Average house price compared with resident median annual pay.
Wigan Wages, Employment and Property Affordability
Resident earnings, employment, unemployment and affordability context for reading Wigan prices and rents.
Apr 2025-Mar 2026 / ASHE 2026
Wigan wages, employment and affordability
Resident earnings and labour-market context help explain local affordability, rental pressure and housing demand.
Resident population
347,089
ONS 2025
Median resident annual pay
£37,794
Wigan
Median resident weekly pay
£727
Full-time employees
Employment rate
72.1%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
3.7%
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.
Wigan’s latest ONS/Nomis labour-market profile and ASHE earnings data suggest a local economy with a large workforce but a pay level below the Great Britain average. The city’s resident population was 347,089 in 2025, giving the labour market a substantial base and plenty of potential housing demand from working households.