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Living in Bristol

Bristol is a city in the United Kingdom. Bristol numbered 425,215 residents at the end of 2021. Regional median gross salary figures for Bristol showed €3,356 per month at the end of 2024. The city faced an unemployment rate of 3.76% at the end of 2018.

More recorded crime than 90% of United Kingdom cities that publish it and dirtier air than any other United Kingdom city that publishes it.

Which United Kingdom-wide rules apply when you move to Bristol?

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 United KingdomNational rates and thresholds that apply in Bristol.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

What recurs every month4 published recurring costs, € per month
Bristol recurring monthly costs, € per month€279Utilities, 85 m² flat€105Transport pass€34Internet, 60 Mbps€15Mobile plan, 10 GB€ / month

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited33.7 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/bristol/14Community estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB14.67 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/bristol/14Community estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass105.4 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/bristol/14Community estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home279.3 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/bristol/14Community estimate · Supplemental context

Work and income

For Bristol, the employment rate was 61.2% at the end of 2021. Bristol had 215,010 at the end of 2021.

What is the typical salary in Bristol?

The median gross salary is about 3,565 EUR/month (2025). The regional series (home-region basis, 2024) is a separate labelled row in the table.

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions. the regional series (home-region basis, {period}) is a separate labelled row in the table — shown in the table below.

  • Median gross salary: 3,565 EUR/month · ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary10
  • Median gross salary (regional): 3,356 EUR/month · 2026-08-06 · Office for National Statistics (ONS)8

What is the unemployment rate in Bristol?

The unemployment rate is about 3.8 % (2018).

  • Unemployment rate: 3.76 % · Eurostat3
Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Bristol is 3.8%. Of 384 cities with data, 230 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in United Kingdom per band9 cities: 0% to under 2%90–2230 cities: 2% to under 4%2302–4Bristol 3.8%107 cities: 4% to under 6%1074–630 cities: 6% to under 8%306–84 cities: 8% to under 10%48–103 cities: 10% to under 12%310–121 city: 16% to under 18%116–18

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Employment rate61.2 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Median gross salary3,565 EUR/month31 Dec 2025ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary10Official
Median gross salary (regional)3,356 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics (ONS)8Official · regional context
Salary Net Avg Eur Month3,351 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/bristol/14Community estimate · Supplemental context
Unemployment rate3.76 %country median 3.5%31 Dec 2018Eurostat3Official
Unemployment rate over time11 published observations, 1991–2018
Unemployment rate in Bristol by year, %3.2%5.8%8.4%11.0%1991200120082011201620183.8%%

Unemployment rate fell 64.1% between 1991 and 2018, from 10.5% to 3.8%.

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

Jobcentre Plus — Public employment service

Department for Work and Pensions

Job SearchUnemployment Claim
Open official service
Open the United Kingdom service overview

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count220 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official
School Count323 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official

Safety

How safe is Bristol?

Police recorded about 13,099 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

  • Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 13,099 offences per 100,000 · Office for National Statistics7
Recorded crime across major citiesBristol highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Bristol highlighted14,267Manchester13,099Bristol12,409Liverpool11,700Bradford11,462Leeds11,416Birmingham11,001Leicester9,693Sheffield9,379Cardiff8,836Coventry757Glasgow549Edinburghrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents13,099 offences per 100,000country median 9,66931 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics7Official

Mobility and administration

Bristol's nearest airport was BRS, 12 km away and offered 73 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count73 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights12Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km12 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports13Official
Nearest Major Airport IataBRS3 Aug 2026OurAirports13Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 13 µg/m³ at the end of 2019.

Is the air quality good in Bristol?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 13 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency2

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
Bristol annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52513.0PM2.5µg/m³

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

PM2.5 across cities in United KingdomOf 104 cities with data, 52 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in United Kingdom per band1 city: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³14–522 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³225–652 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³526–727 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³277–82 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³28–9

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean13 µg/m³31 Dec 2019European Environment Agency2Official · nearest-station reading
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 13.28 · Feb 14.88 · Mar 18.07 · Apr 22.44 · May 23.88 · Jun 29.33 · Jul 33.11 · Aug 32.09 · Sep 27.49 · Oct 25.71 · Nov 17.72 · Dec 13.93 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official · coordinate grid
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -7.04 · Feb -7.14 · Mar -6.04 · Apr -3.29 · May 0.4 · Jun 4.29 · Jul 6.9 · Aug 6.6 · Sep 3.79 · Oct -1.63 · Nov -5.01 · Dec -5.71 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by monthJan 4.62 · Feb 4.56 · Mar 6.07 · Apr 8.75 · May 11.91 · Jun 15.03 · Jul 17 · Aug 16.67 · Sep 14.45 · Oct 11.22 · Nov 7.57 · Dec 5.29 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official · coordinate grid

Cities of a similar size in United Kingdom

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

All United Kingdom cities
Croydon407,821 residentsLeicester406,580 residentsManchester470,405 residentsEdinburgh488,050 residentsSheffield500,535 residentsLiverpool506,565 residents

Population and city profile

Median age stood at 33 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Bristol?

The published population was 425,215 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics6

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population425,215 people31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics6Official

International community in Bristol

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

Country of birth

Usual residents living in the individual ONS Built-up Area on Census Day 21 March 2021 · 2021 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
Europe: United Kingdom346,30081.4%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)45,85010.8%
Europe: EU countries33,0657.8%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source11

Is Bristol 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 worker50%strong on work, weak on housing · range 39–61%
Skilled employee63%strong on work, weak on housing · range 54–72%
Student60%strong on education, weak on housing · range 51–69%
Family55%strong on family, weak on housing · range 46–64%
Retirement46%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 33–59%
Population425,215 people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Employment rate61.2 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Median gross salary3,565 EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary
Median gross salary (regional)3,356 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Unemployment rate3.76 %31 Dec 2018Official source · Eurostat
PM2.5 — annual mean13 µg/m³31 Dec 2019Official source · European Environment Agency
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-05

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
G07 Bachelors Or Higher Share Pct43 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
G09 Total Workers 16plus215,010 workers31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Median age33 years31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Universities2 count3 Aug 2026Office for Students9Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Bristol under the national coverage rules.

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 Bristol?

The published population was 425,215 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Bristol?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 13 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency.

How safe is Bristol?

Police recorded about 13,099 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Office for National Statistics.

What is the typical salary in Bristol?

The median gross salary is about 3,565 EUR/month (2025). The regional series (home-region basis, 2024) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary.

What is the unemployment rate in Bristol?

The unemployment rate is about 3.8 % (2018). Source: Eurostat.

What is the typical salary around Bristol?

The median gross salary is 3,356 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Is Bristol a good place to live?

Bristol 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 Europe: EU countries live in Bristol?

The official country of birth distribution records 33,065 people (7.8%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. 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). Bristol, United Kingdom: salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/bristol/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_bristol-united-kingdom-salary-jobs_b311225025f9,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Bristol, United Kingdom: salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/bristol/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Bristol, United Kingdom: salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/bristol/) — 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. Department for Education (GIAS) get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  2. European Environment Agency air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  3. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  4. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  5. Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-07
  6. Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-04
  7. Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-04
  8. Office for National Statistics (ONS) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-06
  9. Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  10. ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary ONS ASHE workplace analysis · nomisweb.co.uk · checked 2026-09-05
Show 4 more sources
  1. ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-06
  2. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  3. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  4. Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/bristol/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05

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