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Living in Wels

Wels is a city in Austria, with a population of 65,482 at the start of 2025. The city covered 45.9 km² in 2025. Population density was 1,427.2 people per km² in 2025. The median age was 43 years in 2024. The unemployment rate was 9.2% at the end of 2024. Annual PM2.5 was 10 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Higher unemployment than 96% of Austrian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 74% of Austrian cities that publish it.

Which Austria-wide rules apply when you move to Wels?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in AustriaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Wels.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Wels yet. Austria has country-level context; it is not substituted for this city.

Net rent across major citiesWels highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Wels highlighted€7.90Vienna€7.58Innsbruck€6.92Salzburg€6.33Graznet rent, € / m² / month

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Wels?

The unemployment rate is 9.2 % (2024). Source: Register-based Labour Market Statistics 2024 — Key Results, municipalities11

Unemployment across cities in AustriaUnemployment in Wels is 9.2%. Of 255 cities with data, 58 have unemployment of 4 to under 5%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Austria per band2 cities: 1% to under 2%21–230 cities: 2% to under 3%302–349 cities: 3% to under 4%493–458 cities: 4% to under 5%584–550 cities: 5% to under 6%505–624 cities: 6% to under 7%246–720 cities: 7% to under 8%207–811 cities: 8% to under 9%118–96 cities: 9% to under 10%69–10Wels 9.2%2 cities: 10% to under 11%210–113 cities: 11% to under 12%311–12

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Employment rate72.3 %31 Dec 2024Statistik Austria12Official
Unemployment rate9.2 %country median 4.7%31 Dec 2024Register-based Labour Market Statistics 2024 — Key Results, municipalities11Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Wels. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich — Public employment service

Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich (AMS)

Job Search
Search jobs
Open the Austria service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Wels. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Hospital Beds Per 100k7,421 beds per 100,00031 Dec 2025Gesundheit Österreich GmbH / BMSGPK (kliniksuche.at)4Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Wels when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Hospital Beds Per 100k7,421 beds per 100,000Verified 2026-08-03
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport8 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights9Official
Nearest airportLNZ3 Aug 2026OurAirports10Official
Distance to nearest airport14 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports10Official

Language courses and integration in Wels

2 exact course-location records are linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally
2verified local records
Check courses in WelsHow the country programme works
Exact city-linked records checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Climate and air quality

Annual NO₂ was 16.5 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Wels?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 10 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

  • PM2.5 — annual mean: 10.04 µg/m³ · Official EEA E1a station annual stream, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the documented unweighted mean of station means.7
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Wels average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C-10°0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND25°-3°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Wels average monthly precipitation, mm035701051406654806211312512611995716770JFMAMJJASONDmm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Wels annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52510.0PM2.5154014.9PM10104016.5NO₂µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in AustriaAnnual PM2.5 in Wels is 10.0 µg/m³. Of 117 cities with data, 37 have annual PM2.5 of 10 to under 11 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Austria per band1 city: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³14–52 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³25–62 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³26–79 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³97–812 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³128–933 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³339–1037 cities: 10 µg/m³ to under 11 µg/m³3710–11Wels 10.014 cities: 11 µg/m³ to under 12 µg/m³1411–121 city: 12 µg/m³ to under 13 µg/m³112–132 cities: 13 µg/m³ to under 14 µg/m³213–142 cities: 14 µg/m³ to under 15 µg/m³214–152 cities: 16 µg/m³ to under 17 µg/m³216–17

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean16.47 µg/m³country median 14.331 Dec 2024Official EEA E1a station annual stream, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the documented unweighted mean of station means.5Official
NO₂ — latest reading10 µg/m³15 Jul 2026Official UBA NO2 TMW capture on 2026-07-15, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the same-day unweighted mean.8Official
PM10 — annual mean14.88 µg/m³country median 15.531 Dec 2024Official EEA E1a station annual stream, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the documented unweighted mean of station means.6Official
PM2.5 — annual mean10.04 µg/m³country median 10.0 — about the same31 Dec 2024Official EEA E1a station annual stream, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the documented unweighted mean of station means.7Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 2.3 · Feb 4.9 · Mar 9.6 · Apr 15.8 · May 19.5 · Jun 23.7 · Jul 24.8 · Aug 24.5 · Sep 19.8 · Oct 13.4 · Nov 7.3 · Dec 3 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Kremsmuenster14Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan -2.6 · Feb -2.1 · Mar 1.4 · Apr 5.4 · May 9.5 · Jun 13.4 · Jul 14.4 · Aug 14.3 · Sep 10.7 · Oct 6.3 · Nov 2.2 · Dec -1.6 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Kremsmuenster14Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan -0.2 · Feb 1.3 · Mar 5.7 · Apr 10.6 · May 15 · Jun 18.6 · Jul 20.3 · Aug 20 · Sep 15.2 · Oct 10.1 · Nov 4.7 · Dec 0.7 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Kremsmuenster14Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 66.2 · Feb 54.2 · Mar 79.6 · Apr 61.6 · May 113 · Jun 124.9 · Jul 126 · Aug 119.4 · Sep 94.8 · Oct 71.2 · Nov 66.9 · Dec 69.9 mm1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Kremsmuenster14Official · nearest-station reading
Annual PM2.5 over time10 published observations, 2015–2024
Annual PM2.5 in Wels by year, µg/m³9.611.513.515.42015201720192021202410.0µg/m³

Annual PM2.5 fell 33.1% between 2015 and 2024, from 15.0 to 10.0.

Cities of a similar size in Austria

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Austria cities
Villach65,749 residentsSt. Pölten59,767 residentsDornbirn52,108 residentsWiener Neustadt49,156 residentsKlagenfurt am Wörthersee105,256 residentsSteyr38,036 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Wels?

The published population was 65,482 people in January 2025. Source: Archived AT round-01 G01 population evidence1

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Wels residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport65.2%Foreign residents34.8%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area45.88 km²1 Jan 2025Gemeinden 2025-01-01 WFS geometry3Official
Foreign-resident share34.1 %31 Dec 2024Statistik Austria12Official
Foreign residents22,777 people1 Jan 2026Bevölkerung am 01.01.2026 nach Staatsangehörigkeit und administrativen Gebietseinheiten2Official
Population density1,427 people/km²1 Jan 2025Reproducible Gemeinde density from archived official population_total 2025-01-01 divided by official 2025 Gemeinde geometry area.3Official
Population65,482 people1 Jan 2025Archived AT round-01 G01 population evidence1Official

International community in Wels

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Population with main residence, current territorial structure, 1 January 2026, total sex · 2026-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Population total65,764100.0%
Austria41,49963.1%
Non-Austria24,26536.9%
Third countries16,89825.7%
Europe including Türkiye13,11119.9%
EU and EFTA states (including United Kingdom)7,36711.2%
EU Member States (26)7,27411.1%
EU Member States since 2004 (13)5,5728.5%
Bosnia and Herzegovina5,3978.2%
Asia2,9654.5%
Show 16 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Türkiye2,2333.4%
Serbia2,0693.1%
Romania1,7742.7%
EU Member States before 2004 (13)1,7022.6%
Hungary1,2982.0%
Germany1,1981.8%
Croatia1,1251.7%
Syria7021.1%
Ukraine5810.9%
Africa5260.8%
America2690.4%
Latin America1990.3%
EFTA states, associated microstates and United Kingdom930.1%
North America700.1%
Oceania200.0%
Unknown / unsettled / stateless70.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source2

Citizenship

Population with main residence, current territorial structure, 1 January 2026, total sex · 2026-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Population total65,764100.0%
Austria42,98765.4%
Non-Austria22,77734.6%
Third countries12,54319.1%
EU and EFTA states (including United Kingdom)10,23415.6%
EU Member States (26)10,17815.5%
Europe including Türkiye9,32014.2%
EU Member States since 2004 (13)8,61013.1%
Croatia3,2985.0%
Bosnia and Herzegovina2,6924.1%
Show 16 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Asia2,6394.0%
Romania1,8632.8%
Hungary1,7482.7%
Türkiye1,7352.6%
Serbia1,7242.6%
EU Member States before 2004 (13)1,5682.4%
Germany9361.4%
Syria6661.0%
Ukraine5780.9%
Africa4120.6%
America1480.2%
Latin America1090.2%
EFTA states, associated microstates and United Kingdom560.1%
North America390.1%
Unknown / unsettled / stateless150.0%
Oceania90.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source2

Is Wels a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker58%strong on work, weak on safety · range 49–67%
Skilled employee62%strong on work, weak on safety · range 53–71%
Student64%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 54–74%
Family53%strong on family, weak on safety · range 43–63%
Retirement62%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 52–72%
Foreign residents22,777 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Bevölkerung am 01.01.2026 nach Staatsangehörigkeit und administrativen Gebietseinheiten
Population65,482 people1 Jan 2025Official source · Archived AT round-01 G01 population evidence
NO₂ — latest reading10 µg/m³15 Jul 2026Official source · Official UBA NO2 TMW capture on 2026-07-15, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the same-day unweighted mean.
Employment rate72.3 %31 Dec 2024Official source · Statistik Austria
Unemployment rate9.2 %31 Dec 2024Official source · Register-based Labour Market Statistics 2024 — Key Results, municipalities
NO₂ — annual mean16.47 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · Official EEA E1a station annual stream, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the documented unweighted mean of station means.
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-07

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Households29,585 households31 Dec 2024Statistik Austria12Official
Median age43 years1 Jan 2024Statistik Austria OGD (OGD_ake100_hvd_ogdonly_HVD_ALQUO_1) — NUTS-2 unemployment13Official · bundesland fallback

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Wels?

The published population was 65,482 people in January 2025. Source: Archived AT round-01 G01 population evidence.

Is the air quality good in Wels?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 10 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Official EEA E1a station annual stream, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the documented unweighted mean of station means..

What is the unemployment rate in Wels?

The unemployment rate is 9.2 % (2024). Source: Register-based Labour Market Statistics 2024 — Key Results, municipalities.

How many foreign residents live in Wels?

22,777 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Bevölkerung am 01.01.2026 nach Staatsangehörigkeit und administrativen Gebietseinheiten.

Is Wels a good place to live?

Wels may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Africa live in Wels?

The official country of birth distribution records 526 people (0.8%) in the source-defined population for 2026-01-01. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Wels, Austria: rent, jobs, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/at/wels/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_wels-austria-rent-jobs-air-quality_42d40406bcb2,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Wels, Austria: rent, jobs, air quality},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/at/wels/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Wels, Austria: rent, jobs, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/at/wels/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. Archived AT round-01 G01 population evidence statistik.at · checked 2025-01-01
  2. Bevölkerung am 01.01.2026 nach Staatsangehörigkeit und administrativen Gebietseinheiten statistik.at · checked 2026-01-01
  3. Gemeinden 2025-01-01 WFS geometry statistik.gv.at · checked 2025-01-01
  4. Gesundheit Österreich GmbH / BMSGPK (kliniksuche.at) khstrukturdaten.goeg.at · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Official EEA E1a station annual stream, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the documented unweighted mean of station means. eeadmz1batchservice02.blob.core.windows.net · checked 2024-12-31
  6. Official EEA E1a station annual stream, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the documented unweighted mean of station means. eeadmz1batchservice02.blob.core.windows.net · checked 2024-12-31
  7. Official EEA E1a station annual stream, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the documented unweighted mean of station means. eeadmz1batchservice02.blob.core.windows.net · checked 2024-12-31
  8. Official UBA NO2 TMW capture on 2026-07-15, exact station point inside the target Gemeinde; place value is the same-day unweighted mean. luft.umweltbundesamt.at · checked 2026-07-15
  9. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  10. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Show 4 more sources
  1. Register-based Labour Market Statistics 2024 — Key Results, municipalities Register-based Labour Market Statistics 2024 · statistik.at · checked 2026-07-26
  2. Statistik Austria data.statistik.gv.at · checked 2026-08-07
  3. Statistik Austria OGD (OGD_ake100_hvd_ogdonly_HVD_ALQUO_1) — NUTS-2 unemployment Statistik Austria OGD (OGD_ake100_hvd_ogdonly_HVD_ALQUO_1) · data.statistik.gv.at · checked 2026-07-14
  4. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Kremsmuenster WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.