Average house price compared with resident median annual pay.
Oldham Wages, Employment and Property Affordability
Resident earnings, employment, unemployment and affordability context for reading Oldham prices and rents.
Apr 2025-Mar 2026 / ASHE 2026
Oldham wages, employment and affordability
Resident earnings and labour-market context help explain local affordability, rental pressure and housing demand.
Resident population
251,915
ONS 2025
Median resident annual pay
£35,417
Oldham
Median resident weekly pay
£681
Full-time employees
Employment rate
64.3%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
6.4%
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.
Oldham’s labour market profile, based on ONS Annual Population Survey data shown by Nomis and ASHE earnings, points to a local income picture that sits below the Great Britain average. The borough had a resident population of 251,915 in 2025, so these figures describe a sizeable local market rather than a small sample.