What it's like to live in Stevenage

Just over a quarter of homes in the Stevenage council area are socially rented, 26.3%, well above the England average of 17.1%. Council housing makes up 20.4% and housing associations 5.9%. Owner occupation sits at 57% and private renting at 15%.

Stevenage Borough Council is by far the biggest landlord with around 7,971 homes, followed by Clarion with 608, Metropolitan Housing Trust with 364, Origin with 316 and Peabody with 308. Average weekly social rents for 2024/25 in the council area were £103 for a one bed, £123 for two beds and £135 for three beds.

The population of the council area is 89,495, and it skews younger than England as a whole: 20.3% are under 16 and 29.4% are aged 25 to 44, with 15.1% aged 65 and over. That gives estates a family feel. The council's housing register held 1,311 households at March 2025, and 71 council homes changed hands by mutual exchange in 2024-25, so swapping is a well-used route here.

Families are well served for schools within a short distance. Broom Barns Primary is around a third of a mile away, with Fairlands Primary, Letchmore Infants' and Nursery, St Nicholas CofE Primary and Nursery, and Larwood School all under a mile. Nursery provision is attached to several of them, which helps if you are juggling work and childcare.

For secondary, The Thomas Alleyne Academy, Barclay Academy, The Valley School, Lonsdale School and Marriotts School are all within just over a mile, so most children can get to one without a long journey. Check current admissions and Ofsted reports yourself, as catchments shift.

Outside school, the parks do a lot of the work. Fairlands Valley Park is the big one for weekends, while King George V Playing Field, Ramsdell Park and Bedwell Park are closer to home for after-school kickabouts. Stevenage Central Library and the Old Town branch run children's spaces, and the community centres dotted around the estates are where local clubs and groups tend to meet. Lister Hospital is about a mile and a half away.

Stevenage station is about a third of a mile from the town centre and sits on the East Coast Main Line, so you get both fast services and local stopping trains. Knebworth station is roughly two and a half miles away if you live towards the south of the town. Stevenage Interchange, the bus station, is next to the centre and is the hub for local routes linking the estates to the shops, the station and Lister Hospital.

By road, the A1(M) runs along the edge of town, which makes driving north or south straightforward, though the junctions get busy at peak times. Parking is easiest around the newer centre areas and tighter in the Old Town.

Walking and cycling are genuinely easy here by English standards. The new town was laid out with underpasses and separate cycleways, so you can often cross the town without sharing a road with traffic. From much of SG1 the shops, library, pharmacies and station are all within a mile on foot.

For a town of this size, Stevenage keeps you busy without needing to travel. Cineworld is less than half a mile from the centre, Venue covers late nights, and Boom Battle Bar adds something different for groups. Pubs range from The Old Post Office and Flava near the centre to The Chequers and Poachers a little further out, plus the older pubs of the Old Town.

Fairlands Valley Park is the standout green space, big enough for walking, watersports and a proper afternoon out. Town Centre Gardens gives you somewhere to sit five minutes from the shops, and Bedwell and Ramsdell Parks serve their own neighbourhoods.

If you exercise, Odyssey Health Club and Active4less are both within about two miles. The two libraries are useful beyond books, with free internet and events. Westgate Shopping Centre covers everyday shopping and eating, and the community centres across town host everything from toddler groups to over-60s clubs.

Across the Stevenage council area, 63.8% of adults are in work, which is comfortably above the England figure of 57.4%. Unemployment at the 2021 Census was 3.3%, a little under the 3.5% recorded for England, and benefit claims among working-age people stood at 3.5% in September 2026 against 4% nationally. On paper, this is a working town rather than one struggling for jobs.

The town centre, Westgate, the supermarkets and Lister Hospital are all large employers within walking or short bus distance, and the hospital in particular draws staff from across the area.

The fast train line matters here too. Plenty of residents work in London or in the larger Hertfordshire towns and commute daily, which widens the job market considerably if you are willing to travel. If you are moving for work, it is worth checking journey times and fares honestly before you commit, because commuting costs add up quickly.