Average house price compared with resident median annual pay.
Harlow Wages, Employment and Property Affordability
Resident earnings, employment, unemployment and affordability context for reading Harlow prices and rents.
Jan 2025-Dec 2025 / ASHE 2025
Harlow wages, employment and affordability
Resident earnings and labour-market context help explain local affordability, rental pressure and housing demand.
Resident population
98,235
ONS 2024
Median resident annual pay
£37,861
Harlow
Median resident weekly pay
£728
Full-time employees
Employment rate
74.8%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
4.9%
Economically active
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.
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.
Harlow’s labour market picture for 2025 shows a resident population of 98,235 in 2024, so this is a relatively sizeable local workforce and household base for a city-sized area. The official figures come from the ONS Annual Population Survey via Nomis, with earnings taken from ONS ASHE resident analysis for full-time employees.