The districts of Pekela

Pekela has 12,455 residents (2026), spread across 2 districts and 5 neighbourhoods.

Bottom 15% of the Netherlands

Plenty of space, less prosperity

Pekela comes out at 3.6 as a municipality — better than 14% of Dutch neighbourhoods. Quiet and nature lift that grade with 6.9; wealth and income hold it back at 3.0. The highest neighbourhood grades sit in Verspreide huizen Nieuwe Pekela (4.3), the lowest in Boven-Pekela (3.2). None of the 5 graded neighbourhoods reaches 7.0.

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residents: 12,455
districts: 2
neighbourhoods: 5
km² of land: 49

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The figures ⌄

Safety

Registered crimes per 1,000 people present per year: residents plus business activity. Figures for small neighbourhoods are smoothed.

Total crime

26.0 per 1,000

Violent crime

3.3 per 1,000

Burglaries

0.6 per 1,000

Property crime

5.9 per 1,000

Vandalism

3.5 per 1,000

In 2025, 396 crimes were recorded here. The figures above are per 1,000 people present (residents + businesses).

Tick = Dutch median

The safest neighbourhoods in Pekela →The most dangerous neighbourhoods in Pekela →

The figures ⌄

Amenities

Average distance to everyday amenities, compared with the Dutch median.

Supermarket

1.2 km

GP practice

1.2 km

Train station

6.4 km

Restaurant

1.1 km

Hospital

8.9 km

Café

2.1 km

Library

2.7 km

Motorway ramp

1.2 km

Tick = Dutch median

Best amenities in Pekela →

The figures ⌄

Wealth & income

What the homes are worth, what residents earn and how many homes stand empty. It describes the area, not the people living in it.

Property value

€ 213,902

Welfare recipients

31.3 per 1,000

High incomes

Low incomes

48%

Vacancy

Owner-occupied

65%

Social housing

24%

Not counted

Part of this score's subject, but not part of the grade.

Single-family homes

88%

Built after 2000

10%

Tick = Dutch median

The most affluent neighbourhoods in Pekela →

The figures ⌄

Quiet & nature

How tightly the addresses sit together, how much noise there is, and how much green, trees and water surround it.

Population density

607 inw/km²

Noise level

42 dB

Green surroundings

38%

Trees nearby

Water share

Not counted

Part of this score's subject, but not part of the grade.

Addresses per km²

527

Fine particles (PM2.5)

6.2 µg/m³

Not part of the grade: air quality varies mostly between regions, barely between neighbourhoods within one municipality. WHO guideline: 5 µg/m³. Calculated annual mean, RIVM 2024.

Tick = Dutch median

The quietest, greenest neighbourhoods in Pekela →

The figures ⌄

Families

How practical this area is with children: distance to school and childcare, and how many children already live here.

Primary school

1.0 km

Households with children

33%

Childcare

1.2 km

Secondary school

2.4 km

Residents under 15

15%

Tick = Dutch median

The best neighbourhoods for families in Pekela →

Who lives here

The age profile of Pekela looks much like that of the average Dutch neighbourhood.

Age profile

0–1515%
NL median 14%
15–2511%
NL median 11%
25–4522%
NL median 22%
45–6528%
NL median 28%
65+24%
NL median 22%

Share of residents per age group (CBS, 2025). All five bars share one scale, so their lengths can be compared with each other.

Average household size
2.2 — around the average
NL median 2.3
Single-person households
36% — more than average
NL median 31%
Households with children
33% — around the average
NL median 35%
Residents per km²
607 — far less densely populated than average
NL median 2,364

Tick = Dutch median. Households with children counts towards Families, population density towards Quiet & nature; the other figures here get no grade. Average of the neighbourhoods in Pekela, weighted by population.