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Living in Sapporo

Sapporo is a city in Japan. Sapporo's unemployment stood at 4.65% at the end of 2020. Sapporo's population density measured 1,760 people per km² at the end of 2020.

Higher unemployment than 85% of Japanese cities that publish it and cleaner air than 94% of Japanese cities that publish it.

Which Japan-wide rules apply when you move to Sapporo?

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 JapanNational rates and thresholds that apply in Sapporo.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Sapporo yet. We do not infer one from another place.

Net rent across major citiesSapporo highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Sapporo highlighted€15.18川崎市€13.60Yokohama€12.11大阪市€11.89京都市€11.78さいたま市€10.32千葉市€10.23福岡市€10.08神戸市€10.06仙台市€10.01名古屋市€9.52広島市€8.59札幌市net rent, € / m² / month

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Sapporo?

The unemployment rate is about 4.7 % (October 2020).

  • Unemployment rate: 4.65 % · 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表)5
Unemployment across cities in JapanUnemployment in Sapporo is 4.7%. Of 2,344 cities with data, 1,088 have unemployment of 3 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Japan per band1 city: 0% to under 1%10–125 cities: 1% to under 2%251–2310 cities: 2% to under 3%3102–31088 cities: 3% to under 4%10883–4688 cities: 4% to under 5%6884–5Sapporo 4.7%158 cities: 5% to under 6%1585–649 cities: 6% to under 7%496–714 cities: 7% to under 8%147–84 cities: 8% to under 9%48–97 cities: 9% to under 10%79–10

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate4.65 %country median 3.7%31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表)5Official

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

Hello Work — Public employment service

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan

Job Search
Search jobs
Open the Japan service overview

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

Mobility and administration

Sapporo's nearest major airport was 6 km away.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km6 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports1Official
Nearest Major Airport IataOKD3 Aug 2026OurAirports1Official

Language courses and integration in Sapporo

1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally
1verified local records

Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation

MN Building, Kita 1 Nishi 3-3, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-0001 Japan

+81-11-211-2105

View official record
Check courses in SapporoHow the country programme works
Exact city-linked record checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Sapporo?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 6.1 µg/m³ (2023) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: tenbou.nies.go.jp3

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

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Sapporo annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5256.1PM2.5µg/m³

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

PM2.5 across cities in JapanAnnual PM2.5 in Sapporo is 6.1 µg/m³. Of 646 cities with data, 178 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Japan per band9 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³94–519 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³195–675 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³756–7Sapporo 6.1155 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³1557–8178 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³1788–9126 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³1269–1054 cities: 10 µg/m³ to under 11 µg/m³5410–1124 cities: 11 µg/m³ to under 12 µg/m³2411–124 cities: 12 µg/m³ to under 13 µg/m³412–132 cities: 13 µg/m³ to under 14 µg/m³213–14

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean6.1 µg/m³country median 8.331 Dec 2023tenbou.nies.go.jp3Official

Cities of a similar size in Japan

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

All Japan cities
富士市245,392 residentsChigasaki247,214 residents草加市248,304 residents佐世保市243,223 residents調布市242,614 residents茅ヶ崎市242,389 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Sapporo?

The published population was 246,194 people in 2026. Source: Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total2

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Sapporo residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport90.3%Foreign residents 9.7%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area1,121 km²3 Aug 2026国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)4Official
Foreign-resident share1.22 %3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民 ÷ 総計)7Official
Foreign residents23,881 people3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)7Official
Population density1,760 people/km²31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)6Official
Population246,194 people1 Jan 2026Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total2Official

Is Sapporo 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 worker57%strong on work, weak on safety · range 47–67%
Skilled employee60%strong on work, weak on safety · range 50–70%
Student52%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 40–64%
Family53%strong on family, weak on safety · range 41–65%
Retirement56%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 44–68%
Foreign residents23,881 people3 Aug 2026Official source · 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)
Population246,194 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total
Unemployment rate4.65 %31 Dec 2020Official source · 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表)
PM2.5 — annual mean6.1 µg/m³31 Dec 2023Official source · tenbou.nies.go.jp
City area1,121 km²3 Aug 2026Official source · 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)
Foreign-resident share1.22 %3 Aug 2026Official source · 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民 ÷ 総計)
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-03

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sapporo 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
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Sapporo?

The published population was 246,194 people in 2026. Source: Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total.

Is the air quality good in Sapporo?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 6.1 µg/m³ (2023) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: tenbou.nies.go.jp.

What is the unemployment rate in Sapporo?

The unemployment rate is about 4.7 % (October 2020). Source: 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表).

How many foreign residents live in Sapporo?

23,881 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民).

Is Sapporo a good place to live?

Sapporo 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.

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). Sapporo, Japan: jobs, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/sapporo/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_sapporo-japan-jobs-air-quality_2115b8466713,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Sapporo, Japan: jobs, air quality},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/sapporo/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Sapporo, Japan: jobs, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/sapporo/) — 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. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  2. Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-10
  3. tenbou.nies.go.jp tenbou.nies.go.jp · checked 2026-08-26
  4. 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan) gsi.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  5. 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表) e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  6. 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表) e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  7. 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民) soumu.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03

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