Heerenveen: population and statistics
Heerenveen has a population of 51,955 (2026) across 189.9 km², or 274 people per km². It ranks 89 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +3.3% between 2016 and 2026.
- 51,955 residents
- 189.9 km²
- 274 people/km²
- 0 m
Key points
Among the 18 municipalities in Friesland, Heerenveen ranks No. 5 by population.
Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65: 1.9% in Heerenveen, compared with an average of 1.6% in Friesland and 1.6% nationally.
Average distance to a large supermarket: 1.8 km in Heerenveen, compared with an average of 1.5 km in Friesland and 1.0 km nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 21.9% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,012 kWh a year here.
Heerenveen in numbers
Where is Heerenveen?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Opsterland4.3 km · 30,068
- Weststellingwerf9.8 km · 26,622
- Smallingerland15 km · 57,188
- Ooststellingwerf16 km · 25,898
- Steenwijkerland21 km · 45,926
- De Fryske Marren25 km · 52,248
- Westerveld25 km · 20,035
- Tytsjerksteradiel26 km · 32,874
All municipalities in Friesland
All municipalities in Zuidoost-Friesland (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Heerenveen over time
Heerenveen had 50,290 residents in 2016 and 51,955 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 50,650 |
| 2022 | 51,119 |
| 2023 | 51,637 |
| 2024 | 51,787 |
| 2025 | 51,863 |
| 2026 | 51,955 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Friesland for “Average distance to the nearest school”.
- “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65”: higher than in 94% of municipalities.
- “Average distance to a large supermarket”: higher than in 92% of municipalities.
- “Area of solar parks”: higher than in 91% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 26,592 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Opsterland, 4.3 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Leeuwarden (130,162 residents), 32 km away.
All indicators for Heerenveen
Value for the municipality, then the regional average and the national median (for counts: regional and national totals). The gauge places the municipality between the lowest and highest value in the country.
Population
| Indicator | Heerenveen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 24.0% | 23.9% | 23.6% | ranked 154 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 14.6% | 14.6% | 14.8% | ranked 188 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −3.5 ‰ | −2.2 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 256 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 5.1 ‰ | 5.8 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 201 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Heerenveen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 24,447 dwellings | 312,294 | 8,274,510 | ranked 82 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 15.8% | 21.7% | 13.1% | ranked 133 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 23.2% | 17.1% | 19.9% | ranked 88 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 75.4% | 80.0% | 79.5% | ranked 218 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 60.1% | 62.6% | 66.7% | ranked 263 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 28.0% | 26.2% | 23.7% | ranked 89 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 375,000 € | 335,172 € | 438,000 € | ranked 268 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 19.3 ‰ | 13.4 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 132 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Heerenveen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 870 m³ | 910 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 193 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,630 kWh | 2,570 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 244 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 7% | 7% | 7% | ranked 133 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 43% | 48% | 46% | ranked 210 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 12% | 12% | 12% | ranked 140 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 30 ha | 284 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 32 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 89.2% | 89.5% | 90.3% | ranked 207 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.1% | 0.8% | 0.1% | ranked 164 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,220 kWh | 1,289 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 180 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 2,647 Wp | 2,214 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 69 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 220.1 ‰ | 242.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 182 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Heerenveen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 59,100 € | 55,151 € | 63,450 € | ranked 243 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 7,265 | 88,090 | 2,612,530 | ranked 88 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 139.8 ‰ | 132.4 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 137 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Heerenveen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.9% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 14 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 4.0% | 4.1% | 2.3% | ranked 47 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Heerenveen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 512 ‰ | 510 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 165 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 4.0 km | 8.8 km | 4.6 km | ranked 185 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Heerenveen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.1 persons | 2.1 | 2.2 | ranked 235 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 38.1% | 38.2% | 33.3% | ranked 72 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 33.9 ‰ | 31.7 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 128 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 13.9 ‰ | 11.8 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 112 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.3 ‰ | 4.2 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 106 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.5 ‰ | 4.1 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 117 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.8 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 24 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Heerenveen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 534 kg | 595 kg | 468 kg | ranked 84 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 12.8% | 11.6% | 16.8% | ranked 214 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 76.6% | 77.6% | 58.8% | ranked 67 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 8.2% | 8.6% | 11.7% | ranked 210 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Heerenveen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.6 km | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | ranked 56 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Heerenveen | Friesland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 30.1% | 26.5% | 28.5% | ranked 146 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 1.0 km | 0.9 km | 0.8 km | ranked 36 of 342 |
Heerenveen: indicators over time
Indicators available for several years. Hover over or tap a chart to read the value for each year.
Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler
89.2% in 2022, compared with 90.7% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.1% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
2,647 Wp in 2025, compared with 631 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
220.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 88.0 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
33.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 37.0 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
13.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 14.0 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
3.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 5.8 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
3.5 ‰ in 2025, compared with 3.7 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Heerenveen
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 3.3 |
| February | 37 | 3.5 |
| March | 80 | 5.6 |
| April | 128 | 9.3 |
| May | 155 | 13.0 |
| June | 163 | 16.3 |
| July | 160 | 18.0 |
| August | 134 | 17.5 |
| September | 94 | 15.1 |
| October | 54 | 11.5 |
| November | 25 | 7.0 |
| December | 16 | 4.4 |
Business sectors: Heerenveen
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical21.9% ×1.1
- Wholesale and retail trade13.9% ×1.1
- Health and social work11.1% ×1.0
- Construction7.8% ×0.7
- Education6.3% ×1.1
- Administrative and support services5.2% ×1.0
- Manufacturing5.2% ×1.5
- Arts, entertainment and recreation5.2% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Heerenveen?
Heerenveen has 51,955 residents (2026), ranking 89 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Heerenveen?
Heerenveen covers 189.9 km², with a density of 274 people per km².
Is the population of Heerenveen growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Heerenveen went from 50,290 to 51,955, a change of +3.3%.
Where is Heerenveen?
Heerenveen is in Friesland. It belongs to Zuidoost-Friesland (COROP region). Latitude 52.966, longitude 6.050.
Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65: what is the figure for Heerenveen?
In Heerenveen, “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65” stands at 1.9% (2026), ranking 14 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.5%.
Average distance to a large supermarket: what is the figure for Heerenveen?
In Heerenveen, “Average distance to a large supermarket” stands at 1.8 km (2025), ranking 24 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.0 km.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Heerenveen?
In Heerenveen, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,012 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Heerenveen?
The nearest to Heerenveen are Opsterland (4.3 km), Weststellingwerf (9.8 km), Smallingerland (15 km), Ooststellingwerf (16 km), Steenwijkerland (21 km).