Living in Luton

In Luton, the median gross salary is €3,592 a month (2025) and tenants pay an average rent of €1,427 a month (2026).

Residents of Luton numbered 233,525 at the end of 2021. The regional median gross salary reached €3,681 per month at the end of 2024. Luton had an unemployment rate of 4.86% at the end of 2018.

Last checked 2026-09-2334 sources

Population233,525people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics

Median gross salary3,592EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · Annual survey of hours and earnings - workplace analysis, NOMIS table NM_99_1 (ONS)

Average rent1,427EUR/month31 Aug 2026Official source · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority

Unemployment rate4.86%country median 3.4% — 43% aboveOfficial source · Eurostat

Recorded crime8,315incidents per 100,000country median 9,646 — 14% belowOfficial source · www.ons.gov.uk

PM2.5, annual mean7.18µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · uk-air.defra.gov.uk

Higher unemployment than 81% of United Kingdom cities that publish it and less recorded crime than 75% of United Kingdom cities that publish it.

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

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 Luton.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Luton. 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 150²Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	12.87 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Three 100GB one-month data pack¹⁸Official · national market
Rent price index, mean	1,427 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics, 16 September 2026 edition¹⁷Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,427 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority¹³Official

Is Luton 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 worker25%strong on work, weak on safety · range 16–34%

Skilled employee56%strong on work, weak on safety · range 48–64%

Student36%strong on education, weak on work · range 29–43%

Family48%strong on family, weak on cost · range 40–56%

Retirement26%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 15–37%

Work and income

For Luton, the employment rate was 57.4% at the end of 2021. At the end of 2021, Luton recorded 103,005.

What is the typical salary in Luton?

The median gross salary is about 3,592 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.

Median gross salary: 3,592 EUR/month · Annual survey of hours and earnings - workplace analysis, NOMIS table NM_99_1 (ONS)¹
Median gross salary (regional): 3,681 EUR/month · 2026-08-06 · Office for National Statistics (ONS)¹⁰

What is the unemployment rate in Luton?

The unemployment rate is about 4.9 % (2018).

Unemployment rate: 4.86 % · Eurostat⁵

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Luton is 4.9%. Of 999 cities with data, 652 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

652

263

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1216–18

Luton 4.9%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Employment rate	57.4 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁸Official
Median gross salary	3,592 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	Annual survey of hours and earnings - workplace analysis, NOMIS table NM_99_1 (ONS)¹Official
Median gross salary (regional)	3,681 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Office for National Statistics (ONS)¹⁰Official · regional context
Unemployment rate	4.86 %country median 3.4%	31 Dec 2018	Eurostat⁵Official

Unemployment rate over time7 published observations, 2004–2018

4.5%

6.3%

8.2%

10.0%

4.9%2004201120162018

Unemployment rate fell 24.8% between 2004 and 2018, from 6.5% to 4.9%.

What does a salary buy in Luton?

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

Left over each month€1,463of €2,927 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.	€2,927
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	− €1,427
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	€1,463

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

Public employment service

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Primary schools	52 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)³Official
Schools	84 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; Luton's school authority applies it locally.

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

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
GP practices	49 count	30 Sept 2026	ODS GP Practices report (epraccur)⁶Official
Pharmacies	42 count	30 Sept 2026	ODS Pharmacy/Dispensaries report (edispensary)⁷Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Luton 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.

Safety

How safe is Luton?

Police recorded about 8,315 incidents per 100,000 (2026). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: www.ons.gov.uk²⁵

Recorded crime across major citiesLuton 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

Luton8,315

Glasgow757

Edinburgh549

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Burglaries per 100,000 residents	283.6 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2026	PFA tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C2 counts; Table C4 rates and mid-2024 population)¹⁶Official
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	8,315 incidents per 100,000country median 9,646	27 Aug 2026	www.ons.gov.uk²⁵Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents	3,036 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2026	PFA tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C2 counts; Table C4 rates and mid-2024 population)¹⁶Official

Mobility and administration

Luton's nearest airport was LTN, 3 km away and offered 85 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	85 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹⁴Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	3 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁵Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	LTN	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁵Official

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 4.3°C in January and 17.2°C in July.

Is the air quality good in Luton?

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: 7.18 µg/m³ · uk-air.defra.gov.uk²⁰

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

7°2°

8°2°

10°3°

13°5°

17°7°

20°10°

22°12°

19°10°

14°8°

10°4°

7°2°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

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

PM2.57.2WHO 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 Luton is 7.2 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

Luton 7.2

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	7.18 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	uk-air.defra.gov.uk²⁰Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context
Average daytime high by month	Jan 7.1 · Feb 7.6 · Mar 10.3 · Apr 13.4 · May 16.6 · Jun 19.6 · Jul 22.1 · Aug 21.7 · Sep 18.6 · Oct 14.3 · Nov 10.1 · Dec 7.4 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²¹Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 1.6 · Feb 1.5 · Mar 2.8 · Apr 4.5 · May 7.3 · Jun 10.2 · Jul 12.3 · Aug 12.3 · Sep 10.1 · Oct 7.5 · Nov 4.2 · Dec 2 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²²Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 4.3 · Feb 4.6 · Mar 6.6 · Apr 9 · May 11.9 · Jun 14.9 · Jul 17.2 · Aug 17 · Sep 14.4 · Oct 10.9 · Nov 7.2 · Dec 4.7 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²³Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 67.6 · Feb 50.9 · Mar 42.7 · Apr 51.2 · May 51.2 · Jun 52.9 · Jul 52.2 · Aug 68.2 · Sep 55.4 · Oct 78.2 · Nov 76.8 · Dec 67.2 mm	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²⁴Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In United Kingdom: Swindon ±0.2 °C. Elsewhere: Saanich (Canada) ±0.9 °C, Heide (Germany) ±1.1 °C, Meldorf (Germany) ±1.1 °C, Werl (Germany) ±1.1 °C, Neustadt in Holstein (Germany) ±1.1 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

Luton recorded a median age of 34 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Luton?

The published population was 233,525 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics⁹

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Population	233,525 people	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁹Official

International community in Luton

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	145,180	62.2%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)	57,720	24.7%
Europe: EU countries	30,625	13.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹²

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher	29.8 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁸Official
Workers aged 16 and over	103,005 workers	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁸Official
Median age	34 years	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁸Official
Universities	1 count	3 Aug 2026	Office for Students¹¹Official

Alternatives for people set on Luton

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.

Westminster as a Luton alternative in the same region

46 km away, better on 2 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Median gross pay, city: €5,245 Westminster vs €3,592 Luton+46%
Median gross pay, region: €4,316 Westminster vs €3,681 Luton+17%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 35,547 Westminster vs 8,315 Lutonno percentage

Full comparison More about Westminster

Reading as a Luton alternative in the same country

61 km away, better on 2 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Median gross pay, city: €4,772 Reading vs €3,592 Luton+33%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 9,795 (2024) Reading vs 8,315 (2026) Lutonno percentage
Unemployment: 4.3% Reading vs 4.9% Luton−11%
Residents: 203,795 Reading vs 233,525 Luton−13%
Median gross pay, region: €3,748 Reading vs €3,681 Lutonsame level

Full comparison More about Reading

Cities near Luton

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

Alternative cities in United Kingdom

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

All United Kingdom cities

Wolverhampton234,025 residents Aberdeen231,780 residents Northampton243,520 residents Portsmouth223,305 residents Islington222,724 residents Southampton249,620 residents

How does Luton compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Luton in rankings

#17 of 30 in Highest salary cities in United Kingdom #18 of 30 in Safest cities in United Kingdom by recorded crime #25 of 30 in Largest cities in United Kingdom

Is Luton part of London?

Luton 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 46.0 km away by straight-line distance. London city profile

Relationship type: Nearby Independent Place. Source⁴

Put Luton'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 Luton?

The published population was 233,525 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Luton?

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.

How safe is Luton?

Police recorded about 8,315 incidents per 100,000 (2026). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the typical salary in Luton?

The median gross salary is about 3,592 EUR/month (2025). The regional series (home-region basis, 2024) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Annual survey of hours and earnings - workplace analysis, NOMIS table NM_99_1 (ONS).

What is the unemployment rate in Luton?

The unemployment rate is about 4.9 % (2018). Source: Eurostat.

What is the typical salary around Luton?

The median gross salary is 3,681 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Is Luton a good place to live?

Luton 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 Luton part of London?

Luton 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 46.0 km away by straight-line distance.

Which cities are near Luton?

Dunstable, Harpenden, Hemel Hempstead, Leverstock Green, Marshalswick are near Luton. 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 Luton?

The official country of birth distribution records 145,180 people (62.2%) 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 16). Luton, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 8f6136600fb0985eb2d4355f3c576398]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/luton/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_luton-united-kingdom-population-rent-salary-jobs_4daee32e6ecd,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Luton, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {8f6136600fb0985eb2d4355f3c576398},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/luton/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Luton, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/luton/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 8f6136600fb0985eb2d4355f3c576398; 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

Annual survey of hours and earnings - workplace analysis, NOMIS table NM_99_1 (ONS) nomisweb.co.uk · checked 2026-09-18
BT Full Fibre 150 bt.com · checked 2026-09-15
Department for Education (GIAS) get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-03
download.geonames.org recorded crime data download.geonames.org · checked 2026-08-28
Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
ODS GP Practices report (epraccur) odsdatasearchandexport.nhs.uk · checked 2026-09-15
ODS Pharmacy/Dispensaries report (edispensary) odsdatasearchandexport.nhs.uk · checked 2026-09-15
Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-07
Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-04
Office for National Statistics (ONS) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-06

Show 24 more sources

Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03
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
PFA tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C2 counts; Table C4 rates and mid-2024 population) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-18
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
Travel to Work Areas (December 2011) full extent boundaries in the United Kingdom services1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-09-19
uk-air.defra.gov.uk uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
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
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

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