Bath and North East Somerset Wages, Employment and Property Affordability

Resident earnings, employment, unemployment and affordability context for reading Bath and North East Somerset prices and rents.

Last updated 5 Jul 2026HPI April 2026Rents May 2026Sold prices April 2026
Jan 2025-Dec 2025 / ASHE 2025

Bath and North East Somerset wages, employment and affordability

Resident earnings and labour-market context help explain local affordability, rental pressure and housing demand.

Resident population
200,028
ONS 2024
Median resident annual pay
£41,096
Bath and North East Somerset
Median resident weekly pay
£790
Full-time employees
Employment rate
76.3%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
3.4%
Economically active
House price affordability9.7x earnings

Average house price compared with resident median annual pay.

Rent affordability55% of monthly earnings

Average monthly rent compared with estimated monthly earnings.

Labour market rates are from the ONS Annual Population Survey profile shown by Nomis. Where the local APS unemployment value is suppressed, the ONS model-based unemployment estimate is used. Earnings are ONS ASHE resident-analysis median full-time employee earnings. Annual pay is annualised from weekly pay for display context.

Wages and employment commentary · Last updated July 2026

Bath and North East Somerset has a resident population of 200,028, based on the 2024 estimate. That gives useful context for the local labour market.

It is a sizeable and economically active area, with a mix of urban Bath and surrounding communities.

Incomes Explain Affordability Pressure

Wage and employment data does not predict house prices by itself. It gives demand-side context: how average prices and rents compare with resident earnings, whether employment conditions support demand, and where affordability pressure may limit the buyer or renter pool.