Bristol, City of: local statistics
Bristol, City of is a unitary authority in the South West, home to an estimated 495,260 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 10 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over Bristol, City of, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
In August 2026, 12,755 people in Bristol, City of were on the claimant count, 3.6% of residents aged 16 to 64 (the South West: 2.7%). That compares with 3.5% a year before. Over the last five years it peaked at 4.8% in August 2021 and was lowest at 3.1% in January 2023.
Police recorded 64,759 crimes in Bristol, City of in the year to March 2026, 130.8 for every 1,000 residents, the highest rate of all 19 council areas in the South West. A year earlier it was 128.0. Across the 11 years shown it ranged from 99.7 to 130.8 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
A Band D home in Bristol, City of pays an average of £2,713.68 in council tax in 2026-27, up £129.79 on 2025-26. That makes it the 2nd highest of all 27 council areas in the South West. In 2016-17 the figure was £1,721.25, so it has risen 58%.
Homes in Bristol, City of sold for an average of £352,262 in July 2026, up 2.1% on July 2025. It ranks as the 4th highest of 26 in the South West; the average for the South West was £302,298. Prices are 36% above July 2016 and at their highest July level in the series. Dividing the average price by the median annual pay of full-time employees living in Bristol, City of (£39,509) gives a ratio of 8.9. That ratio is the 5th highest ratio of 26 in the South West.
A girl born in Bristol, City of in 2022 to 2024 could expect to live 83.0 years and a boy 78.5 years, on the ONS's period measure (England: 83.3 and 79.5). For women that is 0.2 years more than in 2012 to 2014; for men, 0.1 more. It is the 3rd lowest for women in the South West.
The ONS counted 22,300 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses in Bristol, City of in March 2026, 4% more than in 2016. That is 45 for every 1,000 residents, 20th of 27 in the South West, counting from the highest.
The median full-time employee living in Bristol, City of was paid £780.50 a week before tax in April 2025, or £39,509 over a year. That is 6.3% above the figure for the South West and 7th of 26 in the South West, counting from the highest. Measured by where people work rather than where they live, the median is £837.70, £57.20 higher. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was £506.30: a change of +54% before inflation.
Bristol, City of had an estimated 495,260 residents in mid-2025, a change of +0.2% in a year. Over ten years, since mid-2015, it has grown by 9.6% (the South West: +8.0%). That is the 8th fastest growth of all 27 council areas in the South West. The mid-2025 estimate is the highest in the series.
An estimated 79.8% of people aged 16 to 64 living in Bristol, City of were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey (give or take 2.9 points), against 79.0% across the South West. Its lowest reading in the series was 74.9% and its highest 79.8%.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 451,790 |
| 2016 | 459,588 |
| 2017 | 463,113 |
| 2018 | 467,026 |
| 2019 | 469,920 |
| 2020 | 471,851 |
| 2021 | 471,285 |
| 2022 | 479,802 |
| 2023 | 486,729 |
| 2024 | 494,225 |
| 2025 | 495,260 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £258,222 |
| July 2017 | £270,088 |
| July 2018 | £277,699 |
| July 2019 | £275,078 |
| July 2020 | £291,044 |
| July 2021 | £307,051 |
| July 2022 | £341,081 |
| July 2023 | £342,714 |
| July 2024 | £344,122 |
| July 2025 | £345,123 |
| July 2026 | £352,262 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £506.30 a week |
| 2016 | £524.00 a week |
| 2017 | £539.50 a week |
| 2018 | £556.20 a week |
| 2019 | £594.10 a week |
| 2020 | £603.70 a week |
| 2021 | £622.80 a week |
| 2022 | £649.70 a week |
| 2023 | £709.10 a week |
| 2024 | £740.60 a week |
| 2025 | £780.50 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,721.25 |
| 2017-18 | £1,799.75 |
| 2018-19 | £1,891.10 |
| 2019-20 | £1,982.11 |
| 2020-21 | £2,061.03 |
| 2021-22 | £2,163.65 |
| 2022-23 | £2,230.37 |
| 2023-24 | £2,345.24 |
| 2024-25 | £2,460.32 |
| 2025-26 | £2,583.89 |
| 2026-27 | £2,713.68 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 107.4 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 120.6 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 121.2 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 112.9 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 113.5 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 99.7 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 115.4 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 113.2 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 119.1 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 128.0 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 130.8 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 74.9% |
| 2016/17 | 76.2% |
| 2017/18 | 78.1% |
| 2018/19 | 77.6% |
| 2019/20 | 76.5% |
| 2020/21 | 75.7% |
| 2021/22 | 79.8% |
| 2022/23 | 78.5% |
| 2023/24 | 78.6% |
| 2024/25 | 77.6% |
| 2025/26 | 79.8% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 82.8 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 82.7 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 82.8 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 82.8 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 82.7 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 82.8 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 82.7 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 82.7 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 82.6 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 82.7 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 83.0 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 21,410 |
| 2017 | 22,175 |
| 2018 | 22,170 |
| 2019 | 22,475 |
| 2020 | 22,780 |
| 2021 | 22,820 |
| 2022 | 22,525 |
| 2023 | 22,370 |
| 2024 | 22,330 |
| 2025 | 22,020 |
| 2026 | 22,300 |
Questions about Bristol, City of
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Bristol, City of?
12,755 in August 2026 (3.6% of residents aged 16 to 64), on the ONS claimant count, which is not the unemployment rate.
What is the crime rate in Bristol, City of?
Home Office figures show 64,759 offences in the year to March 2026, or 130.8 per 1,000 people, not counting fraud.
How much is Band D council tax in Bristol, City of?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government gives an average Band D bill of £2,713.68 for 2026-27.
What is the average house price in Bristol, City of?
HM Land Registry's figure for July 2026 is £352,262.
What is life expectancy in Bristol, City of?
For 2022 to 2024 the ONS gives 78.5 years for men and 83.0 for women.
What is the average salary in Bristol, City of?
£780.50 a week before tax, the median for full-time employees who live there (April 2025, ONS).
What is the population of Bristol, City of?
The ONS estimates 495,260 people lived in Bristol, City of in mid-2025.
Who has power over Bristol, City of
Every body that makes decisions for Bristol, City of, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- Bristol, City of council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Bristol, City of in official figures this page
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Bristol Central: Carla Denyer (Green Party) MP
- Bristol East: Kerry McCarthy (Labour) MP
- Bristol North East: Damien Egan (Labour) MP
- Bristol North West: Darren Jones (Labour) MP
- Bristol South: Karin Smyth (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
Each value above links to the official file or query it was read from, on 14 October 2026. What each figure measures.
- Recorded crime: Years before April 2020 come from the earlier Home Office table.
More on this area and these figures
- Council money: spending, reserves and debt
- Figures for the whole region: the South West
- UK figures: UK unemployment rate · Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime · UK average house price
- Other council areas in the South West: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · Cornwall · Dorset · Somerset · South Gloucestershire · Wiltshire
Related questions
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- What is the average house price in my area?
- Who are my local councillors?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.