ImmigrationDBVerified immigration data
On this page

Living in Plymouth

Plymouth is a city in the United Kingdom. At the end of 2021, Plymouth had a population of 266,955. For Plymouth, the regional median gross salary was €2,915 per month at the end of 2024. The unemployment rate was 4.64% at the end of 2018.

Higher unemployment than 74% 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 Plymouth?

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 Plymouth.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

Work and income

Plymouth's employment rate reached 55.5% at the end of 2021. At the end of 2021, Plymouth recorded 122,460.

What is the unemployment rate in Plymouth?

The unemployment rate is about 4.6 % (2018).

  • Unemployment rate: 4.64 % · Eurostat3
Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Plymouth is 4.6%. 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%1074–6Plymouth 4.6%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 rate55.5 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics4Official
Median gross salary (regional)2,915 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics (ONS)7Official · regional context
Unemployment rate4.64 %country median 3.5%31 Dec 2018Eurostat3Official
Unemployment rate over time7 published observations, 2004–2018
Unemployment rate in Plymouth by year, %3.4%4.7%5.9%7.1%20042011201620184.6%%

Unemployment rate rose 25.7% between 2004 and 2018, from 3.7% to 4.6%.

Public employment service

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count76 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official
School Count113 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official

Safety

How safe is Plymouth?

Police recorded about 9,314 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: 9,314 offences per 100,000 · Office for National Statistics6
Recorded crime across major citiesPlymouth highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Plymouth highlighted14,267Manchester13,099Bristol12,409Liverpool11,462Leeds11,416Birmingham11,001Leicester9,693Sheffield9,379Cardiff9,314Plymouth8,836Coventry757Glasgow549Edinburghrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents9,314 offences per 100,000country median 9,66931 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics6Official

Mobility and administration

Plymouth's nearest airport was NQY, 61 km away and offered 5 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count5 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights10Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km61 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official
Nearest Major Airport IataNQY3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 9 µg/m³ at the end of 2019.

Is the air quality good in Plymouth?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9 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.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Plymouth average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND20°4°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Plymouth average monthly precipitation, mm035701051401108876696064648072112118125JFMAMJJASONDmm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Plymouth annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5259.0PM2.5µg/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 mean9 µg/m³31 Dec 2019European Environment Agency2Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by monthJan 9 · Feb 9.2 · Mar 10.9 · Apr 13.2 · May 16 · Jun 18.4 · Jul 20.2 · Aug 20.3 · Sep 18.4 · Oct 15.1 · Nov 11.9 · Dec 9.6 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI12Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 4.2 · Feb 3.9 · Mar 4.9 · Apr 6.3 · May 8.8 · Jun 11.4 · Jul 13.2 · Aug 13.4 · Sep 11.7 · Oct 9.5 · Nov 6.6 · Dec 4.8 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI12Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 6.6 · Feb 6.6 · Mar 7.9 · Apr 9.8 · May 12.4 · Jun 14.9 · Jul 16.8 · Aug 16.8 · Sep 15.1 · Oct 12.3 · Nov 9.3 · Dec 7.2 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI12Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 109.6 · Feb 87.7 · Mar 76.2 · Apr 68.5 · May 60.1 · Jun 64.4 · Jul 63.5 · Aug 80.3 · Sep 72.3 · Oct 112.1 · Nov 117.8 · Dec 125.2 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI12Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in United Kingdom

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All United Kingdom cities
Harrow269,993 residentsKingston upon Hull270,810 residentsStoke-on-Trent260,560 residentsDerby275,575 residentsBexley255,950 residentsSouthampton249,620 residents

Population and city profile

Plymouth's median age was 39 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Plymouth?

The published population was 266,955 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics5

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population266,955 people31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official

International community in Plymouth

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 Kingdom242,39090.8%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)12,4904.7%
Europe: EU countries12,0754.5%

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

Is Plymouth 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 worker43%strong on work, weak on housing · range 32–54%
Skilled employee57%strong on work, weak on housing · range 48–66%
Student54%strong on education, weak on housing · range 45–63%
Family51%strong on family, weak on housing · range 42–60%
Retirement45%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 32–58%
Population266,955 people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Employment rate55.5 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Median gross salary (regional)2,915 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Unemployment rate4.64 %31 Dec 2018Official source · Eurostat
PM2.5 — annual mean9 µg/m³31 Dec 2019Official source · European Environment Agency
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents9,314 offences per 100,00031 Dec 2024Official source · Office for National Statistics
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-07

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
G07 Bachelors Or Higher Share Pct27.7 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics4Official
G09 Total Workers 16plus122,460 workers31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics4Official
Median age39 years31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics4Official
Universities3 count3 Aug 2026Office for Students8Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Plymouth 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 Plymouth?

The published population was 266,955 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Plymouth?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9 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 Plymouth?

Police recorded about 9,314 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 unemployment rate in Plymouth?

The unemployment rate is about 4.6 % (2018). Source: Eurostat.

What is the typical salary around Plymouth?

The median gross salary is 2,915 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Is Plymouth a good place to live?

Plymouth 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 Plymouth?

The official country of birth distribution records 12,075 people (4.5%) 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). Plymouth, United Kingdom: salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/plymouth/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_plymouth-united-kingdom-salary-jobs_3909e1631eb2,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Plymouth, 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/plymouth/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Plymouth, United Kingdom: salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/plymouth/) — 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. Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-07
  5. Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-04
  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 2 more sources
  1. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  2. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05

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.