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Essen neighbourhoods: where to live

Map, area ranking and quality-of-life figures for Essen, from open data.

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Tap an area to see its score.

Essen in numbers

About 571,039 people live in Essen. CityPulse splits the city into 2,403 hexagons of about 0.1 km² and groups them into 58 areas named after its neighbourhoods. Half of the residents live in a hexagon with a standard score of at least 90 out of 100 (excellent).

  • 54% of residents live in a “15-minute city”: food shop, pharmacy, doctor, nursery school, primary school and a public transport stop, all within a 15-minute walk
  • 87% of residents have a public green space within a 5-minute walk
  • 31% of residents have a food shop within a 5-minute walk
  • 26% of residents have a pharmacy within a 5-minute walk
  • 43% of residents have a primary school within a 10-minute walk
  • 82% of residents have a bus or tram stop within a 5-minute walk
  • 22% of residents have at least 30 public transport departures per hour between 7 and 9 am from nearby stops
  • 68% of residents have a playground within a 5-minute walk
  • 37% of residents live within 300 metres of a protected cycle lane
  • Tree canopy within 500 m: 33.1% for the typical resident (the 3-30-300 rule suggests at least 30%).
  • PM2.5: 9.0 µg/m³ annual mean for the typical resident; the WHO guideline is 5.

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Where to live in Essen, depending on who you are

Essen areas

Areas sorted by standard score: public green space, tree canopy and services on foot, the same for everyone. Names come from OpenStreetMap and boundaries are approximate.

#AreaResidentsStandard score
1Borbeck-Mitte11,28298 · excellent
2Stoppenberg11,05898 · excellent
3Pestalozzidorf "Im Grund"3,11897 · excellent
4Stadtwald8,90897 · excellent
5Altenessen17,89596 · excellent
6Großenbruch7,96995 · excellent
7Gerschede7,86895 · excellent
8Bredeney10,97095 · excellent
9Schonnebeck16,92095 · excellent
10Südviertel23,14294 · excellent
11Kettwig7,42594 · excellent
12Bochold15,23094 · excellent
13Bergeborbeck4,90894 · excellent
14Bedingrade11,04993 · excellent
15Huttrop18,88593 · excellent
16Heisingen11,69893 · excellent
17Bergerhausen9,73193 · excellent
18Steele17,66893 · excellent
19Katernberg12,33493 · excellent
20Karnap9,94793 · excellent
21Überruhr-Hinsel7,79792 · excellent
22Altenessen-Süd5,23892 · excellent
23Margarethenhöhe6,57892 · excellent
24Fischlaken5,57292 · excellent
25Frohnhausen27,97592 · excellent
26Altendorf22,29491 · excellent
27Haarzopf8,72591 · excellent
28Überruhr-Holthausen8,25590 · excellent
29Holsterhausen19,34390 · excellent
30Schönebeck10,06290 · excellent
31Altenessen-Nord12,47390 · excellent
32Fulerum4,21289 · excellent
33Hinninghofen2,34288 · excellent
34Dellwig11,56687 · excellent
35Kray14,66187 · excellent
36Rellinghausen4,54087 · excellent
37Rüttenscheid25,47186 · excellent
38Kolonie Hegemannshof5,86986 · excellent
39Freisenbruch15,90885 · excellent
40Eltingviertel5,09685 · excellent
41Kupferdreh6,72384 · excellent
42Werden10,41384 · excellent
43Frintrop12,74084 · excellent
44Horst8,83684 · excellent
45Kettwig vor der Brücke3,48684 · excellent
46Frillendorf10,06082 · excellent
47Leithe6,94782 · excellent
48Kettwig auf der Höhe4,73281 · excellent
49Burgaltendorf7,82480 · excellent
50Sternviertel3,46476 · good
51Segeroth11,25776 · good
52Heidhausen4,44874 · good
53Dilldorf2,18474 · good
54Dilldorfer Höhe1,56772 · good
55Vogelheim5,48972 · good
56Byfang4,86764 · good
57Krupp-Gürtel3,40061 · good
58Volkeskotten2,09543 · fair

Frequently asked questions

Which Essen neighbourhood has the best quality of life?

By CityPulse's standard score: Borbeck-Mitte (98), Stoppenberg (98) and Pestalozzidorf "Im Grund" (97). The score measures public green space, tree canopy and everyday services within walking distance; it does not consider prices, noise or safety.

Where should a student live in Essen?

With CityPulse's student profile, which weighs services on foot and cycle lanes most and prefers dense areas, the best areas are Frohnhausen (87), Borbeck-Mitte (86) and Pestalozzidorf "Im Grund" (86).

Which areas of Essen are best for families?

With the family profile, which weighs green space, trees, services and playgrounds, the best areas are Borbeck-Mitte (98), Pestalozzidorf "Im Grund" (98) and Bergeborbeck (97).

What are the greenest areas of Essen?

By tree canopy within 500 metres: Volkeskotten (69.9%), Margarethenhöhe (59.5%) and Stadtwald (51.9%).

Which areas of Essen have the best public transport?

By departures per hour between 7 and 9 am from stops within walking distance: Sternviertel (120), Segeroth (40) and Krupp-Gürtel (38).

Is Essen a 15-minute city?

54% of Essen residents have a food shop, pharmacy, doctor, nursery school, primary school and a public transport stop within a 15-minute walk.

How is the CityPulse score calculated?

Each hexagon of about 0.1 km² gets a score from 0 to 100: the geometric mean of public green space on foot, tree canopy within 500 metres and everyday services on foot (food shops, pharmacy, doctor, schools, stops). Distances are measured on the walking network at 4.8 km/h. All data are open: OpenStreetMap, Copernicus, Eurostat, EEA and public transport timetables.

Data updated on 2026-11-05. Method and sources