Manchester: local statistics
Manchester is a metropolitan borough in the North West, home to an estimated 588,256 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 Manchester, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
6.0% of Manchester residents aged 16 to 64 (25,185 people) were on the claimant count in August 2026 (the North West: 4.2%). The rate was the same a year earlier. Over the last five years it peaked at 7.8% in August 2021 and was lowest at 5.4% in January 2023.
The police recorded 143.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Manchester in the year to March 2026 (84,130 offences in all), the 2nd highest rate of the 35 council areas in the North West. The rate was 147.0 in the year to March 2025. Across the 11 years shown it ranged from 116.5 to 183.3 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
The ONS counted 29,740 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses in Manchester in March 2026, 25% more than in 2016. There are 51 per 1,000 residents, the 5th highest of the 35 council areas in the North West.
For 2026-27 the average Band D council tax bill in Manchester is £2,312.04, 5.9% more than in 2025-26. It is the 3rd lowest of the 35 council areas in the North West. Ten years earlier, in 2016-17, it was £1,435.12.
Life expectancy at birth in Manchester is 80.1 years for women and 75.6 years for men (2022 to 2024) (England: 83.3 and 79.5). Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +0.2 years for women and -0.2 for men. It is the 3rd lowest for women of the 35 council areas in the North West.
588,256 people lived in Manchester in mid-2025, according to the ONS, a change of -0.1% in a year. That is 64,935 more people than in mid-2015, a rise of 12.4%; the North West grew by 8.2% over the same years, the 5th fastest growth of the 35 council areas in the North West. The series peaked at 588,597 in mid-2024.
HM Land Registry puts the average price of a home in Manchester at £252,309 for July 2026, up 1.2% on a year before. That is the 7th highest of 35 in the North West (regional average £221,445). Since July 2016 prices have risen 74%; the July high in the series was £255,632 in 2024. Dividing the average price by the median annual pay of full-time employees living in Manchester (£36,278) gives a ratio of 7.0. That ratio is the 5th highest ratio of the 35 council areas in the North West.
Full-time employees living in Manchester earned a median £715.60 a week in April 2025 (£36,278 a year). It is the 22nd highest of 35 in the North West, and 2.6% less than across the North West. Jobs based in Manchester paid a median £794.80 a week, £79.20 more than the figure for people who live there. In 2015 the residents' median was £479.80, so it has risen 49% before inflation.
An estimated 74.9% of people aged 16 to 64 living in Manchester were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey, with a margin of error of 3.8 points either way, against 73.8% across the North West. Its lowest reading in the series was 62.9% and its highest 74.9%.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 523,321 |
| 2016 | 533,446 |
| 2017 | 536,961 |
| 2018 | 540,675 |
| 2019 | 545,947 |
| 2020 | 547,340 |
| 2021 | 550,630 |
| 2022 | 569,260 |
| 2023 | 581,416 |
| 2024 | 588,597 |
| 2025 | 588,256 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £144,978 |
| July 2017 | £156,712 |
| July 2018 | £169,818 |
| July 2019 | £171,181 |
| July 2020 | £175,019 |
| July 2021 | £208,722 |
| July 2022 | £231,065 |
| July 2023 | £229,283 |
| July 2024 | £255,632 |
| July 2025 | £249,208 |
| July 2026 | £252,309 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £479.80 a week |
| 2016 | £471.50 a week |
| 2017 | £478.60 a week |
| 2018 | £497.30 a week |
| 2019 | £535.80 a week |
| 2020 | £536.20 a week |
| 2021 | £531.30 a week |
| 2022 | £574.90 a week |
| 2023 | £646.00 a week |
| 2024 | £669.80 a week |
| 2025 | £715.60 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,435.12 |
| 2017-18 | £1,502.12 |
| 2018-19 | £1,566.79 |
| 2019-20 | £1,646.02 |
| 2020-21 | £1,724.71 |
| 2021-22 | £1,805.84 |
| 2022-23 | £1,872.59 |
| 2023-24 | £1,969.50 |
| 2024-25 | £2,068.25 |
| 2025-26 | £2,183.03 |
| 2026-27 | £2,312.04 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 116.5 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 140.3 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 183.3 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 170.9 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 137.7 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 121.4 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 169.9 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 179.6 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 162.7 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 147.0 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 143.0 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 63.9% |
| 2016/17 | 62.9% |
| 2017/18 | 68.9% |
| 2018/19 | 68.8% |
| 2019/20 | 66.5% |
| 2020/21 | 69.0% |
| 2021/22 | 68.1% |
| 2022/23 | 68.2% |
| 2023/24 | 67.0% |
| 2024/25 | 69.1% |
| 2025/26 | 74.9% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 79.9 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 79.8 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 79.4 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 79.5 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 79.8 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 80.2 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 79.8 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 79.4 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 79.2 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 79.7 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 80.1 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 23,840 |
| 2017 | 27,460 |
| 2018 | 28,970 |
| 2019 | 27,780 |
| 2020 | 28,090 |
| 2021 | 28,830 |
| 2022 | 28,650 |
| 2023 | 27,995 |
| 2024 | 28,070 |
| 2025 | 28,950 |
| 2026 | 29,740 |
Questions about Manchester
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Manchester?
25,185 in August 2026 (6.0% of residents aged 16 to 64), on the ONS claimant count, which is not the unemployment rate.
What is the crime rate in Manchester?
143.0 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in the year to March 2026, excluding fraud (Home Office).
How much is Band D council tax in Manchester?
£2,312.04 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
What is life expectancy in Manchester?
80.1 years for women and 75.6 for men (2022 to 2024, ONS).
What is the population of Manchester?
588,256 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
What is the average house price in Manchester?
£252,309 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (+1.2% on a year).
What is the average salary in Manchester?
Median pay for full-time employees living in Manchester was £715.60 a week in April 2025 (£36,278 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
Who has power over Manchester
Every body that makes decisions for Manchester, 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
- Manchester council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Manchester 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
- Blackley and Middleton South: Graham Stringer (Labour) MP
- Gorton and Denton: Hannah Spencer (Green Party) MP
- Manchester Central: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op)) MP
- Manchester Rusholme: Afzal Khan (Labour) MP
- Manchester Withington: Jeff Smith (Labour) MP
- Wythenshawe and Sale East: Mike Kane (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 North West
- UK figures: UK unemployment rate · Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime · Life expectancy at birth (UK)
- Other council areas in the North West: Bolton · Cheshire East · Cheshire West and Chester · Liverpool · Wigan · Wirral
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?
- How healthy is my area?
- How do I check my council tax band?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.