Middlesbrough: local statistics
Middlesbrough is a unitary authority in the North East, home to an estimated 152,795 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 Middlesbrough, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
In August 2026, 5,150 people in Middlesbrough were on the claimant count, 5.2% of residents aged 16 to 64; the rate for the North East was 3.7%. A year earlier the rate was 5.1%. Since August 2021 the rate has ranged between 4.8% (January 2026) and 8.4% (August 2021).
In the year to March 2026, 23,419 offences were recorded by police in Middlesbrough: 153.3 per 1,000 people, the highest rate of the 12 council areas in the North East. The rate was 150.4 in the year to March 2025. Across the 11 years shown it ranged from 112.6 to 184.7 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
In mid-2025 the population of Middlesbrough was estimated at 152,795, down 1.2% on mid-2024. That is 13,193 more people than in mid-2015, a rise of 9.5%; the North East grew by 5.8% over the same years. That is the 2nd fastest growth in the North East. The series peaked at 154,700 in mid-2024.
In 2022 to 2024, women in Middlesbrough had a life expectancy at birth of 80.5 years; for men it was 75.5 (England: 83.3 and 79.5). Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +0.6 years for women and -0.7 for men. It is the 2nd lowest for women of the 12 council areas in the North East.
Homes in Middlesbrough sold for an average of £140,909 in July 2026, up 3.7% on a year before. Among council areas that puts it the 3rd lowest of the 12 council areas in the North East (regional average £166,943). This July figure is the highest in the series, 33% up on July 2016. The average price is 4.0 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in Middlesbrough. That ratio is the lowest ratio in the North East.
The median full-time employee living in Middlesbrough was paid £671.00 a week before tax in April 2025 (£35,177 a year). It is the 9th highest of the 12 council areas in the North East, and 3.0% less than across the North East. The workplace figure, £675.50, is within £5 of it. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was £468.60: a change of +43% before inflation.
An estimated 66.0% of people aged 16 to 64 living in Middlesbrough were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey, with a margin of error of 4.3 points either way, against 71.8% across the North East. Its lowest reading in the series was 61.6% and its highest 67.8%.
4,540 businesses were registered for VAT or PAYE in Middlesbrough in March 2026, 9% more than in 2016. That is 30 for every 1,000 residents, the 8th highest of 12 in the North East.
For 2026-27 the average Band D council tax bill in Middlesbrough is £2,549.16, 2.5% more than in 2025-26. It is close to the middle of the 12 council areas in the North East (6th highest). Ten years earlier, in 2016-17, it was £1,717.58.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 139,602 |
| 2016 | 140,649 |
| 2017 | 141,213 |
| 2018 | 141,057 |
| 2019 | 142,134 |
| 2020 | 142,459 |
| 2021 | 143,943 |
| 2022 | 149,095 |
| 2023 | 153,186 |
| 2024 | 154,700 |
| 2025 | 152,795 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £105,586 |
| July 2017 | £101,619 |
| July 2018 | £104,737 |
| July 2019 | £105,433 |
| July 2020 | £103,503 |
| July 2021 | £115,220 |
| July 2022 | £129,215 |
| July 2023 | £125,929 |
| July 2024 | £129,602 |
| July 2025 | £135,831 |
| July 2026 | £140,909 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £468.60 a week |
| 2016 | £478.10 a week |
| 2017 | £470.30 a week |
| 2018 | £480.40 a week |
| 2019 | £502.00 a week |
| 2020 | £526.70 a week |
| 2021 | £527.60 a week |
| 2022 | £554.20 a week |
| 2023 | £553.60 a week |
| 2024 | £613.10 a week |
| 2025 | £671.00 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,717.58 |
| 2017-18 | £1,779.94 |
| 2018-19 | £1,868.53 |
| 2019-20 | £1,972.89 |
| 2020-21 | £2,050 |
| 2021-22 | £2,103.73 |
| 2022-23 | £2,168.17 |
| 2023-24 | £2,260.41 |
| 2024-25 | £2,370.01 |
| 2025-26 | £2,487.65 |
| 2026-27 | £2,549.16 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 112.6 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 118.1 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 135.0 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 159.9 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 166.7 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 144.1 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 179.1 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 184.7 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 160.4 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 150.4 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 153.3 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 65.1% |
| 2016/17 | 65.0% |
| 2017/18 | 64.3% |
| 2018/19 | 64.6% |
| 2019/20 | 64.9% |
| 2020/21 | 64.5% |
| 2021/22 | 62.9% |
| 2022/23 | 67.8% |
| 2023/24 | 61.6% |
| 2024/25 | 66.8% |
| 2025/26 | 66.0% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 79.9 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 79.8 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 79.7 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 80.0 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 80.2 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 80.5 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 80.1 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 79.6 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 79.5 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 79.9 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 80.5 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 4,170 |
| 2017 | 4,235 |
| 2018 | 4,200 |
| 2019 | 4,310 |
| 2020 | 4,370 |
| 2021 | 4,480 |
| 2022 | 4,415 |
| 2023 | 4,340 |
| 2024 | 4,390 |
| 2025 | 4,435 |
| 2026 | 4,540 |
Questions about Middlesbrough
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Middlesbrough?
The ONS claimant count was 5,150 in August 2026, 5.2% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
What is the crime rate in Middlesbrough?
153.3 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in the year to March 2026, excluding fraud (Home Office).
What is the population of Middlesbrough?
152,795 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
What is life expectancy in Middlesbrough?
For 2022 to 2024 the ONS gives 75.5 years for men and 80.5 for women.
What is the average house price in Middlesbrough?
HM Land Registry's figure for July 2026 is £140,909.
What is the average salary in Middlesbrough?
Median pay for full-time employees living in Middlesbrough was £671.00 a week in April 2025 (£35,177 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
How much is Band D council tax in Middlesbrough?
£2,549.16 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
Who has power over Middlesbrough
Every body that makes decisions for Middlesbrough, 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
- Middlesbrough council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Middlesbrough 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
- Middlesbrough and Thornaby East: Andy McDonald (Labour) MP
- Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland: Luke Myer (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 East
- UK figures: UK unemployment rate · Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime · UK population
- Other council areas in the North East: Darlington · Gateshead · Hartlepool · Redcar and Cleveland · South Tyneside · Stockton-on-Tees
Related questions
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- What is the population of my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- Who are my local councillors?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.