Average house price compared with resident median annual pay.
Sunderland Wages, Employment and Property Affordability
Resident earnings, employment, unemployment and affordability context for reading Sunderland prices and rents.
Apr 2025-Mar 2026 / ASHE 2026
Sunderland wages, employment and affordability
Resident earnings and labour-market context help explain local affordability, rental pressure and housing demand.
Resident population
287,070
ONS 2025
Median resident annual pay
£34,076
Sunderland
Median resident weekly pay
£655
Full-time employees
Employment rate
70.1%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
5.6%
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.
ONS and Nomis data show that Sunderland has a resident population of 287,070, so its labour market is sizeable and important to the local economy. The latest Annual Population Survey profile and ASHE resident earnings figures give a clear snapshot of local earning power and working patterns.