The area has 9,752 houses per square mile, placing it 17th nationally
Sparkhill North in Birmingham has been named the best neighbourhood in the West Midlands for trick-or-treating, according to new research examining housing density across the UK.
The area has 9,752 houses per square mile, placing it 17th nationally in a study by search engine optimisation experts at SEOBacklinks.com, ahead of Halloween on October 31.
The research identified the Haslemere Road area of Southsea in Portsmouth as the UK’s top neighbourhood, with 13,860 houses per square mile.
Sparkhill North’s high concentration of homes could make it an attractive option for families looking to collect sweets without walking long distances between houses.
Three-quarters of the houses in the Birmingham neighbourhood are terraced, allowing trick-or-treaters to move between neighbouring front doors with relatively little walking.
Smith’s Wood North in Solihull ranked second in the West Midlands, with 7,126 houses per square mile. Smethwick South East in Sandwell followed in third place, recording 6,920 houses per square mile.
Chapelfields and Radford West in Coventry completed the top five, with 6,771 and 6,669 houses per square mile respectively.
The study counted occupied detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, excluding flats, maisonettes and caravans. Researchers used the latest national census data, including the 2021 census for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the 2022 census for Scotland.
Neighbourhoods with fewer than 750 houses were excluded, alongside areas where children aged five to 14 made up less than 6% of the population.
In total, 8,502 neighbourhoods across the UK met the study’s criteria, including 728 in the West Midlands.
Oliver Weston, founder of SEOBacklinks.com, said:
“In Sparkhill North, three in four houses are terraced, so you knock on one door, take a few steps, and you’re at the next one.”
He explained that the research focused on houses rather than flats because trick-or-treaters can knock directly on street-facing front doors.
The study also compared council areas by examining housing density around where children typically live.
Coventry ranked first in the West Midlands, with half of its children aged five to 14 living in areas with at least 4,597 houses per square mile.
Birmingham followed with 4,258, while Sandwell recorded 4,032.
Nationally, the West Midlands ranked third among the UK’s 12 regions and nations, with half of its children living in areas containing at least 3,305 houses per square mile.
With Halloween approaching, the findings offer families across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands an insight into which neighbourhoods could make collecting sweets more convenient.
Sparkhill North’s position at the top of the regional rankings highlights how closely packed terraced housing can make a difference for children hoping to visit more doors during their Halloween rounds.
