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Living in Nelson

In Nelson (North West England), unemployment is 8.1% (2023).

Nelson (Pendle) is a city in the United Kingdom. Its population was 33,805 in March 2021. Gigabit broadband availability was 97.3%. The employment rate was 47.1% in March 2021. Owner occupation accounted for 54.2% of homes in March 2021.

Last checked 2026-09-2435 sources

Population33,805people21 Mar 2021Official source · Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales.
Median gross salary (region)2,706EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.ons.gov.uk
Average rent782.7EUR/month31 Aug 2026District figureOfficial source · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price
Unemployment rate8.1%country median 3.4% — 138% aboveOfficial source · www.ons.gov.uk
Recorded crime7,057incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025District figureOfficial source · Police force area tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C4 or P3)
PM2.5, annual mean5.97µg/m³country median 6.5 — 8% belowOfficial source · official estimated total annual mean background concentration

Higher unemployment than any other United Kingdom city that publishes it, less recorded crime than 84% of United Kingdom cities that publish it and cleaner air than 75% of United Kingdom cities that publish it.

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

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 Nelson.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Nelson recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€24
Mobile plan, 10 GB€13
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited24.02 EUR/month30 Sept 2026BT Full Fibre 1501Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB12.87 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Three 100GB one-month data pack18Official · national market
Dwellings11,570 count21 Mar 2021ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley6Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)782.7 EUR/month31 Aug 2026ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price14Official · county

Is Nelson 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 worker51%strong on work, weak on safety · range 40–62%
Skilled employee57%strong on work, weak on safety · range 47–67%
Student41%strong on education, weak on work · range 31–51%
Family56%strong on family, weak on cost · range 45–67%
Retirement59%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 46–72%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Nelson?

The unemployment rate is 8.1 % (January 2023). Source: www.ons.gov.uk25

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Nelson is 8.1%. Of 999 cities with data, 652 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Gigabit broadband availability97.29 %Not statedwww.ofcom.org.uk35Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Employment rate47.08 %21 Mar 2021ONS Census 2021 towns and cities dataset Figure 9 individual BUA employment row for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley13Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Superfast broadband availability99.28 %Not statedwww.ofcom.org.uk35Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Median gross salary (regional)2,706 EUR/month31 Dec 2024www.ons.gov.uk24Official
Unemployment rate8.1 %country median 3.4%31 Dec 2023www.ons.gov.uk25Official

What does a salary buy in Nelson?

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

regional median gross pay: €2,706 (ons.gov.uk, 2024-12-31).
Left over each month€0of €0 take-home
  • Rent
  • Internet
  • Mobile
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.outside the model's range
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price · 2026-08-31− €783
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—
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Nelson Salary needed to live in Nelson

Public employment service

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Schools19 count7 Jul 2026DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract4Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Primary schools17 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)3Official
Schools26 count3 Aug 2026Department 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; Nelson's school authority applies it locally.

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

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
GP practices5 count7 Jul 2026NHS ODS GP Practices report + ONSPD Live postcode coordinates7Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Nelson 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 Nelson?

Police recorded about 7,057 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)17

Recorded crime across major citiesNelson highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Nelson highlighted

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
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents7,057 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Police force area tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C4 or P3)17Official · county
Violent crime per 100,000 residents4,417 per 100,000Apr 2026data.police.uk all-crime polygon replay, filtered to Burglary2Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Burglary per 100,000 residents420.1 per 100,00030 Apr 2026data.police.uk all-crime polygon replay, filtered to Burglary2Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport51 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights15Official
Distance to the nearest major airport36 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports16Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)LBA3 Aug 2026OurAirports16Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 5.97 µg/m³ in 2025. Annual NO₂ was 8.4 µg/m³ in 2025. Annual PM10 was 9.6 µg/m³ in 2025.

Is the air quality good in Nelson?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 6 µg/m³ (2025) — 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: 5.97 µg/m³ · official estimated total annual mean background concentration12
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

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 Nelson is 6.0 µg/m³. Of 941 cities with data, 487 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean8.4 µg/m³country median 7.22025official estimated total annual mean background concentration10Official
PM10 — annual mean9.6 µg/m³country median 11.32025official estimated total annual mean background concentration11Official
PM2.5 — annual mean5.97 µg/m³country median 6.52025official estimated total annual mean background concentration12Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 5.7 · Feb 6.2 · Mar 8.3 · Apr 11.4 · May 14.5 · Jun 17.2 · Jul 19.3 · Aug 18.7 · Sep 16.1 · Oct 12.3 · Nov 8.5 · Dec 6.2 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI20Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 1 · Feb 0.9 · Mar 1.9 · Apr 3.6 · May 6.2 · Jun 9.1 · Jul 11.2 · Aug 11.2 · Sep 9.2 · Oct 6.4 · Nov 3.5 · Dec 1.4 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI21Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 3.3 · Feb 3.5 · Mar 5.1 · Apr 7.5 · May 10.4 · Jun 13.2 · Jul 15.3 · Aug 15 · Sep 12.6 · Oct 9.4 · Nov 6 · Dec 3.8 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI22Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 109.2 · Feb 88.8 · Mar 77.2 · Apr 66 · May 64 · Jun 79.8 · Jul 75.1 · Aug 86.4 · Sep 82.5 · Oct 97.8 · Nov 109.4 · Dec 121.1 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI23Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In United Kingdom: Aberdeen ±0.4 °C. Elsewhere: Cork (Ireland) ±1.3 °C, Eutin (Germany) ±1.4 °C, Heide (Germany) ±1.4 °C, Meldorf (Germany) ±1.4 °C, Neustadt in Holstein (Germany) ±1.5 °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

The city covered 5.1 km² in December 2022. Population density was 6,648 people per km² in 2021.

How many people live in Nelson?

The published population was 33,805 people in March 2021. Source: Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales.6

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Area5.09 km²Dec 2022ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley6Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
City area5.09 km²Dec 2022Exact 2022 Built Up Area polygon area for BUA22CD in EPSG:27700, converted from square metres to km2.5Official
Foreign residents11,630 people21 Mar 2021Exact BUA non-UK-born population derived as the sum of the published Europe: EU countries and Non-EU countries (including British Overseas) counts.6Official
GP practices per 10,000 residents1.48 per 10,000 people7 Jul 2026NHS ODS GP Practices report + ONSPD Live postcode coordinates7Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Schools per 10,000 residents5.62 per 10,000 people7 Jul 2026DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract4Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Population density6,648 people/km²21 Mar 2021www.ons.gov.uk6Official · built-up-area figure
Population33,805 people21 Mar 2021Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales.6Official

International community in Nelson

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 Kingdom22,17565.6%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)7,68022.7%
Europe: EU countries3,95011.7%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source6

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Owner-occupied homes54.19 %21 Mar 2021ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley6Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Residents born abroad34.4 %21 Mar 2021ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley6Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher19.5 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics8Official
Workers aged 16 and over11,765 workers31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics8Official
Median age33 years21 Mar 2021ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley6Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Universities0 count3 Aug 2026Office for Students9Official

Alternatives for people set on Nelson

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.

Preston as a Nelson alternative in the same region

33 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.

  • Residents: 94,490 Preston vs 33,805 Nelson+180%
  • Unemployment: 4.0% Preston vs 8.1% Nelson−51%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 9,866 (2024) Preston vs 7,057 (2025) Nelsonno percentage
  • Median gross pay, region: €2,878 Preston vs €2,706 Nelson+6%
  • Annual PM2.5: 6.1 µg/m³ Preston vs 6.0 µg/m³ Nelsonsame level
Full comparisonMore about Preston

Cities near Nelson

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

Alternative cities in United Kingdom

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

All United Kingdom cities
Nelson33,805 residentsRustington33,885 residentsBillingham33,920 residentsLetchworth Garden City33,990 residentsBillericay34,075 residentsIrvine34,130 residents

How does Nelson compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Nelson in rankings

#11 of 30 in Cities with cleanest air in United Kingdom

Is Nelson part of Burnley?

Nelson is in the published commuting zone of Burnley; this does not mean it is administratively part of the hub. Burnley city profile

Relationship type: Commuting Zone Of. Source19

Put Nelson'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 Nelson?

The published population was 33,805 people in March 2021. Source: Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales..

Is the air quality good in Nelson?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 6 µg/m³ (2025) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: official estimated total annual mean background concentration.

How safe is Nelson?

Police recorded about 7,057 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).

What is the unemployment rate in Nelson?

The unemployment rate is 8.1 % (January 2023). Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the typical salary around Nelson?

The median gross salary is 2,706 EUR/month. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

How many foreign residents live in Nelson?

11,630 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Exact BUA non-UK-born population derived as the sum of the published Europe: EU countries and Non-EU countries (including British Overseas) counts..

Is Nelson a good place to live?

Nelson 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 Nelson part of Burnley?

Nelson is in the published commuting zone of Burnley; this does not mean it is administratively part of the hub.

Which cities are near Nelson?

Accrington, Rawtenstall, Glusburn, Rossendale, Cross Hills are near Nelson. 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 Nelson?

The official country of birth distribution records 22,175 people (65.6%) 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 16). Nelson (North West England), United Kingdom: population [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 3abe737017bf6deb4e1dbe09fe448373]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/nelson/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_nelson-north-west-england-united-kingdom-population_b0fab2340603,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Nelson (North West England), United Kingdom: population},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {3abe737017bf6deb4e1dbe09fe448373},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/nelson/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Nelson (North West England), United Kingdom: population](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/nelson/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 3abe737017bf6deb4e1dbe09fe448373; 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
  1. BT Full Fibre 150 bt.com · checked 2026-09-15
  2. data.police.uk all-crime polygon replay, filtered to Burglary data.police.uk · checked 2026-07-07
  3. Department for Education (GIAS) get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  4. DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-07
  5. Exact 2022 Built Up Area polygon area for BUA22CD in EPSG:27700, converted from square metres to km2. services1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-07-15
  6. Exact BUA non-UK-born population derived as the sum of the published Europe: EU countries and Non-EU countries (including British Overseas) counts. ons.gov.uk · checked 2021-03-21
  7. NHS ODS GP Practices report + ONSPD Live postcode coordinates digital.nhs.uk · checked 2026-07-07
  8. Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-07
  9. Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  10. official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
Show 25 more sources
  1. official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
  2. official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
  3. ONS Census 2021 towns and cities dataset Figure 9 individual BUA employment row for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-05
  4. ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-24
  5. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  6. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  7. Police force area tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C4 or P3) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-24
  8. Three 100GB one-month data pack three.co.uk · checked 2026-09-15
  9. Travel to Work Areas (December 2011) full extent boundaries in the United Kingdom services1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-09-19
  10. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  11. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  12. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  13. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  14. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-27
  15. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
  16. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  17. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  18. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  19. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  20. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  21. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  22. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  23. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  24. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q666517 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  25. www.ofcom.org.uk ofcom.org.uk · checked 2026-07-15

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.