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Living in Sheffield

Sheffield is a city in the United Kingdom. Residents of Sheffield numbered 500,535 at the end of 2021. Sheffield's unemployment stood at 5.14% at the end of 2018. Annual PM2.5 in the air was 9 µg/m³ at the end of 2019.

Higher unemployment than 82% 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 Sheffield?

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 Sheffield.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

Work and income

Sheffield's employment rate reached 52.7% at the end of 2021. At the end of 2021, 215,775 comprised the workforce in Sheffield.

What is the unemployment rate in Sheffield?

The unemployment rate is about 5.1 % (2018).

  • Unemployment rate: 5.14 % · Eurostat3
Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Sheffield is 5.1%. 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%1074–6Sheffield 5.1%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 rate52.7 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Unemployment rate5.14 %country median 3.5%31 Dec 2018Eurostat3Official
Unemployment rate over time11 published observations, 1991–2018
Unemployment rate in Sheffield by year, %4.5%7.4%10.3%13.1%1991200120082011201620185.1%%

Unemployment rate fell 59.0% between 1991 and 2018, from 12.5% to 5.1%.

Public employment service

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count165 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official
School Count233 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official

Safety

How safe is Sheffield?

Police recorded about 9,693 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: 9,693 offences per 100,000 · Office for National Statistics7
Recorded crime across major citiesSheffield highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Sheffield highlighted14,267Manchester13,099Bristol12,409Liverpool11,700Bradford11,462Leeds11,416Birmingham11,001Leicester9,693Sheffield9,379Cardiff8,836Coventry757Glasgow549Edinburghrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents9,693 offences per 100,000country median 9,669 — about the same31 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics7Official

Mobility and administration

Sheffield's nearest airport was MAN, 54 km away and offered 146 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count146 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights10Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km54 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official
Nearest Major Airport IataMAN3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official

Climate and air quality

Sheffield's monthly mean temperatures were 3.4°C in January and 16.2°C in July.

Is the air quality good in Sheffield?

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
Sheffield 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
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
Liverpool506,565 residentsEdinburgh488,050 residentsManchester470,405 residentsLeeds536,280 residentsBristol425,215 residentsCroydon407,821 residents

Population and city profile

Sheffield had a median age of 36 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Sheffield?

The published population was 500,535 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics6

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population500,535 people31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics6Official

International community in Sheffield

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 Kingdom419,37083.8%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)59,10011.8%
Europe: EU countries22,0604.4%

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

Is Sheffield 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 worker42%strong on work, weak on housing · range 31–53%
Skilled employee56%strong on work, weak on housing · range 47–65%
Student55%strong on education, weak on housing · range 46–64%
Family52%strong on family, weak on housing · range 43–61%
Retirement45%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 32–58%
Population500,535 people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Employment rate52.7 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Unemployment rate5.14 %31 Dec 2018Official source · Eurostat
PM2.5 — annual mean9 µg/m³31 Dec 2019Official source · European Environment Agency
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents9,693 offences per 100,00031 Dec 2024Official source · Office for National Statistics
Median age36 years31 Dec 2021Official 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 Pct33.9 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
G09 Total Workers 16plus215,775 workers31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Median age36 years31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Universities2 count3 Aug 2026Office for Students8Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sheffield 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 Sheffield?

The published population was 500,535 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Sheffield?

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 Sheffield?

Police recorded about 9,693 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 Sheffield?

The unemployment rate is about 5.1 % (2018). Source: Eurostat.

Is Sheffield a good place to live?

Sheffield 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 Sheffield?

The official country of birth distribution records 22,060 people (4.4%) 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). Sheffield, United Kingdom: jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/sheffield/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_sheffield-united-kingdom-jobs-safety_25447d5a1877,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Sheffield, United Kingdom: jobs, safety},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/sheffield/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Sheffield, United Kingdom: jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/sheffield/) — 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 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 1 more source
  1. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03

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.