Average house price compared with resident median annual pay.
Preston Wages, Employment and Property Affordability
Resident earnings, employment, unemployment and affordability context for reading Preston prices and rents.
Apr 2025-Mar 2026 / ASHE 2026
Preston wages, employment and affordability
Resident earnings and labour-market context help explain local affordability, rental pressure and housing demand.
Resident population
164,498
ONS 2025
Median resident annual pay
£37,565
Preston
Median resident weekly pay
£722
Full-time employees
Employment rate
75.4%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
5.0%
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.
Preston’s latest ONS/Nomis labour-market profile and ASHE earnings data show a city with a large working-age base and a pay level that sits a little below the Great Britain average.