SO
Postcode areaPostcode area named after Southampton, with 25 districts.
Approximate outline worked out by Open Index from the ONS Postcode Directory: the outline joins its districts’ outlines, each made of the census output areas that hold most of the district’s postcodes.
Gigabit coverage by postcode area
Connected Nations (Ofcom) · January 2026
In SO, 85.7% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.
How SO compares
Each dot is a postcode area. The black line marks the middle one.
Every postcode area ranked: median sale price, population, gigabit broadband coverage and claimant rate.
Is SO safe? What police records show
In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in SO at a rate of 86.0 per 1,000 people.
In August 2026 alone, 5,910 cases of crime and anti-social behaviour were recorded in SO.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the most common types were violence and sexual offences (23,666), other crime (11,902) and anti-social behaviour (7,301).
A year earlier, the recorded crime rate in SO was 85.8 per 1,000 people.
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates.
Rates are per resident, so places that many people work in or visit, such as Westminster, the City of London and other city centres, have far higher rates than their residents alone would suggest.
Postcode districts in SO
| Name | People (census) | Median sale price | Recorded crime per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SO14Southampton, Ocean Village | 30,889 | £213,750 | 218.5 per 1,000 |
| SO15Southampton, Shirley | 45,474 | £262,000 | 187.3 per 1,000 |
| SO16Southampton, Bassett | 69,888 | £275,000 | 100.8 per 1,000 |
| SO17Southampton, Portswood | 19,671 | £255,250 | 100.1 per 1,000 |
| SO18Southampton, Bitterne | 37,192 | £275,000 | 87.7 per 1,000 |
| SO19Southampton, Sholing | 58,349 | £267,500 | 105.7 per 1,000 |
| SO20King's Somborne, Broughton | 7,976 | £597,500 | 43.1 per 1,000 |
| SO21Colden Common | 20,980 | £576,500 | 44.1 per 1,000 |
| SO22Winchester, Harestock | 31,960 | £525,000 | 55.5 per 1,000 |
| SO23Winchester, Winnall | 23,001 | £515,000 | 106.6 per 1,000 |
| SO24New Alresford, Woodlands | 11,349 | £573,750 | 29.0 per 1,000 |
| SO25Winnall | No figure | No figure | No figure |
| SO30Hedge End, West End | 33,969 | £345,708 | 69.4 per 1,000 |
| SO31Locks Heath, Warsash | 47,610 | £385,000 | 58.5 per 1,000 |
| SO32Boorley Green, Bishop's Waltham | 23,523 | £425,000 | 47.7 per 1,000 |
| SO40Totton, Hammond's Green | 41,680 | £330,000 | 66.0 per 1,000 |
| SO41Lymington, Pennington | 32,001 | £482,780 | 42.6 per 1,000 |
| SO42Brockenhurst, East Boldre | 4,871 | £822,500 | 52.4 per 1,000 |
| SO43Lyndhurst, Pikes Hill | 4,003 | £440,000 | 64.4 per 1,000 |
| SO45Hythe, Buttsash | 34,362 | £330,000 | 60.1 per 1,000 |
| SO50Eastleigh, Fair Oak | 51,448 | £320,000 | 74.6 per 1,000 |
| SO51Romsey, Cupernham | 29,479 | £410,000 | 54.3 per 1,000 |
| SO52North Baddesley | 7,221 | £375,000 | 39.3 per 1,000 |
| SO53Chandler's Ford, Valley Park | 32,075 | £418,625 | 36.2 per 1,000 |
| SO97North Stoneham | 428 | No figure | 400.5 per 1,000 |
SO in brief
The SO postcode area, named after Southampton, has 25 postcode districts.
The median price paid for a home in SO was £347,500 in 2025.
SO had 699,399 usual residents at the census.
In SO, 85.7% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.
In SO, 2.9% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026.