West Midlands: official statistics
The West Midlands region (ONS code E12000005) is wider than the West Midlands metropolitan county. It contains 30 local authority districts: the seven metropolitan boroughs of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton; Staffordshire's eight districts and Stoke-on-Trent; Warwickshire's five districts; Worcestershire's six; and the unitary councils of Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Telford and Wrekin. That is the boundary used in the ONS mid-year population estimates.
Searches for "West Midlands" can mean either area, so check which one a figure covers. The metropolitan county had 3,027,190 residents at mid-2025, just under half the regional total. Labour market figures here update automatically from the ONS.
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.
Car-making and metals
Motor vehicle manufacturing makes up a larger share of the West Midlands economy than of any other UK nation or region. It produced 3.0% of the region's £187.2 billion gross value added in 2024, about five times its 0.6% share of UK output, in the ONS regional GVA by industry. Manufacturing overall was 12.7% (UK 8.9%), basic and fabricated metal products 2.6% (UK 1.0%) and machinery 1.2% (UK 0.6%).
Transport and storage (4.3%) and wholesale and retail (11.0%) are also above UK shares. Finance and insurance (5.0%) and information and communication (4.0%) are below them.
The weakest labour market outside London
In May to July 2026 the West Midlands had the second highest unemployment rate of the English regions, 5.6%, after London. Its employment rate, 72.6%, was second lowest and down from 73.5% a year earlier, and 23.0% of 16 to 64 year olds were economically inactive, second only to the North East. Its claimant count rate, 6.3% in August 2026, was the highest of any English region (UK 4.4%).
The claimant count includes some people in work on Universal Credit, so it is not the same as unemployment; see Universal Credit claimants. The Nomis West Midlands profile breaks both measures down by borough.
Pay and household income
Median full-time pay for jobs in the region was £37,064 in April 2025, up 6.1% on 2024 and sixth of the nine regions. Household disposable income per head was £22,064 in 2024, 85.0% of the UK average, in the ONS regional GDHI figures.
GDP per head was £33,969 in 2024 (UK £41,627). Real GDP grew 1.4% in 2024, after 2.2% in 2023, which was the fastest growth of any UK region that year, according to the ONS regional GDP release. For Northern Ireland's labour market, see unemployment in Northern Ireland; for Wales, Welsh GDP.
House prices and rents
The UK House Price Index average for July 2026 was £236,098, up 2.9% on the year. First-time buyers paid an average of £210,872, the closest to the overall average of any English region. Average private rent was £982 a month in August 2026, up 4.9%. Postcode-level sale prices are in the Land Registry price paid data.
Population: young, and losing people to other regions
The region had 6,205,854 residents at mid-2025, up 24,221 (0.4%). It was one of only three English regions where births exceeded deaths (by 3,247), but one of two, with London, where more people moved to other parts of the UK than arrived from them (a net loss of 9,330). Net international migration added 30,051. Birmingham, with 1,176,960 residents, is the largest local authority district in England. The region's median age, 40.2, is the youngest outside London.
West Midlands Combined Authority
The West Midlands Combined Authority has an elected mayor and covers the seven metropolitan boroughs. It is one of the seven mayoral authorities with an Integrated Settlement, according to the GOV.UK Mayoral Strategic Authority funding note. The shire counties and unitary councils elsewhere in the region are not part of a mayoral authority.
Questions about West Midlands
What is the unemployment rate in the West Midlands?
5.6% in May to July 2026, the second highest of England's regions after London and above the UK's 4.9%. The figure on this page refreshes with each ONS release.
What is the average salary in the West Midlands?
Median full-time pay for jobs in the West Midlands region was £37,064 a year in April 2025 (£730.40 a week), according to provisional ONS ASHE data. The all-employee median was £31,360.
What is the population of the West Midlands?
The West Midlands region had 6,205,854 residents at mid-2025 (ONS). The smaller West Midlands metropolitan county, the area of the combined authority, had 3,027,190.
What is the average house price in the West Midlands?
£236,098 in July 2026 on the UK House Price Index, up 2.9% in a year.
Which counties are in the West Midlands region?
Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire (with Telford and Wrekin) and the West Midlands metropolitan county, which includes Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. Stoke-on-Trent is a separate unitary council within Staffordshire's area.
Related questions
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Official sources: ONS labour market in the regions of the UK · Nomis labour market profile: West Midlands · ONS population estimates for England and Wales · ONS regional economic activity by GDP · West Midlands Combined Authority · GOV.UK: Mayoral Strategic Authority funding 2026 to 2027
Other regions: East Midlands · East of England · London · North East · North West · South East · South West · Yorkshire and the Humber