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Would I like living here? What stands out, a day in the life, schools in reach, journey times, shops and leisure, and places with the same character.
Compared with all 7,264 neighbourhoods in England and Wales (council well-being: all councils). Open a tab below for the detail.
| Smethwick South | Sandwell | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes per 1,000 residents a year | 97 | 106 | 99 |
| In good or very good health | 79% | 79% | 82% |
| Households with dependent children | 40% | 35% | 29% |
| Aged 65 and over | 12% | 15% | 19% |
| Degree or higher | 20% | 23% | 34% |
| Nitrogen dioxide (µg/m³) | 14.7 | 14.7 | 10.1 |
Ranked against your own priorities instead: Find places or Where could I live?
Answer a few questions in Where could I live? and this will use your own priorities. Until then, try a perspective.
Working out the fit…
The same scores as Find places: each priority against all 7,264 neighbourhoods in England and Wales.
The nearest station is Smethwick Rolfe Street, about a 10-minute walk (700 m), with 404k journeys a year; its busiest route is to Birmingham New Street.
The nearest bus stop is Cemetery Road, 250 m away, with a bus about every 26 minutes on weekdays (routes 89, 21); 27 departures an hour from the 9 stops within a 5-minute walk.
43% of households manage without a car.
The nearest primary school is Crocketts Community Primary School, a few minutes' walk (200 m); 65% met the expected standard.
The closest top-rated primary is Shireland Technology Primary (1 km), with 4 rated strongly by Ofsted within 2 km.
The nearest secondary is Shireland Collegiate Academy, 950 m away; Attainment 8: 44.5 · 7.5% of GCSEs at 8–9.
Top-rated secondaries within reach: Bristnall Hall Academy (1.5 km) and St Paul's School for Girls (2.7 km).
Grammar schools are within reach: King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys (3.1 km) and King Edward VI Handsworth School (3.5 km).
It's a family area: 24% of residents are under 15.
Near the middle of the neighbourhood, the closest supermarket is MIR International Supermarket, 650 m away, with Arden News closer still (100 m) for top-ups.
The nearest GP surgery is Sarephed Medical Centre (100 m), with Michaels Chemist the closest pharmacy (300 m).
For a haircut, Nad's Hair & Beauty is 300 m away.
The nearest full A&E is City Health Campus, 2.7 km away, rated requires improvement by the CQC.
At its trust, 57% of major A&E patients were seen within 4 hours in September 2026 (the NHS standard is 95%), and 60% of people waiting for planned treatment had waited under 18 weeks (typical wait 15 weeks).
There's a handful of places to eat and drink locally: 13 restaurants and cafés, 4 pubs and bars.
Breakfast Club @ Firs Close Sheltered Housing is the closest café or restaurant (250 m), and Smethwick Labour Club the nearest pub (200 m).
Crime is around the national middle: about 97 per 1,000 residents a year.
It's a mix of homes: 27% flats and 8% detached houses.
Most homes are Victorian or Edwardian: 56% were built before 1919.
The nearest park is Harry Mitchell Park, 150 m away; for exercise, Harry Mitchell Leisure Centre (250 m).
Air quality is around the national middle (nitrogen dioxide 14.7 µg/m³).
| School | Stage | Distance | Latest results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crocketts Community Primary School | Primary | 200 m | 65% met the expected standard |
| Devonshire Junior Academy | Primary | 600 m | 71% met the expected standard |
| Devonshire Infant Academy | Primary | 600 m | – |
| Victoria Park Primary | Primary | 800 m | 58% met the expected standard |
| Uplands Manor Primary School and Nursery | Primary | 800 m | 55% met the expected standard |
| Shireland Collegiate Academy | Secondary | 950 m | Attainment 8: 44.5 · 7.5% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Holly Lodge High School College of Science | Secondary | 1.3 km | Attainment 8: 42.1 · 5% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Bristnall Hall Academy | Secondary | 1.5 km | Attainment 8: 48.1 · 10.6% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| George Dixon Academy | Secondary | 1.8 km | Attainment 8: 33.3 · 2.8% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Lordswood Boys' School | Secondary | 2.0 km | Attainment 8: 43.3 · 7.3% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Aspire AP School 2 | Independent | 1.1 km | – |
| Myles Academy | Independent | 2.3 km | – |
| Smethwick South | Sandwell | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush hour to central London, public transport | 140 min | 158 min | 163 min |
| Rush hour to the nearest big city centre | 41 min | 51 min | 93 min |
| Minutes to a town centre | 12 min | 18 min | 20 min |
| Distance to the nearest station | 0.7 km | 1.4 km | 2.8 km |
| Buses an hour within a 5-minute walk | 49 | 40 | 21 |
| Commute by train or Tube | 3% | 3% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home | 14% | 18% | 30% |
| Households without a car | 43% | 29% | 23% |
DfT journey time statistics, our rush-hour journey times, NaPTAN, ORR, Census 2021.
| Smethwick South | Sandwell | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafés | 13 | 10 | 10 |
| Pubs and bars | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Independent cafés, takeaways and shops | 97% | 87% | 85% |
| Named parks within 2 km | 8 | 12 | 5 |
| Postcodes within 400 m of a public park | 94% | 63% | 55% |
| Gyms, pools and sports centres within 2 km | 12 | 7 | 4 |
| Public swimming pools within 5 km | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Cinemas, theatres and libraries within 5 km | 30 | 21 | 8 |
FSA, OpenStreetMap (ODbL), Sport England (CC BY).
Matched on character, not price: age mix, education, tenure, home types, how people travel, deprivation, crime, places to eat and distance to London. "Alike" is 100 for an identical profile and 0 for no closer than a typical area.
How the neighbourhoods around it compare on crime, schools, journeys, parks and price.
| Warley South | 51 | 2 | 53 min | 6 | £291k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Barr | 60 | 1 | 51 min | 4 | £329k |
| Tividale | 61 | 0 | 65 min | 12 | £221k |
| Yew Tree & Tamebridge | 65 | 2 | 51 min | 7 | £238k |
| Hamstead East | 74 | 1 | 57 min | 6 | £235k |
| Rowley West | 75 | 0 | 65 min | 15 | £249k |
| Ocker Hill | 77 | 0 | 57 min | 19 | £195k |
| Friar Park | 78 | 1 | 46 min | 9 | £234k |
| Brandhall | 78 | 1 | 57 min | 9 | £230k |
| Warley East | 80 | 4 | 52 min | 13 | £229k |
| Wednesbury South | 82 | 0 | 54 min | 12 | £227k |
| Woods & Mesty Croft | 84 | 1 | 56 min | 10 | £233k |
| Tipton | 85 | 0 | 47 min | 24 | £203k |
| Hamstead West | 86 | 1 | 51 min | 3 | £245k |
| Charlemont | 87 | 0 | 48 min | 8 | £290k |
| Warley West | 88 | 2 | 56 min | 12 | £212k |
| Old Hill | 92 | 1 | 60 min | 10 | £216k |
| Princes End & Willingsworth | 95 | 0 | 60 min | 20 | £231k |
| Smethwick South (this one) | 97 | 4 | 41 min | 8 | £175k |
| Smethwick North & West | 98 | 0 | 27 min | 8 | £196k |
| Stone Cross & Hateley Heath | 99 | 1 | 57 min | 10 | £245k |
| Great Bridge & Dudley Port | 100 | 0 | 50 min | 17 | £237k |
| Langley Green | 101 | 1 | 54 min | 12 | £209k |
| Rowley East | 102 | 0 | 56 min | 11 | £215k |
| Bearwood & Warley Woods | 106 | 4 | 48 min | 10 | £221k |
| Cradley Heath | 109 | 1 | 62 min | 11 | £228k |
| Whiteheath | 111 | 0 | 51 min | 16 | £226k |
| West Bromwich North | 114 | 1 | 42 min | 14 | £223k |
| Wood Green & Old Park | 116 | 3 | 64 min | 6 | £215k |
| North Tividale | 116 | 0 | 69 min | 17 | £195k |
| Tibbington | 130 | 0 | 57 min | 26 | £216k |
| Greets Green West | 130 | 1 | 50 min | 17 | £209k |
| Smethwick South East | 132 | 4 | 38 min | 16 | £163k |
| Blackheath | 138 | 0 | 49 min | 10 | £205k |
| Oldbury & Rood End | 142 | 1 | 49 min | 14 | £177k |
| Wednesbury | 163 | 2 | 49 min | 8 | £226k |
| Smethwick East | 192 | 3 | 41 min | 17 | £198k |
| West Bromwich East & Kenrick Park | 214 | 1 | 33 min | 13 | £259k |
| Greets Green East | 261 | 1 | 36 min | 15 | £232k |
For holidays, Birmingham is 16 km away.
Most households own their home, 29% rent privately.
It's young: 21% of residents are aged 15–29.
The nearest university is University College Birmingham, 4.6 km away (TEF Silver).
Written from the figures on this page: Census 2021, DfT journey times (2019), NaPTAN/ORR, Ofsted, CQC, FSA, police.uk and planning registers.
| Norfolk House School |
|---|
| Independent |
| 2.9 km |
| – |
| Smethwick South | Sandwell | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top-rated state primaries within 2 km | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Top-rated state secondaries within 6 km | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Good or outstanding nurseries within 2 km | 20 | 9 | 7 |
| Grammar schools within 15 km | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Minutes to a primary school | 7 min | 8 min | 9 min |
| Minutes to a secondary school | 11 min | 14 min | 18 min |
DfE performance tables and Ofsted.
Sort by any column; open a neighbourhood for the same view.
Rank every neighbourhood in England and Wales on what matters to you (a commute, schools, budget, quiet, the coast) in Find places, or answer a few questions in Where could I live?. Compare Smethwick South with somewhere else.
| To | Public transport | Car |
|---|---|---|
| Central London (Bank) | 2 h 20 | 2 h 22 |
| Birmingham city centre | 41 min | 14 min |
| Birmingham airport | 70 min | 29 min |
From the middle of the neighbourhood, leaving on a weekday between 8 and 9am (the typical journey across that hour, including walking and waiting). Buses, trams and the Tube from the Bus Open Data Service, trains from the National Rail timetable; car times assume free-flowing traffic on OpenStreetMap road speeds, so rush-hour driving is often slower. The city and airport are the nearest by car. Contains OpenStreetMap data (ODbL).