Bracknell was one of the original “new towns”, after the government made a decision in 1949 to create new towns to take industry and homes out of the areas of London destroyed by bombs. Initially it was supposed to be for 25,000 people, but as of the 2021 Census, the population of Bracknell Forest was approximately 124,600!
There are many reasons why people choose to put down roots in Bracknell, and here’s why we think it is such a fantastic place to live.
1. Great connectivity
Bracknell to London by train takes around an hour and London Heathrow is around a 30 minute drive. There is easy access to the M3 and M4 which are both around 7 miles away. 56% of Bracknell residents are within a 30-minute walk of their nearest railway station, making commuting easy.
2. Growing population
Bracknell has a projected population growth of just over 15%, adding around 18,800 people from 2019 to 2036. Currently there are 51,068 households which will grow to 55,759, between 2019 to 2029.
Age profile (Census 2021)
0-15: 19.7%
16-64: 64.3%
65+: 16.0%
Largest age band groups
35-49 (22.0%)
50-64 (19.5%)
and 25-34 (14.1%)
It is an area that is continually increasing in popularity, which leads us into its successful economy.
3. Successful economy
Bracknell’s economic activity rate is 85.6%, higher than both the South East average (81.6%) and Great Britain average (79.0%). Same goes for the employment rate, at 83.7% vs South East’s average (78.7%) and Great Britain’s average (75.6%). Resident earnings (full-time median earnings) were £862.40 per week in 2025 which are above the South East’s £815.20.
Jobs are forecast to grow by 7,200 to just over 9,000 in the area from 2020 to 2036. Key sectors to work in around this area include IT, science, technology, film and TV. Major local employers include 3M, Afton Chemical, Avis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cadence, Fujitsu, GE, Hitachi, Honeywell, Vodafone and Waitrose.
Tiffany Grainger, Senior Lettings Manager, Romans Bracknell says, “Bracknell isn’t just about the town centre - it’s the wider location that really drives demand. With excellent transport links into London, strong local employment, and a good mix of modern developments and family housing, it continues to attract a wide range of tenants. From an investment perspective, that consistency in demand is what makes the lettings market here particularly strong and reliable.”
4. Education available
The area has a wide range of schools to choose from - St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, The Brakenhale School, Garth Hill College, King's Academy Easthampstead Park and Ranelagh Church of England School.
Bracknell and Wokingham College is also based in the area. The Silwood Park campus of Imperial College London is five miles east of Bracknell town centre. The University of Reading is 8 mi northwest, and Royal Holloway is 8 mi east.
5. Local amenities
Bracknell has a variety of local amenities. South Hill Park includes a Grade II listed building used as an arts centre, with galleries, dance studio, cinema, theatre and amphitheatre. There is Coral Reef Waterworld, and Go Ape high ropes at Swinley Forest, both very popular with children.
There is lots of shopping, including the Lexicon shopping centre with 70 outlets, a 12-screen cinema, and 3,800 car spaces which helped transform the area when it opened in 2017. Plus, there are plenty of supermarkets too - with 2.4 per 10,000 population. Sports facilities are even higher at a ratio of 23.2 per 10,000, and museums are at 0.8 per 100,000. 96% of residents are within a 30-minute walk of a library too.
6. Housing information
To understand what you can get for your money in Bracknell, and rental returns as an investor, here are the latest property prices, plus the tenure splits in the area. Both average sale price in Bracknell (£386,000 in January 2026) and monthly rental price (£,1497) are above the South East and UK average.
Average price by property type (March 2026, Land Registry)
Detached £728,708
Semi-detached £441,451
Terraced £347,610
Flats and maisonettes £213,000
First-time buyer price: £316,588
Home mover price: £481,006
Rents for April 2026 (ONS)
Average monthly private rent: £1,499 +6% YoY
Average monthly rent by number of bedrooms:
1-bed £1,094; 2-bed £1,380; 3-bed £1,684; 4+ bed £2,438
Average monthly rent by property type:
Flats £1,350; terraced £1,455; semi-detached £1,662; detached £1,571
Tenure split, 2021 Census
Owner occupied / mortgage 66.8%
Shared ownership 1.7%
Social rented 15.7%
Private rented 15.7%
Private renting share increased from 12.5% in 2011 to 15.7% in 2021
Daisy Brown, Area Sales Manager, says, “Bracknell has been a town in transformation for over half a century, and that momentum shows no sign of slowing. A pipeline of new build developments and office conversions continues to provide investors with a diverse range of opportunities, whether the priority is generating a strong monthly yield or building long-term capital growth.”
Looking to live or invest in Bracknell? Get in touch with our property experts. Fun fact: Our Bracknell letting and estate agents first opened in 1987, making it Romans’ oldest branch!
