Guildford Wages, Employment and Property Affordability

Resident earnings, employment, unemployment and affordability context for reading Guildford prices and rents.

Last updated 19 Aug 2026HPI June 2026Rents July 2026Sold prices May 2026
Apr 2025-Mar 2026 / ASHE 2026

Guildford wages, employment and affordability

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

Resident population
152,148
ONS 2025
Median resident annual pay
£45,885
Guildford
Median resident weekly pay
£882
Full-time employees
Employment rate
82.5%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
3.0%
Economically active
House price affordability11.4x earnings

Average house price compared with resident median annual pay.

Rent affordability45% 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 August 2026

Guildford has a strong labour-market profile in the latest ONS/Nomis data. The city’s resident population was 152,148 in 2025, giving the earnings and employment figures useful local context rather than just a headline number.

It is a sizeable place, with a workforce profile that matters when thinking about day-to-day affordability pressures.

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.