Living in Hammerfest

In Hammerfest, unemployment is 1.5% (2026).

The unemployment rate was 1.5% in June 2026. Car density was 442 vehicles per 1,000 residents at the end of 2025. At the start of 2026, the foreign population was 2,470. There were 400.3 physicians per 100,000 residents in 2024. There were 3.97 doctors per 1,000 people in 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-1917 sources

Population11,391people1 Jan 2026Official source · SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.

Median gross salary (region)4,726EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · data.ssb.no

Unemployment rate1.5%country median 1.7% — 12% belowOfficial source · NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026

Recorded crime7,310incidents per 100,000country median 4,460 — 64% aboveOfficial source · data.ssb.no

Lower unemployment than 68% of Norwegian cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 93% of Norwegian cities that publish it.

Which Norway-wide rules apply when you move to Hammerfest?

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 NorwayNational rates and thresholds that apply in Hammerfest.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Hammerfest. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€83

Mobile plan, 10 GB€28

Net rent across major citiesHammerfest highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Trondheim€21.79

Bergen€20.40

Stavanger€19.55

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	83.29 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Telenor fixed broadband¹¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	27.7 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	ice 18GB mobile plan³Official · national market
Dwellings	5,178 dwellings	31 Dec 2025	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)⁹Official

Is Hammerfest 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 worker63%strong on work, weak on housing · range 53–73%

Skilled employee68%strong on work, weak on housing · range 58–78%

Student42%strong on education, weak on housing · range 31–53%

Family50%strong on family, weak on housing · range 40–60%

Retirement40%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 28–52%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Hammerfest?

The unemployment rate is 1.5 % (June 2026). Source: NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026⁶

Unemployment across cities in NorwayUnemployment in Hammerfest is 1.5%. Of 177 cities with data, 60 have unemployment of 1.5 to under 2%.

0.5–11–1.51.5–22–2.52.5–33–3.5

Hammerfest 1.5%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	4,726 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	data.ssb.no¹Official
Unemployment rate	1.5 %country median 1.7%	30 Jun 2026	NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026⁶Official

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

NAV employment service — Public employment service

Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)

Job Search

Search jobs

Open the Norway service overview

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
International schools	4 schools	31 Dec 2025	Utdanningsdirektoratet¹⁷Independent · fylke observation

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: særskilt norskopplæring (adapted Norwegian language education). How to enrol a child (regjeringen.no).

A country-wide rule for Norway; Hammerfest's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Doctors per 1,000 residents	3.97 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Helsedirektoratet¹³Independent · fylke observation
Physicians per 100,000 residents	400.3 per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹⁶Independent · fylke observation

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Hammerfest 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

Doctors per 1,000 residents3.97 per 1,000Verified 2026-06-12

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Hammerfest?

Police recorded 7,310 incidents per 100,000 (2024-2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: data.ssb.no²

Recorded crime across major citiesHammerfest highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Oslo8,790

Kristiansand8,170

Hammerfest7,310

Trondheim6,890

Drammen6,870

Stavanger6,540

Bergen6,410

Fredrikstad6,280

Lillestrøm5,790

Sandnes5,270

Bærum5,170

Asker4,500

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	7,310 incidents per 100,000country median 4,460	31 Dec 2024	data.ssb.no²Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Hammerfest. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Approved providers for Norwegian and social studies training — State Language Course

Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir)

For adult immigrants needing Norwegian and social studies training.

Norwegian

Open official information

Norwegian municipal introduction programme — Integration course

Municipalities under the national IMDi framework

For adult refugees and other eligible immigrants.

NorwegianIn Person

Open official information

Open the full Norway section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Hammerfest.

Find courses near Hammerfest

Climate and air quality

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average January temperature	-1.53 °C	28 Aug 2026	MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt)⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan -3.5 · Feb -4 · Mar -2.5 · Apr 0.1 · May 4 · Jun 7.6 · Jul 11.3 · Aug 10.6 · Sep 7.9 · Oct 2.9 · Nov -0.4 · Dec -1.8 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹²Official

Population and city profile

The city covered 2,693 km² in 2026. Population density was 4 people per km² in 2026.

How many people live in Hammerfest?

The published population was 11,391 people in 2026. Source: SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.⁸

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport78.3%
Foreign residents21.7%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Area	2,693 km²	1 Jan 2026	Kartverket⁴Official · kommune observation
Cars per 1,000 residents	442 per 1,000	31 Dec 2025	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹⁵Independent · fylke observation
City area	2,693 km²	1 Jan 2026	SSB 11342 ArealKm2⁸Official
Foreign residents	2,470 people	1 Jan 2026	SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons⁷Official
Population density	4 people/km²	1 Jan 2026	SSB 11342 ArealKm2⁸Official
Population	11,391 people	1 Jan 2026	SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.⁸Official

International community in Hammerfest

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

Ancestry or ethnicity

Norwegian-born to immigrant parents; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total	319	2.8%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions	241	2.1%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand	78	0.7%
Somalia	62	0.5%
Syria	19	0.2%
Latvia	18	0.2%
Lithuania	14	0.1%
Eritrea	11	0.1%
Pakistan	11	0.1%
Poland	10	0.1%
Estonia	9	0.1%

Show 35 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Russia	9	0.1%
Ethiopia	9	0.1%
Sri Lanka	9	0.1%
Philippines	9	0.1%
Germany	8	0.1%
Afghanistan	8	0.1%
Congo	7	0.1%
Iraq	7	0.1%
Ukraine	6	0.1%
Serbia	6	0.1%
Nigeria	6	0.1%
Türkiye	5	0.0%
Sweden	4	0.0%
Moldova	4	0.0%
North Macedonia	4	0.0%
Djibouti	4	0.0%
Morocco	4	0.0%
India	4	0.0%
Colombia	4	0.0%
Denmark	3	0.0%
Finland	3	0.0%
Portugal	3	0.0%
Romania	3	0.0%
Bosnia-Herzegovina	3	0.0%
Montenegro	3	0.0%
Kosovo	3	0.0%
Algeria	3	0.0%
Benin	3	0.0%
South Sudan	3	0.0%
Bhutan	3	0.0%
Indonesia	3	0.0%
Nepal	3	0.0%
Brazil	3	0.0%
Chile	3	0.0%
Venezuela	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁷

Ancestry or ethnicity

Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total	2,470	21.7%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions	1,588	13.9%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand	882	7.7%
Ukraine	315	2.8%
Somalia	193	1.7%
Latvia	185	1.6%
Syria	121	1.1%
Lithuania	114	1.0%
Russia	95	0.8%
Poland	94	0.8%
Thailand	94	0.8%

Show 83 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Philippines	85	0.8%
Finland	71	0.6%
Eritrea	69	0.6%
Afghanistan	63	0.6%
Germany	57	0.5%
Estonia	50	0.4%
Sweden	47	0.4%
Romania	41	0.4%
Ethiopia	40	0.3%
Iraq	39	0.3%
Congo	36	0.3%
Serbia	34	0.3%
Portugal	32	0.3%
Spain	26	0.2%
Denmark	25	0.2%
Pakistan	25	0.2%
Colombia	24	0.2%
Uganda	23	0.2%
Sri Lanka	23	0.2%
Iceland	22	0.2%
Türkiye	21	0.2%
Nigeria	20	0.2%
Moldova	19	0.2%
India	15	0.1%
Nepal	15	0.1%
Croatia	14	0.1%
United Kingdom	14	0.1%
United States	12	0.1%
Brazil	12	0.1%
Bulgaria	11	0.1%
Morocco	11	0.1%
Kosovo	10	0.1%
Bhutan	9	0.1%
Jordan	9	0.1%
China	9	0.1%
Belgium	8	0.1%
Netherlands	8	0.1%
Bosnia-Herzegovina	8	0.1%
North Macedonia	8	0.1%
Ireland	7	0.1%
Kenya	7	0.1%
Sudan	7	0.1%
Bangladesh	7	0.1%
Faroe Islands	6	0.1%
Italy	6	0.1%
Czech Republic	6	0.1%
Montenegro	6	0.1%
Indonesia	6	0.1%
Iran	6	0.1%
Lebanon	6	0.1%
Chile	6	0.1%
Slovakia	5	0.0%
Algeria	5	0.0%
Djibouti	5	0.0%
South Sudan	5	0.0%
Cyprus	5	0.0%
Vietnam	5	0.0%
Argentina	5	0.0%
Venezuela	5	0.0%
Austria	4	0.0%
Angola	4	0.0%
Egypt	4	0.0%
Rwanda	4	0.0%
Yemen	4	0.0%
France	3	0.0%
Greece	3	0.0%
Belarus	3	0.0%
Hungary	3	0.0%
Benin	3	0.0%
Liberia	3	0.0%
Mozambique	3	0.0%
United Arab Emirates	3	0.0%
Georgia	3	0.0%
Hong Kong	3	0.0%
Kazakhstan	3	0.0%
South Korea	3	0.0%
Saudi Arabia	3	0.0%
Uzbekistan	3	0.0%
Canada	3	0.0%
Cuba	3	0.0%
Dominican Republic	3	0.0%
Mexico	3	0.0%
Panama	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁷

Ancestry or ethnicity

Immigrants; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total	2,151	18.9%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions	1,347	11.8%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand	804	7.1%
Ukraine	309	2.7%
Latvia	167	1.5%
Somalia	131	1.1%
Syria	102	0.9%
Lithuania	100	0.9%
Thailand	93	0.8%
Russia	86	0.8%
Poland	84	0.7%

Show 81 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Philippines	76	0.7%
Finland	70	0.6%
Eritrea	58	0.5%
Afghanistan	55	0.5%
Germany	49	0.4%
Sweden	43	0.4%
Estonia	41	0.4%
Romania	39	0.3%
Iraq	32	0.3%
Ethiopia	31	0.3%
Portugal	29	0.3%
Congo	29	0.3%
Serbia	28	0.3%
Spain	26	0.2%
Uganda	23	0.2%
Denmark	22	0.2%
Iceland	22	0.2%
Colombia	20	0.2%
Türkiye	16	0.1%
Moldova	15	0.1%
Nigeria	14	0.1%
Sri Lanka	14	0.1%
Pakistan	14	0.1%
Croatia	13	0.1%
United Kingdom	13	0.1%
Nepal	13	0.1%
India	11	0.1%
United States	11	0.1%
Bulgaria	10	0.1%
Brazil	10	0.1%
Jordan	9	0.1%
Belgium	7	0.1%
Ireland	7	0.1%
Netherlands	7	0.1%
Kosovo	7	0.1%
Kenya	7	0.1%
Morocco	7	0.1%
Sudan	7	0.1%
Bhutan	7	0.1%
China	7	0.1%
Faroe Islands	6	0.1%
Italy	6	0.1%
Bosnia-Herzegovina	6	0.1%
Czech Republic	6	0.1%
Bangladesh	6	0.1%
Iran	6	0.1%
Lebanon	6	0.1%
Slovakia	5	0.0%
Indonesia	5	0.0%
Cyprus	5	0.0%
Vietnam	5	0.0%
Austria	4	0.0%
North Macedonia	4	0.0%
Egypt	4	0.0%
Rwanda	4	0.0%
South Sudan	4	0.0%
Yemen	4	0.0%
Argentina	4	0.0%
France	3	0.0%
Greece	3	0.0%
Belarus	3	0.0%
Hungary	3	0.0%
Montenegro	3	0.0%
Algeria	3	0.0%
Angola	3	0.0%
Liberia	3	0.0%
Mozambique	3	0.0%
Tanzania	3	0.0%
United Arab Emirates	3	0.0%
Georgia	3	0.0%
Kazakhstan	3	0.0%
South Korea	3	0.0%
Palestine	3	0.0%
Saudi Arabia	3	0.0%
Uzbekistan	3	0.0%
Cuba	3	0.0%
Dominican Republic	3	0.0%
Mexico	3	0.0%
Panama	3	0.0%
Chile	3	0.0%
Venezuela	3	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁷

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Registered cars	5,677 vehicles	31 Dec 2025	Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)¹⁵Official
Universities	3 institutions	31 Dec 2025	HK-dir (DBH)¹⁴Independent · fylke observation

Alternatives for people set on Hammerfest

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Bodø as a Hammerfest alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 527 km, better on 2 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,220 Bodø vs 7,310 Hammerfest−29%
Unemployment: 1.3% Bodø vs 1.5% Hammerfest−13%
Median gross pay, region: €4,792 Bodø vs €4,726 Hammerfestsame level

Full comparison More about Bodø

Alternative cities in Norway

Other cities in Norway to compare with Hammerfest, nearest in population first.

All Norway cities

Vestvågøy11,606 residents Midt-Telemark11,157 residents Enebakk11,697 residents Ørsta11,068 residents Tysvær11,750 residents Volda11,009 residents

How does Hammerfest compare?

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Put Hammerfest's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Hammerfest?

The published population was 11,391 people in 2026. Source: SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year..

How safe is Hammerfest?

Police recorded 7,310 incidents per 100,000 (2024-2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: data.ssb.no.

What is the unemployment rate in Hammerfest?

The unemployment rate is 1.5 % (June 2026). Source: NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026.

What is the typical salary around Hammerfest?

The median gross salary is 4,726 EUR/month. Source: data.ssb.no.

How many foreign residents live in Hammerfest?

2,470 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons.

Is Hammerfest a good place to live?

Hammerfest 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 are in the Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions ancestry or ethnicity group in Hammerfest?

The official ancestry or ethnicity distribution records 241 people (2.1%) in the source-defined population for 2026-01-01. This is a ancestry or ethnicity 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, October 16). Hammerfest, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version ae7e8f3bfb597b56c29b76f2b85c4c70]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/hammerfest/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_hammerfest-norway-population-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_2cffe74e5417,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Hammerfest, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {ae7e8f3bfb597b56c29b76f2b85c4c70},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/hammerfest/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Hammerfest, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/hammerfest/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version ae7e8f3bfb597b56c29b76f2b85c4c70; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

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

data.ssb.no data.ssb.no · checked 2026-08-27
data.ssb.no data.ssb.no · checked 2026-08-27
ice 18GB mobile plan ice.no · checked 2026-09-15
Kartverket kartverket.no · checked 2026-07-14
MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt) frost.met.no · checked 2026-06-12
NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026 NAV HL301 · nav.no · checked 2026-07-26
SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-15
SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year. data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-06-12
Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-06-12

Show 7 more sources

Telenor fixed broadband telenor.no · checked 2026-09-15
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-02
Helsedirektoratet helsedirektoratet.no · checked 2026-07-14
HK-dir (DBH) dbh.hkdir.no · checked 2026-07-14
Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
Utdanningsdirektoratet udir.no · checked 2026-07-14

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.