Living in Darlington

In Darlington, tenants pay an average rent of €805 a month (2026).

Darlington's population was 93,015 at the end of 2021. The unemployment rate was 4.42% at the end of 2018. Darlington recorded annual PM2.5 of 8 µg/m³ at the end of 2019.

Last checked 2026-09-2425 sources

Population93,015people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics

Median gross salary (region)3,567EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · ONS ASHE Table 8.1a — Weekly pay - Gross (£), full-time employee jobs by local authority of residence, 2025 provisional

Average rent804.9EUR/month31 Aug 2026Official source · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority

Unemployment rate4.42%country median 3.4% — 30% aboveOfficial source · Eurostat

Recorded crime9,103incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025District figureOfficial source · Police force area tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C4 or P3)

PM2.5, annual mean8µg/m³31 Dec 2019Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency

Higher unemployment than 77% of United Kingdom cities that publish it, less recorded crime than 64% 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 Darlington?

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 Darlington.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€24

Mobile plan, 10 GB€13

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	24.02 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	BT Full Fibre 150¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	12.87 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Three 100GB one-month data pack¹⁷Official · national market
Rent price index, mean	804.9 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics, 16 September 2026 edition¹⁶Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	804.9 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority¹²Official

Is Darlington 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 48–68%

Skilled employee67%strong on work, weak on safety · range 58–76%

Student51%strong on education, weak on work · range 42–60%

Family68%strong on family, weak on cost · range 58–78%

Retirement59%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 46–72%

Work and income

The employment rate of 55.6% was recorded at the end of 2021. Darlington had 42,190 at the end of 2021.

What is the unemployment rate in Darlington?

The unemployment rate is about 4.4 % (2018).

Unemployment rate: 4.42 % · Eurostat⁵

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Darlington is 4.4%. Of 999 cities with data, 652 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

652

263

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1216–18

Darlington 4.4%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Employment rate	55.6 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁷Official
Median gross salary (regional)	3,567 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	ONS ASHE Table 8.1a — Weekly pay - Gross (£), full-time employee jobs by local authority of residence, 2025 provisional¹⁰Official
Unemployment rate	4.42 %country median 3.4%	31 Dec 2018	Eurostat⁵Official

Unemployment rate over time5 published observations, 2011–2018

4.1%

5.8%

7.5%

9.3%

4.4%201120162018

Unemployment rate fell 50.4% between 2011 and 2018, from 8.9% to 4.4%.

What does a salary buy in Darlington?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€2,071of €2,913 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	€2,913
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority · 2026-08-31	− €805
Internet€24 · official · BT Full Fibre 150 · 2026-09-30	− €24
Mobile plan€13 · official · Three 100GB one-month data pack · 2026-09-30	− €13
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€2,071

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Darlington Salary needed to live in Darlington

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Darlington. 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 Darlington. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Primary schools	30 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)³Official
Schools	49 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)³Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 5 to 16, and public school is free.

A country-wide rule for United Kingdom; Darlington's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: legislation.gov.uk · 1996–2026.

Safety

How safe is Darlington?

Police recorded about 9,103 incidents per 100,000 (2025-26). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Police force area tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C4 or P3)¹⁵

Recorded crime across major citiesDarlington highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Manchester14,267

Bristol13,099

Liverpool12,409

Leeds11,462

Birmingham11,416

Leicester11,001

Sheffield9,693

Cardiff9,379

Belfast9,156

Coventry8,836

Glasgow757

Edinburgh549

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	9,103 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Police force area tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C4 or P3)¹⁵Official · county

Mobility and administration

Darlington's nearest airport was MME, 8 km away and offered 2 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	2 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹³Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	8 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁴Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	MME	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁴Official

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 3.6°C in January and 15.2°C in July.

Is the air quality good in Darlington?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency⁴

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

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.58WHO 5 · EU 25

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

PM2.5 across cities in United KingdomAnnual PM2.5 in Darlington is 8.0 µg/m³. Of 941 cities with data, 487 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.

211

487

200

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Darlington 8.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	8 µg/m³	31 Dec 2019	European Environment Agency⁴Official · nearest-station reading
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 12.16 · Feb 15.03 · Mar 18.78 · Apr 20.66 · May 23.07 · Jun 25.17 · Jul 26.09 · Aug 26.42 · Sep 23.72 · Oct 23 · Nov 15.85 · Dec 12.98 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁶Official · coordinate grid
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan -4.36 · Feb -4.9 · Mar -4.29 · Apr -2.18 · May -0.1 · Jun 4.02 · Jul 6.98 · Aug 5.39 · Sep 3.44 · Oct -0.14 · Nov -1.84 · Dec -5.7 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁶Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by month	Jan 3.59 · Feb 3.63 · Mar 4.95 · Apr 7.31 · May 10.28 · Jun 13.26 · Jul 15.17 · Aug 14.94 · Sep 12.75 · Oct 9.8 · Nov 6.48 · Dec 4.21 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁶Official · coordinate grid

Population and city profile

Darlington had a median age of 42 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Darlington?

The published population was 93,015 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics⁸

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Population	93,015 people	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁸Official

International community in Darlington

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 group	People	Share
Europe: United Kingdom	85,155	91.6%
Europe: EU countries	4,160	4.5%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)	3,700	4.0%

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

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher	27.4 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁷Official
Workers aged 16 and over	42,190 workers	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁷Official
Median age	42 years	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁷Official
Universities	0 count	3 Aug 2026	Office for Students⁹Official

Alternatives for people set on Darlington

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.

Harrogate as a Darlington alternative in the same region

59 km away, better on 1 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Median gross pay, region cannot be compared like for like.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,737 Harrogate vs 9,103 Darlington−48%
Annual PM2.5: 12.0 µg/m³ Harrogate vs 8.0 µg/m³ Darlington+50%
Median gross pay, region: €2,948 (2024) Harrogate vs €3,567 (2025) Darlingtonno percentage
Residents: 75,515 Harrogate vs 93,015 Darlington−19%

Full comparison More about Harrogate

Aylesbury as a Darlington alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 305 km, better on 1 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Median gross pay, region cannot be compared like for like.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,885 Aylesbury vs 9,103 Darlington−35%
Median gross pay, region: €3,473 (2024) Aylesbury vs €3,567 (2025) Darlingtonno percentage
Residents: 87,950 Aylesbury vs 93,015 Darlington−5%

Full comparison More about Aylesbury

Cities near Darlington

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in United Kingdom

Other cities in United Kingdom to compare with Darlington, nearest in population first.

All United Kingdom cities

Chester92,760 residents Sutton Coldfield93,375 residents Harlow93,580 residents Bath94,080 residents High Peak91,959 residents Southport94,440 residents

How does Darlington compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Darlington's.

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Darlington 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.

Put Darlington'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 Darlington?

The published population was 93,015 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Darlington?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8 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 Darlington?

What is the unemployment rate in Darlington?

The unemployment rate is about 4.4 % (2018). Source: Eurostat.

What is the typical salary around Darlington?

The median gross salary is 3,567 EUR/month. Source: ONS ASHE Table 8.1a — Weekly pay - Gross (£), full-time employee jobs by local authority of residence, 2025 provisional.

Is Darlington a good place to live?

Darlington 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.

Which cities are near Darlington?

Newton Aycliffe, Egglescliffe, Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees, Thornaby-on-Tees are near Darlington. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Europe: United Kingdom live in Darlington?

The official country of birth distribution records 85,155 people (91.6%) 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, October 25). Darlington, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version e88fd8969d94bef3bbd64304033f9350]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/darlington/ Retrieved 2026-10-25. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_darlington-united-kingdom-population-rent-salary-jobs_bf58f86c2ef4,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Darlington, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-25},
  version = {e88fd8969d94bef3bbd64304033f9350},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/darlington/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-25. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Darlington, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/darlington/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version e88fd8969d94bef3bbd64304033f9350; retrieved 2026-10-25; built 2026-10-25.

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

BT Full Fibre 150 bt.com · checked 2026-09-15
Coordinate identity evidence services1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-09-06
Department for Education (GIAS) get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-03
European Environment Agency air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-07
Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-04
Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03
ONS ASHE Table 8.1a — Weekly pay - Gross (£), full-time employee jobs by local authority of residence, 2025 provisional ONS ASHE Table 8.1a · ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-24

Show 15 more sources

ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-06
ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-23
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Police force area tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C4 or P3) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-24
Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics, 16 September 2026 edition ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-18
Three 100GB one-month data pack three.co.uk · checked 2026-09-15
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

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