Salford Wages, Employment and Property Affordability

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

Last updated 5 Jul 2026HPI April 2026Rents May 2026Sold prices April 2026
Jan 2025-Dec 2025 / ASHE 2025

Salford wages, employment and affordability

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

Resident population
294,348
ONS 2024
Median resident annual pay
£35,984
Salford
Median resident weekly pay
£692
Full-time employees
Employment rate
71.2%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
5.3%
Economically active
House price affordability6.5x earnings

Average house price compared with resident median annual pay.

Rent affordability39% 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

Salford’s latest ONS/Nomis labour market profile and ASHE earnings data show a city with a sizeable workforce and pay levels that sit below the Great Britain average. The resident population was 294,348 in 2024, giving useful context for the scale of the local labour market.

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.