Powys: local statistics
Powys is a principal council area in Wales, home to an estimated 134,843 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 Powys, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
Police recorded 7,454 crimes in Powys in the year to March 2026, 55.3 for every 1,000 residents, the 2nd lowest rate in Wales. That compares with 58.1 per 1,000 the year before. In the year to March 2016 it was 37.6 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
Homes in Powys sold for an average of £237,762 in July 2026, up 3.8% on a year before. It ranks as the 4th highest of all 22 council areas in Wales (average for Wales: £215,037). Prices are 48% above July 2016 and at their highest July level in the series. The average price is 6.6 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in Powys. That ratio is 5th of 22 in Wales, counting from the highest ratio.
The claimant count for Powys stood at 2,020 in August 2026, or 2.7% of residents aged 16 to 64, compared with 3.4% in Wales. That compares with 2.5% a year before. Since August 2021 the rate has ranged between 2.2% (January 2024) and 3.2% (August 2021).
In 2022 to 2024, women in Powys had a life expectancy at birth of 83.6 years; for men it was 80.3, compared with 82.2 and 78.3 years across Wales. Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +0.0 years for women and -0.2 for men. It is the 3rd highest for women in Wales.
In March 2026, 9,745 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses were based in Powys, about the same as in 2016. There are 72 per 1,000 residents, the highest in Wales.
An estimated 76.3% of people aged 16 to 64 living in Powys were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey (give or take 4.7 points), against 72.1% across Wales. Over the 11 years shown it ranged from 71.7% to 81.1%.
Powys had an estimated 134,843 residents in mid-2025, unchanged on a year earlier. The ten-year change since mid-2015 is +1.4% (Wales: +3.3%), 15th of 22 in Wales, counting from the fastest growth. The series peaked at 134,855 in mid-2024.
Median weekly pay for full-time employees who live in Powys was £705.40 in April 2025 (£35,909 a year). That is 1.9% below the figure for Wales and the 14th highest of 22 in Wales. Jobs based in Powys paid a median £645.30 a week, £60.10 less than the figure for people who live there. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was £461.10: a change of +53% before inflation.
Average Band D council tax in Powys is £2,351.72 for 2026-27, up £117.28 on 2025-26. It is close to the middle of all 22 council areas in Wales (10th highest).
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 132,945 |
| 2016 | 132,531 |
| 2017 | 132,460 |
| 2018 | 131,967 |
| 2019 | 131,556 |
| 2020 | 132,199 |
| 2021 | 133,521 |
| 2022 | 133,860 |
| 2023 | 134,550 |
| 2024 | 134,855 |
| 2025 | 134,843 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £160,770 |
| July 2017 | £166,904 |
| July 2018 | £176,118 |
| July 2019 | £175,009 |
| July 2020 | £182,593 |
| July 2021 | £202,458 |
| July 2022 | £229,346 |
| July 2023 | £227,608 |
| July 2024 | £226,017 |
| July 2025 | £228,971 |
| July 2026 | £237,762 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £461.10 a week |
| 2016 | £489.80 a week |
| 2017 | £477.00 a week |
| 2018 | £484.70 a week |
| 2019 | £539.80 a week |
| 2020 | £519.50 a week |
| 2021 | £537.00 a week |
| 2022 | £571.80 a week |
| 2023 | £641.00 a week |
| 2024 | £675.50 a week |
| 2025 | £705.40 a week |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 37.6 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 41.4 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 47.6 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 51.5 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 53.9 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 54.4 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 72.6 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 76.9 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 49.7 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 58.1 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 55.3 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 77.3% |
| 2016/17 | 76.3% |
| 2017/18 | 81.1% |
| 2018/19 | 76.8% |
| 2019/20 | 77.5% |
| 2020/21 | 75.9% |
| 2021/22 | 76.5% |
| 2022/23 | 71.7% |
| 2023/24 | 74.6% |
| 2024/25 | 72.8% |
| 2025/26 | 76.3% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 83.6 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 83.5 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 84.1 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 84.1 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 84.0 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 83.6 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 83.3 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 83.5 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 83.4 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 83.4 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 83.6 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 9,715 |
| 2017 | 9,760 |
| 2018 | 9,700 |
| 2019 | 9,705 |
| 2020 | 9,665 |
| 2021 | 9,635 |
| 2022 | 9,655 |
| 2023 | 9,640 |
| 2024 | 9,720 |
| 2025 | 9,730 |
| 2026 | 9,745 |
Questions about Powys
What is the crime rate in Powys?
55.3 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in the year to March 2026, excluding fraud (Home Office).
What is the average house price in Powys?
HM Land Registry's figure for July 2026 is £237,762.
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Powys?
The ONS claimant count was 2,020 in August 2026, 2.7% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
What is life expectancy in Powys?
83.6 years for women and 80.3 for men (2022 to 2024, ONS).
What is the population of Powys?
134,843 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
What is the average salary in Powys?
£705.40 a week before tax, the median for full-time employees who live there (April 2025, ONS).
How much is Band D council tax in Powys?
The Welsh Government gives an average Band D bill of £2,351.72 for 2026-27.
Who has power over Powys
Every body that makes decisions for Powys, 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
- Powys council this page
- Powys in official figures this page
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- Dyfed-Powys Police police force
- Powys Teaching Health Board NHS
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
- Senedd and Welsh Government makes law for Wales on devolved subjects
Level 6: National government
- Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat) MP
- Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr: Steve Witherden (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
- Figures for Wales
- UK figures: Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime · UK average house price · UK unemployment rate
- Other council areas in Wales: Bridgend · Gwynedd · Neath Port Talbot · Pembrokeshire · Vale of Glamorgan · Wrexham
Related questions
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- What is the average house price in my area?
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- Which council am I in?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.