Rhondda Cynon Taf: local statistics
Rhondda Cynon Taf is a principal council area in Wales, home to an estimated 241,015 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 Rhondda Cynon Taf, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
The average house price in Rhondda Cynon Taf was £164,192 in July 2026, up 4.7% on a year before. That is the 3rd lowest of all 22 council areas in Wales (average for Wales: £215,037). Prices are 72% above July 2016 and at their highest July level in the series. The average price is 4.7 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in Rhondda Cynon Taf. That ratio is the 19th highest ratio of all 22 council areas in Wales.
The median full-time employee living in Rhondda Cynon Taf was paid £665.50 a week before tax in April 2025 (£34,837 a year). It is the 2nd lowest of all 22 council areas in Wales, and 7.5% less than across Wales. Jobs based in Rhondda Cynon Taf paid a median £675.50 a week, £10.00 more than the figure for people who live there. In 2015 the residents' median was £469.00, so it has risen 42% before inflation.
The Annual Population Survey estimates that 65.3% of Rhondda Cynon Taf residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, with a margin of error of 4.1 points either way; the figure for Wales was 72.1%. Its lowest reading in the series was 65.3% and its highest 74.4%.
Life expectancy at birth in Rhondda Cynon Taf is 81.3 years for women and 77.0 years for men (2022 to 2024), compared with 82.2 and 78.3 years across Wales. Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +0.4 years for women and +0.1 for men. It is the 18th highest for women of 22 in Wales.
In March 2026, 6,970 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses were based in Rhondda Cynon Taf, 4% more than in 2016. There are 29 per 1,000 residents, the 18th highest of 22 in Wales.
3.2% of Rhondda Cynon Taf residents aged 16 to 64 (4,900 people) were on the claimant count in August 2026; the rate for Wales was 3.4%. A year earlier the rate was 3.1%. Since August 2021 the rate has ranged between 3.0% (January 2026) and 4.8% (August 2021).
Average Band D council tax in Rhondda Cynon Taf is £2,289.43 for 2026-27, 4.5% more than in 2025-26. It is 14th of 22 in Wales, counting from the highest.
In mid-2025 the population of Rhondda Cynon Taf was estimated at 241,015, down 0.3% on mid-2024. Over ten years, since mid-2015, it has grown by 2.5%; Wales grew by 3.3% over the same years. That is mid-table in Wales, 11th of 22. The series peaked at 241,793 in mid-2024.
The Home Office does not publish recorded crime for Rhondda Cynon Taf on its own for recent years, so this page gives the figure for the South Wales police force area: 106,881 offences excluding fraud in the year to March 2026, 3,218 fewer than the year before.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 235,233 |
| 2016 | 235,567 |
| 2017 | 236,357 |
| 2018 | 236,685 |
| 2019 | 237,574 |
| 2020 | 238,039 |
| 2021 | 237,545 |
| 2022 | 239,303 |
| 2023 | 241,617 |
| 2024 | 241,793 |
| 2025 | 241,015 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £95,546 |
| July 2017 | £97,781 |
| July 2018 | £102,731 |
| July 2019 | £107,707 |
| July 2020 | £108,655 |
| July 2021 | £131,475 |
| July 2022 | £147,891 |
| July 2023 | £148,018 |
| July 2024 | £151,168 |
| July 2025 | £156,858 |
| July 2026 | £164,192 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £469.00 a week |
| 2016 | £497.30 a week |
| 2017 | £500.00 a week |
| 2018 | £521.60 a week |
| 2019 | £509.80 a week |
| 2020 | £535.80 a week |
| 2021 | £563.80 a week |
| 2022 | £594.60 a week |
| 2023 | £623.90 a week |
| 2024 | £662.00 a week |
| 2025 | £665.50 a week |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 70.0% |
| 2016/17 | 69.2% |
| 2017/18 | 70.5% |
| 2018/19 | 70.8% |
| 2019/20 | 69.8% |
| 2020/21 | 66.0% |
| 2021/22 | 74.4% |
| 2022/23 | 67.6% |
| 2023/24 | 68.7% |
| 2024/25 | 68.9% |
| 2025/26 | 65.3% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 80.9 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 80.6 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 80.9 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 80.9 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 81.1 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 80.9 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 80.5 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 80.4 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 80.7 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 81.0 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 81.3 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 6,680 |
| 2017 | 7,425 |
| 2018 | 7,920 |
| 2019 | 7,555 |
| 2020 | 7,255 |
| 2021 | 7,180 |
| 2022 | 7,555 |
| 2023 | 7,185 |
| 2024 | 7,020 |
| 2025 | 6,805 |
| 2026 | 6,970 |
Questions about Rhondda Cynon Taf
What is the average house price in Rhondda Cynon Taf?
£164,192 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (+4.7% on a year).
What is the average salary in Rhondda Cynon Taf?
Median pay for full-time employees living in Rhondda Cynon Taf was £665.50 a week in April 2025 (£34,837 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is life expectancy in Rhondda Cynon Taf?
For 2022 to 2024 the ONS gives 77.0 years for men and 81.3 for women.
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Rhondda Cynon Taf?
4,900 in August 2026 (3.2% of residents aged 16 to 64), on the ONS claimant count, which is not the unemployment rate.
How much is Band D council tax in Rhondda Cynon Taf?
£2,289.43 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Welsh Government).
What is the population of Rhondda Cynon Taf?
The ONS estimates 241,015 people lived in Rhondda Cynon Taf in mid-2025.
Who has power over Rhondda Cynon Taf
Every body that makes decisions for Rhondda Cynon Taf, 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
- Rhondda Cynon Taf council this page
- Rhondda Cynon Taf in official figures this page
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
- Senedd and Welsh Government makes law for Wales on devolved subjects
Level 6: National government
- Cardiff North: Anna McMorrin (Labour) MP
- Cardiff West: Mr Alex Barros-Curtis (Labour) MP
- Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare: Gerald Jones (Labour) MP
- Pontypridd: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour) MP
- Rhondda and Ogmore: Chris Bryant (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 (police force area): This figure covers the whole South Wales police force area, not just Rhondda Cynon Taf, because the Home Office tables do not give Rhondda Cynon Taf on its own. It is the sum of the force's partnership rows, including offences not assigned to a partnership, and excludes fraud.
More on this area and these figures
- Figures for Wales
- UK figures: UK average house price · UK average weekly earnings growth · UK employment rate
- Other council areas in Wales: Bridgend · Caerphilly · Carmarthenshire · Flintshire · Newport · Swansea
Related questions
- What is the average house price in my area?
- What is the average salary in my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- How do I check my council tax band?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.