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Living in Manchester

Manchester is a city in the United Kingdom. Its population was 470,405 at the end of 2021. At the end of 2024, the regional median gross salary stood at €3,430 per month. Manchester's unemployment stood at 4.86% at the end of 2018.

Higher unemployment than 77% of United Kingdom cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 94% 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 Manchester?

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 Manchester.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

What recurs every month4 published recurring costs, € per month
Manchester recurring monthly costs, € per month€259Utilities, 85 m² flat€93Transport pass€34Internet, 60 Mbps€14Mobile plan, 10 GB€ / month

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited34.31 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/manchester/14Community estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB14.18 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/manchester/14Community estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass92.62 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/manchester/14Community estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home258.7 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/manchester/14Community estimate · Supplemental context

Work and income

Manchester's employment rate reached 53.1% at the end of 2021. The workforce in Manchester was 199,220 at the end of 2021.

What is the typical salary in Manchester?

The median gross salary is about 3,555 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: 3,555 EUR/month · ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary10
  • Median gross salary (regional): 3,430 EUR/month · 2026-08-06 · Office for National Statistics (ONS)8

What is the unemployment rate in Manchester?

The unemployment rate is about 4.9 % (2018).

  • Unemployment rate: 4.86 % · Eurostat3
Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Manchester is 4.9%. 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%2302–4107 cities: 4% to under 6%1074–6Manchester 4.9%30 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 rate53.1 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Median gross salary3,555 EUR/month31 Dec 2025ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary10Official
Median gross salary (regional)3,430 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics (ONS)8Official · regional context
Salary Net Avg Eur Month2,926 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/manchester/14Community estimate · Supplemental context
Unemployment rate4.86 %country median 3.5%31 Dec 2018Eurostat3Official
Unemployment rate over time11 published observations, 1991–2018
Unemployment rate in Manchester by year, %3.7%9.2%14.6%20.1%1991200120082011201620184.9%%

Unemployment rate fell 74.3% between 1991 and 2018, from 18.9% to 4.9%.

Public employment service

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count285 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official
School Count414 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official

Safety

How safe is Manchester?

Police recorded about 14,267 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: 14,267 offences per 100,000 · Office for National Statistics7
Recorded crime across major citiesManchester highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Manchester highlighted14,267Manchester13,099Bristol12,409Liverpool11,700Bradford11,462Leeds11,416Birmingham11,001Leicester9,693Sheffield9,379Cardiff8,836Coventry757Glasgow549Edinburghrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents14,267 offences per 100,000country median 9,66931 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics7Official

Mobility and administration

Manchester's nearest airport was MAN, 15 km away and offered 146 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count146 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights12Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km15 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports13Official
Nearest Major Airport IataMAN3 Aug 2026OurAirports13Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 in the air was 12 µg/m³ at the end of 2019.

Is the air quality good in Manchester?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 12 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
Manchester annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52512.0PM2.5µg/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 mean12 µg/m³31 Dec 2019European Environment Agency2Official · nearest-station reading
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 12.49 · Feb 15.1 · Mar 17.52 · Apr 21.51 · May 24.09 · Jun 25.84 · Jul 28.02 · Aug 27.51 · Sep 23.9 · Oct 23.32 · Nov 16.88 · Dec 13.03 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official · coordinate grid
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -6.3 · Feb -6.55 · Mar -5.59 · Apr -3.22 · May -1.05 · Jun 3.36 · Jul 6.83 · Aug 5.41 · Sep 3.11 · Oct -1.31 · Nov -3.55 · Dec -7.57 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by monthJan 3.62 · Feb 3.63 · Mar 5.1 · Apr 7.72 · May 10.85 · Jun 13.84 · Jul 15.43 · Aug 15.14 · Sep 13 · Oct 9.94 · Nov 6.53 · Dec 4.29 °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
Edinburgh488,050 residentsSheffield500,535 residentsLiverpool506,565 residentsBristol425,215 residentsLeeds536,280 residentsCroydon407,821 residents

Population and city profile

Manchester recorded a median age of 30 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Manchester?

The published population was 470,405 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics6

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population470,405 people31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics6Official

International community in Manchester

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 Kingdom311,82066.3%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)118,73525.2%
Europe: EU countries39,8508.5%

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

Is Manchester 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 worker45%strong on work, weak on housing · range 34–56%
Skilled employee59%strong on work, weak on housing · range 50–68%
Student58%strong on education, weak on housing · range 49–67%
Family53%strong on family, weak on housing · range 44–62%
Retirement46%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 33–59%
Population470,405 people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Employment rate53.1 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Median gross salary3,555 EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary
Median gross salary (regional)3,430 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Unemployment rate4.86 %31 Dec 2018Official source · Eurostat
PM2.5 — annual mean12 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 Pct39.4 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
G09 Total Workers 16plus199,220 workers31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Median age30 years31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Universities2 count3 Aug 2026Office for Students9Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Manchester 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 Manchester?

The published population was 470,405 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Manchester?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 12 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 Manchester?

Police recorded about 14,267 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 Manchester?

The median gross salary is about 3,555 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 Manchester?

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

What is the typical salary around Manchester?

The median gross salary is 3,430 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Is Manchester a good place to live?

Manchester 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 Manchester?

The official country of birth distribution records 39,850 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 12). Manchester, United Kingdom: salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/manchester/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_manchester-united-kingdom-salary-jobs_9ebaeea541ab,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Manchester, 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/manchester/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Manchester, United Kingdom: salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/manchester/) — 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/manchester/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05

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.