North East: official statistics
The North East is the smallest of England's nine statistical regions by population. It runs from the Scottish border to the Tees and is made up of 12 local authorities: Northumberland, County Durham, the five Tyne and Wear boroughs (Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland), and the Tees Valley councils of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees. The ONS uses this boundary, code E12000001, for its mid-year population estimates.
On the official measures below, the North East has the lowest pay, output per head, household income, house prices and rents of the nine English regions. Labour market figures update automatically from the ONS each month; the rest show the value read on 13 October 2026 with its period.
Figures from the ONS update automatically when a new release comes out; the others show the latest value when we last checked, with its period.
What the North East economy is made of
In 2024 the region produced £72.7 billion of gross value added (GVA), according to the ONS regional GVA by industry tables. Manufacturing made up 13.4% of it, against 8.9% for the UK as a whole, and pharmaceutical manufacturing alone accounted for 4.0%, four times its UK share of 1.0%. Public services also weigh more heavily than nationally: health and social work was 11.5% of GVA (UK 8.5%), education 8.1% (UK 5.8%) and public administration and defence 6.6% (UK 5.0%).
The sectors that are under-represented are the high-paying private services. Financial and insurance activities were 4.5% of North East GVA, compared with 8.0% nationally, and professional, scientific and technical services were 5.5%, compared with 8.6%. That mix is one reason the region's pay and output per head are lower than the England average.
Output and income per head
GDP per head was £29,957 in 2024, the lowest of all 12 UK nations and regions in the ONS regional GDP release of 23 September 2026 (UK £41,627; Wales £31,484). Output grew 1.6% in real terms in 2024, joint fastest among the English regions with the North West, but only 0.3% per head once population growth is taken into account. ONS warns that per head figures can be distorted by commuting across regional boundaries, though that matters far less here than for London.
Gross disposable household income (GDHI), the money households have to spend or save after taxes and benefits, was £20,562 per head in 2024, or 79.2% of the UK average: again the lowest of any UK region in the ONS regional GDHI release. For poverty measures, see child poverty in the UK. Figures for the other UK nations are on their own pages, for example Scotland's GDP and the GDP of Wales.
Jobs: high inactivity rather than high unemployment
The North East's distinctive labour market statistic is economic inactivity. In May to July 2026 the ONS estimated that 24.7% of people aged 16 to 64 were neither in work nor looking for it, the highest of the English regions (UK 20.9%). The employment rate, 71.3%, was the lowest. Unemployment, 5.1%, was close to the UK's 4.9%. The claimant count rate for August 2026 was 4.8% (UK 4.4%).
The Labour Force Survey sample for a region this size is small, so quarter-to-quarter moves are noisy: the employment rate a year earlier was 68.8% and inactivity 27.3%. Look at the trend over several releases, and at long-term sickness, which is covered in the long-term sickness question. Local authority figures are in the Nomis labour market profile for the North East.
Pay, house prices and rents
Median gross pay for full-time employees working in the North East was £34,403 a year in April 2025 (£681.20 a week), the lowest of the English regions and 88% of the UK median of £39,039. Including part-time jobs, the median was £29,266.
The UK House Price Index average for July 2026 was £166,943, the lowest of any English region and 4.9% higher than a year earlier, the fastest annual rise in England. Flats and maisonettes averaged £103,288. Private renters paid an average of £788 a month in August 2026, up 5.8% on a year earlier, according to the ONS Price Index of Private Rents. Both price levels are well below the UK average house price and UK rent figures.
Population: older, and growing through migration
The mid-2025 estimate was 2,762,746, up 13,998 (0.5%) in a year. Deaths (29,607) exceeded births (24,155), so the increase came from people moving in: a net gain of 7,439 from elsewhere in the UK and 12,201 from abroad. The median age was 42.2, against 40.6 for England. County Durham is the largest single council area, with 539,146 residents.
Combined authorities and mayors
Two mayoral combined authorities cover the whole region. The North East Combined Authority covers Northumberland, County Durham and the five Tyne and Wear councils, and is one of seven mayoral authorities given an Integrated Settlement (a single, flexible funding pot) according to the GOV.UK Mayoral Strategic Authority funding note. The Tees Valley Combined Authority covers the five Tees Valley councils. Each has a directly elected mayor; the authorities' own sites name the current office holder.
Questions about North East
What is the average salary in the North East?
The ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings gives median full-time pay for jobs based in the North East of £34,403 a year (£681.20 a week) in April 2025, the lowest of England's regions. The median for all employees, including part-time, was £29,266. The 2026 survey results are due from the ONS in the autumn.
What is the population of the North East of England?
2,762,746 at mid-2025, according to ONS estimates published on 29 July 2026. It is the smallest English region, with a median age of 42.2.
What is the unemployment rate in the North East?
5.1% in May to July 2026, against 4.9% for the UK. The bigger gap is in economic inactivity, 24.7% of 16 to 64 year olds, the highest of any English region. The figures on this page refresh with each monthly ONS release.
What is the average house price in the North East?
£166,943 in July 2026 on the UK House Price Index, up 4.9% on a year earlier. It is the cheapest English region for property and had the fastest annual price rise.
What is the GDP of the North East?
Regional GDP was £82.7 billion in 2024 at current prices, or £29,957 per head, the lowest per head of any UK nation or region, according to the ONS regional accounts published on 23 September 2026.
Which councils are in the North East region?
Twelve: Northumberland, County Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees. Cumbria is in the North West region, and North Yorkshire is in Yorkshire and the Humber.
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Official sources: ONS labour market in the regions of the UK · Nomis labour market profile: North East · ONS population estimates for England and Wales · ONS regional economic activity by GDP · ONS regional gross disposable household income · North East Combined Authority · Tees Valley Combined Authority
Other regions: East Midlands · East of England · London · North West · South East · South West · West Midlands · Yorkshire and the Humber