Birchfield
vs Handsworth
Birchfield has the younger population: 25% of residents are aged 15–29, against 24% in Handsworth. Homes in Birchfield sold for a median of £212,500, 6% above Handsworth. Handsworth has more green space nearby (10% within 500 m, against 8%).
People
Birchfield has 13,169 residents in 4,318 households; Handsworth has 11,120 in 3,280. The share of residents aged 65 and over is about the same in both (9% and 10%). Birchfield has the higher share of people living alone: 36%, 9.2 percentage points more than Handsworth (Birmingham: 32%).
Homes and prices
In both, terraced houses are the most common type of home: 28% of homes in Birchfield and 52% in Handsworth. Handsworth has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 46%, 11.8 percentage points more than Birchfield (Birmingham: 53%). Handsworth has the higher share of private renting: 23%, 1.7 percentage points more than Birchfield (Birmingham: 23%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £212,500 in Birchfield and £200,000 in Handsworth, against £240,000 across Birmingham.
Surroundings
Handsworth has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 10%, 1.8 percentage points more than Birchfield (Birmingham: 16%). A typical postcode has 87 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Birchfield, and 106 in Handsworth. The typical postcode is 238 m from the nearest school in Birchfield and 212 m in Handsworth. The typical postcode is 950 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Birchfield and 1,003 m in Handsworth. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 92% of premises in Birchfield and 98% in Handsworth.
Safety
Over 12 months, police recorded 111 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Birchfield and 157 in Handsworth, against 128 across Birmingham. Police.uk records crimes by approximate location, not by where victims or offenders live. Busy streets, shops, stations and nightlife record more. Figures are counts, not a measure of personal risk.
Sources: Census 2021 (ONS) · HM Land Registry Price Paid Data · official school registers · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Environment Agency · data.police.uk, 12 months to Aug 2026 · Ofcom Connected Nations
In brief.
Each ward in a few lines, from its own page.
Birchfield is one of 69 wards in Birmingham, home to 13,169 people in 4,318 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £212,500 over the past two years, 11% below the Birmingham median. On average 8% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 50% below the Birmingham average.
Handsworth is one of 69 wards in Birmingham, home to 11,120 people in 3,280 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £200,000 over the past two years, 17% below the Birmingham median. On average 10% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 39% below the Birmingham average.
More comparisons.
Birchfield and Handsworth next to other wards of Birmingham.