North West England Employment Rate

Employment, unemployment and population indicators for reading North West England property prices and rents in wider labour-market context.

Last updated 5 Jul 2026HPI April 2026Rents May 2026Sold prices April 2026
Employment rate
74.4%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
5.0%
Economically active
Economic inactivity
21.6%
Aged 16-64
Resident population
7,737,414
ONS 2024
Feb 2026-Apr 2026 / ASHE 2025

North West England labour-market context

Employment data does not predict house prices by itself, but it helps frame affordability and local economic context.

Resident population
7,737,414
ONS 2024
Median resident annual pay
£38,210
North West England
Median resident weekly pay
£735
Full-time employees
Employment rate
74.4%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
5.0%
Economically active
House price affordability5.7x earnings

Average house price compared with resident median annual pay.

Rent affordability30% 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

North West England had a resident population of 7,737,414 in 2024. That gives useful scale to the labour market backdrop.

It also means that small percentage changes can affect a large number of households across the region. The latest ONS Annual Population Survey profile shown by Nomis puts the employment rate at 74.4%.