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Living in Harlow

Harlow is a city in the United Kingdom, and the figures below are its published values. At the end of 2021, Harlow had a population of 93,580. At the end of 2024, the regional median gross salary stood at €3,812 per month. The unemployment rate was 3.89% at the end of 2018.

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

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 Harlow.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Rent price index, mean1,778 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics12Official

Work and income

Employment rates for Harlow measured 63% at the end of 2021. The workforce in Harlow was 46,145 at the end of 2021.

What is the unemployment rate in Harlow?

The unemployment rate is about 3.9 % (2018).

  • Unemployment rate: 3.89 % · Eurostat3
Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Harlow is 3.9%. Of 1,007 cities with data, 657 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in United Kingdom per band24 cities: 0% to under 2%240–2657 cities: 2% to under 4%6572–4Harlow 3.9%265 cities: 4% to under 6%2654–649 cities: 6% to under 8%496–87 cities: 8% to under 10%78–104 cities: 10% to under 12%410–121 city: 16% to under 18%116–18

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Employment rate63 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Median gross salary (regional)3,812 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics (ONS)7Official · regional context
Unemployment rate3.89 %country median 3.4%31 Dec 2018Eurostat3Official
Unemployment rate over time4 published observations, 2011–2018
Unemployment rate in Harlow by year, %3.5%5.3%7.2%9.0%2011201720183.9%%

Unemployment rate fell 55.0% between 2011 and 2018, from 8.6% to 3.9%.

Public employment service

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count31 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official
School Count42 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official

Mobility and administration

Harlow's nearest airport was STN, 15 km away and offered 153 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count153 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights10Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km15 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official
Nearest Major Airport IataSTN3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 3.9°C in January and 17.4°C in July.

Is the air quality good in Harlow?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.2 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: 7.15 µg/m³ · uk-air.defra.gov.uk13
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Harlow annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5257.2PM2.5µg/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 KingdomAnnual PM2.5 in Harlow is 7.2 µg/m³. Of 864 cities with data, 448 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in United Kingdom per band1 city: 3 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³13–428 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³284–5203 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³2035–6448 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³4486–7174 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³1747–8Harlow 7.28 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³88–91 city: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³19–101 city: 13 µg/m³ to under 14 µg/m³113–14

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean7.15 µg/m³31 Dec 2024uk-air.defra.gov.uk13Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 13.35 · Feb 17.08 · Mar 19.42 · Apr 25.35 · May 26.57 · Jun 28.77 · Jul 33.76 · Aug 32.34 · Sep 28.77 · Oct 27.12 · Nov 18.41 · Dec 14.17 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official · coordinate grid
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -7.47 · Feb -7.2 · Mar -4.6 · Apr -3.47 · May -0.18 · Jun 3.41 · Jul 7.2 · Aug 5.43 · Sep 2.45 · Oct -3.48 · Nov -4.76 · Dec -6.02 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by monthJan 3.91 · Feb 4.11 · Mar 5.94 · Apr 8.86 · May 12.12 · Jun 15.25 · Jul 17.39 · Aug 17.07 · Sep 14.41 · Oct 11.03 · Nov 7.06 · Dec 4.57 °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
Sutton Coldfield93,375 residentsBath94,080 residentsDarlington93,015 residentsChester92,760 residentsSouthport94,440 residentsStevenage94,470 residents

Population and city profile

The median age was 37 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Harlow?

The published population was 93,580 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics6

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population93,580 people31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics6Official

International community in Harlow

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 Kingdom76,53081.8%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)9,0809.7%
Europe: EU countries7,9708.5%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source9

Is Harlow 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 worker29%strong on work, weak on safety · range 19–39%
Skilled employee41%strong on work, weak on safety · range 32–50%
Student37%strong on education, weak on safety · range 28–46%
Family57%strong on family, weak on safety · range 47–67%
Retirement31%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 18–44%
Population93,580 people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Rent price index, mean1,778 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Official source · Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics
Employment rate63 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Median gross salary (regional)3,812 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Unemployment rate3.89 %31 Dec 2018Official source · Eurostat
PM2.5 — annual mean7.15 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · uk-air.defra.gov.uk
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-14

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
G07 Bachelors Or Higher Share Pct24.5 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
G09 Total Workers 16plus46,145 workers31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Median age37 years31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Universities0 count3 Aug 2026Office for Students8Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Harlow 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.

Is Harlow part of London?

Harlow is near London, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 34.2 km away by straight-line distance.

Relationship type: Nearby Independent Place. Source2

How does Harlow compare?

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Common questions

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

How many people live in Harlow?

The published population was 93,580 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Harlow?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.2 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: uk-air.defra.gov.uk.

What is the unemployment rate in Harlow?

The unemployment rate is about 3.9 % (2018). Source: Eurostat.

What is the typical salary around Harlow?

The median gross salary is 3,812 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Is Harlow a good place to live?

Harlow 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.

Is Harlow part of London?

Harlow is near London, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 34.2 km away by straight-line distance.

How many people born in Europe: EU countries live in Harlow?

The official country of birth distribution records 7,970 people (8.5%) 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 14). Harlow, United Kingdom: rent, salary, jobs, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/harlow/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_harlow-united-kingdom-rent-salary-jobs-air-quality_5622137888ea,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Harlow, United Kingdom: rent, salary, jobs, air quality},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-14},
  version = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  snapshot = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/harlow/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Harlow, United Kingdom: rent, salary, jobs, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/harlow/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; retrieved 2026-09-14; built 2026-09-14.

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. download.geonames.org recorded crime data download.geonames.org · checked 2026-08-28
  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) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-06
  8. Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  9. ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-06
  10. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
Show 3 more sources
  1. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  2. Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-12
  3. uk-air.defra.gov.uk uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26

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.