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Living in Rotherham

Rotherham is a city in the United Kingdom, and the figures below are its published values. Rotherham numbered 71,535 residents at the end of 2021. The unemployment rate was 5.38% at the end of 2018. Annual PM2.5 was 9 µg/m³ at the end of 2019.

Higher unemployment than 91% 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 Rotherham?

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 Rotherham.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Rent price index, mean799.8 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics11Official

Work and income

Employment rates for Rotherham measured 50.3% at the end of 2021. At the end of 2021, Rotherham recorded 28,610.

What is the unemployment rate in Rotherham?

The unemployment rate is about 5.4 % (2018).

  • Unemployment rate: 5.38 % · Eurostat3
Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Rotherham is 5.4%. 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%6572–4265 cities: 4% to under 6%2654–6Rotherham 5.4%49 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 rate50.3 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Median gross salary (regional)3,352 EUR/month31 Dec 2024www.ons.gov.uk12Official
Unemployment rate5.38 %country median 3.4%31 Dec 2018Eurostat3Official
Unemployment rate over time7 published observations, 2004–2018
Unemployment rate in Rotherham by year, %3.1%6.3%9.4%12.5%20042011201620185.4%%

Unemployment rate rose 42.0% between 2004 and 2018, from 3.8% to 5.4%.

Public employment service

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count76 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official
School Count102 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official

Mobility and administration

Rotherham's nearest airport was LBA, 52 km away and offered 51 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count51 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights9Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km52 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports10Official
Nearest Major Airport IataLBA3 Aug 2026OurAirports10Official

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 3.4°C in January and 16.2°C in July.

Is the air quality good in Rotherham?

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.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Rotherham 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 KingdomAnnual PM2.5 in Rotherham is 9.0 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/m³1747–88 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³88–91 city: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³19–10Rotherham 9.01 city: 13 µg/m³ to under 14 µg/m³113–14

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean9 µg/m³31 Dec 2019European Environment Agency2Official · nearest-station reading
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 13.23 · Feb 16.78 · Mar 19.81 · Apr 23.29 · May 24.88 · Jun 27.96 · Jul 31.26 · Aug 28.69 · Sep 26.65 · Oct 25.73 · Nov 18.05 · Dec 13.8 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official · coordinate grid
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -6.21 · Feb -8.69 · Mar -4.66 · Apr -3.21 · May -0.84 · Jun 2.94 · Jul 5.38 · Aug 4.56 · Sep 2.77 · Oct -2.23 · Nov -4.23 · Dec -8.75 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by monthJan 3.42 · Feb 3.61 · Mar 5.37 · Apr 8.11 · May 11.27 · Jun 14.35 · Jul 16.17 · Aug 15.81 · Sep 13.33 · Oct 10.08 · Nov 6.36 · Dec 3.94 °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
Rossendale71,541 residentsBarnsley71,405 residentsStafford71,690 residentsLowestoft71,315 residentsWalsall70,775 residentsGosport70,110 residents

Population and city profile

Rotherham had a median age of 38 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Rotherham?

The published population was 71,535 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics6

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population71,535 people31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics6Official

International community in Rotherham

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 Kingdom60,57584.7%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)6,5409.1%
Europe: EU countries4,4206.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source8

Is Rotherham 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 worker55%strong on work, weak on safety · range 45–65%
Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on safety · range 55–73%
Student49%strong on education, weak on safety · range 40–58%
Family65%strong on family, weak on safety · range 55–75%
Retirement59%strong on housing, weak on admin · range 46–72%
Population71,535 people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Rent price index, mean799.8 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Official source · Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics
Employment rate50.3 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Median gross salary (regional)3,352 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.ons.gov.uk
Unemployment rate5.38 %31 Dec 2018Official source · Eurostat
PM2.5 — annual mean9 µg/m³31 Dec 2019Official source · European Environment Agency
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-14

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
G07 Bachelors Or Higher Share Pct21 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
G09 Total Workers 16plus28,610 workers31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Median age38 years31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Universities0 count3 Aug 2026Office for Students7Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Rotherham 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.

How does Rotherham 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 Rotherham?

The published population was 71,535 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Rotherham?

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.

What is the unemployment rate in Rotherham?

The unemployment rate is about 5.4 % (2018). Source: Eurostat.

What is the typical salary around Rotherham?

The median gross salary is 3,352 EUR/month. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

Is Rotherham a good place to live?

Rotherham 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 Rotherham?

The official country of birth distribution records 4,420 people (6.2%) 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, September 14). Rotherham, United Kingdom: rent, salary, jobs, air quality [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/rotherham/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_rotherham-united-kingdom-rent-salary-jobs-air-quality_007ce420cb17,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Rotherham, 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/rotherham/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Rotherham, United Kingdom: rent, salary, jobs, air quality](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/rotherham/) — 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. 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 Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  8. ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-06
  9. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  10. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Show 2 more sources
  1. Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-12
  2. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-27

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