Small Heath
vs Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East
Small Heath has the younger population: 26% of residents are aged 15–29, against 25% in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East. Homes in Small Heath sold for a median of £200,000, 14% above Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East. Small Heath has more green space nearby (13% within 500 m, against 8%).
People
Small Heath has 21,968 residents in 5,367 households; Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East has 26,302 in 7,490. The share of residents aged 65 and over is about the same in both (8% and 8%). Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East has the higher share of people living alone: 24%, 8.9 percentage points more than Small Heath (Birmingham: 32%).
Homes and prices
In both, terraced houses are the most common type of home: 60% of homes in Small Heath and 56% in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East. Small Heath has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 57%, 13.9 percentage points more than Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East (Birmingham: 53%). Small Heath has the higher share of private renting: 29%, 3 percentage points more than Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East (Birmingham: 23%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £200,000 in Small Heath and £175,000 in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East, against £240,000 across Birmingham.
Surroundings
Small Heath has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 13%, 5 percentage points more than Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East (Birmingham: 16%). A typical postcode has 155 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Small Heath, and 237 in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East. The typical postcode is 269 m from the nearest school in Small Heath and 253 m in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East. The typical postcode is 1,173 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Small Heath and 850 m in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 99% of premises in Small Heath and 97% in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East.
Safety
Over 12 months, police recorded 71 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Small Heath and 133 in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East, 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.
Small Heath is one of 69 wards in Birmingham, home to 21,968 people in 5,367 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £200,000 over the past two years, 17% below the Birmingham median. On average 13% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 18% below the Birmingham average.
Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East is one of 69 wards in Birmingham, home to 26,302 people in 7,490 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £175,000 over the past two years, 27% below the Birmingham median. On average 8% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 48% below the Birmingham average.
More comparisons.
Small Heath and Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East next to other wards of Birmingham.