Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East
vs Sparkhill

Sparkhill has the younger population: 25% of residents are aged 15–29, against 25% in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East. Homes in Sparkhill sold for a median of £200,000, 14% above Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East. Sparkhill has more green space nearby (11% within 500 m, against 8%).

Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East

419 postcodes

Sparkhill

206 postcodes

Birmingham

city average

People

Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East has 26,302 residents in 7,490 households; Sparkhill has 21,017 in 5,315. Sparkhill has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 9%, 1.3 percentage points more than Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East (Birmingham: 13%). Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East has the higher share of people living alone: 24%, 6.1 percentage points more than Sparkhill (Birmingham: 32%).

26,302Residents (2021)

21,017Residents (2021)

1,144,919Residents (2021)

7,490Households

5,315Households

423,455Households

25.1%Aged 15–29

25.2%Aged 15–29

22.9%Aged 15–29

7.9%Aged 65 and over

9.2%Aged 65 and over

13.1%Aged 65 and over

24.1%Living alone

18.0%Living alone

31.5%Living alone

Homes and prices

In both, terraced houses are the most common type of home: 56% of homes in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East and 57% in Sparkhill. Sparkhill has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 58%, 14.8 percentage points more than Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East (Birmingham: 53%). Sparkhill has the higher share of private renting: 30%, 4.2 percentage points more than Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East (Birmingham: 23%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £175,000 in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East and £200,000 in Sparkhill, against £240,000 across Birmingham.

£175,000Median sale price

£200,000Median sale price

£240,000Median sale price

43.4%Owner-occupied

58.2%Owner-occupied

52.7%Owner-occupied

25.7%Private renting

29.9%Private renting

22.6%Private renting

30.2%Social renting

11.6%Social renting

23.5%Social renting

8.1%Detached houses

10.4%Detached houses

11.2%Detached houses

17.9%Semi-detached houses

20.3%Semi-detached houses

35.6%Semi-detached houses

55.5%Terraced houses

57.0%Terraced houses

27.8%Terraced houses

12.9%Flats

6.6%Flats

21.0%Flats

Surroundings

Sparkhill has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 11%, 2.4 percentage points more than Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East (Birmingham: 16%). A typical postcode has 237 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East, and 161 in Sparkhill. The typical postcode is 253 m from the nearest school in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East and 276 m in Sparkhill. The typical postcode is 850 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East and 1,164 m in Sparkhill. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 97% of premises in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East and 98% in Sparkhill.

8.4%Green space within 500 m

10.8%Green space within 500 m

16.3%Green space within 500 m

237Services within 15 min (median)

161Services within 15 min (median)

86Services within 15 min (median)

253 mNearest school (median)

276 mNearest school (median)

–Nearest school (median)

850 mNearest tram or rail (median)

1.2 kmNearest tram or rail (median)

–Nearest tram or rail (median)

24Postcodes in flood risk areas

12Postcodes in flood risk areas

982Postcodes in flood risk areas

97.0%Gigabit broadband (premises)

97.5%Gigabit broadband (premises)

95.4%Gigabit broadband (premises)

Safety

Over 12 months, police recorded 133 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East and 94 in Sparkhill, 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.

133Recorded crime per 1,000 residents

94Recorded crime per 1,000 residents

128Recorded crime per 1,000 residents

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.

Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East

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.

Sparkhill

Sparkhill is one of 69 wards in Birmingham, home to 21,017 people in 5,315 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £200,000 over the past two years, 17% below the Birmingham median. On average 11% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 34% below the Birmingham average.

More comparisons.

Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East and Sparkhill next to other wards of Birmingham.

Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East vs Balsall Heath West Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East vs Bordesley Green Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East vs Moseley Sparkhill vs Moseley Sparkhill vs Hall Green North Sparkhill vs Tyseley & Hay Mills All wards of Birmingham

Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath Eastvs Sparkhill