage. Shops, libraries, pharmacies, gyms and cinemas are nearly all under half a mile, which means school runs, food shops and appointments can often be done on foot. Pavements are busy and some streets are steep, so think about that if you use a pushchair or have mobility needs.

Driving is a different story. City centre parking is limited and expensive compared with the suburbs, and traffic builds at peak times. If you need a car for work or family, check carefully what parking comes with any home you are offered before you commit. Many swappers here find they use the car less and the bus more.

If you like being out, this is one of the best addresses in the region. Vue Cinema is on the doorstep and Broadway Cinema, an independent, is about 0.3 miles away, with the Savoy and Showcase Cinemas a little further. Rock City, Stealth, Ink and Ghost Nightclub are all within a few minutes' walk, which is brilliant if you want it and worth knowing about if you do not.

Eating and drinking is well covered too, from Manahatta and the Slug and Lettuce to Ginsecco, The Mixologist and Sky Bar and Restaurant. The arcades and the Victoria Centre handle the shopping side.

For exercise, The Gym, Fitness4less, UFC Gym UK, Castle Gym and Formula One Gym are all within a third of a mile, so there is real competition on price. Green space is modest rather than sprawling, but the Arboretum, The Green Heart and St Mary's Rest Garden give you somewhere to sit outside. Bromley House Library is a lovely quiet corner if city noise gets much.

Nottingham is a working city with two universities, big shopping centres, hospitals and plenty of hospitality, and the centre puts you close to all of it. For many tenants, that means lower travel costs and a wider range of shifts within walking distance.

The figures for the wider council area are tougher than the national picture, and it is fair to say so. Census 2021 found 48.8% of adults in work, against 57.4% across England, with unemployment at 5.3% compared with 3.5%. By September 2026, 6.1% of working-age people in the council area were claiming unemployment-related benefits, against 4% nationally.

Some of that gap reflects the student population: more than one in five residents are aged 16 to 24, and many are studying rather than working. Still, it is worth going in with your eyes open. If you are moving for a job, check the shift patterns and whether the bus routes you need run late. If you are job-hunting, the centre's retail, hospitality and care work is at least close at hand.