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Living in Southampton

Southampton is one of the cities recorded in the United Kingdom. The population of Southampton totalled 249,620 at the end of 2021. The regional median gross salary reached €3,342 per month at the end of 2024. The unemployment rate was 6.13% at the end of 2018.

Higher unemployment than 94% of United Kingdom cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 83% 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 Southampton?

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 Southampton.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Rent price index, mean1,470 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics13Official

Work and income

The employment rate was 57.9% at the end of 2021. At the end of 2021, 118,570 comprised the workforce in Southampton.

What is the unemployment rate in Southampton?

The unemployment rate is about 6.1 % (2018).

  • Unemployment rate: 6.13 % · Eurostat3
Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Southampton is 6.1%. 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%2654–649 cities: 6% to under 8%496–8Southampton 6.1%7 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 rate57.9 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Median gross salary (regional)3,342 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics (ONS)8Official · regional context
Unemployment rate6.13 %country median 3.4%31 Dec 2018Eurostat3Official
Unemployment rate over time7 published observations, 2004–2018
Unemployment rate in Southampton by year, %3.4%5.0%6.5%8.0%20042011201620186.1%%

Unemployment rate rose 30.1% between 2004 and 2018, from 4.7% to 6.1%.

Public employment service

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count109 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official
School Count158 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official

Safety

How safe is Southampton?

Police recorded about 12,006 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: 12,006 offences per 100,000 · Office for National Statistics7
Recorded crime across major citiesSouthampton highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Southampton highlighted14,267Manchester13,099Bristol12,409Liverpool12,006Southampton11,462Leeds11,416Birmingham11,001Leicester9,693Sheffield9,379Cardiff8,836Coventry757Glasgow549Edinburghrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents12,006 offences per 100,000country median 9,66931 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics7Official

Mobility and administration

Southampton's nearest airport was SOU, 6 km away and offered 23 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count23 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights11Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km6 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports12Official
Nearest Major Airport IataSOU3 Aug 2026OurAirports12Official

Climate and air quality

The annual PM2.5 concentration measured 10 µg/m³ at the end of 2019.

Is the air quality good in Southampton?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 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
Southampton annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52510.0PM2.5µg/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 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/m³19–101 city: 13 µg/m³ to under 14 µg/m³113–14

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean10 µg/m³31 Dec 2019European Environment Agency2Official · nearest-station reading
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 12.94 · Feb 15.34 · Mar 18.59 · Apr 23.56 · May 24.5 · Jun 30.1 · Jul 33.43 · Aug 33.69 · Sep 27.78 · Oct 25.96 · Nov 17.4 · Dec 13.82 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official · coordinate grid
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -7.44 · Feb -6.87 · Mar -4.64 · Apr -2.55 · May 0.48 · Jun 5.05 · Jul 8.23 · Aug 6.58 · Sep 4.38 · Oct -1.95 · Nov -3.48 · Dec -5.08 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center4Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by monthJan 4.92 · Feb 4.76 · Mar 6.34 · Apr 9.06 · May 12.22 · Jun 15.52 · Jul 17.8 · Aug 17.52 · Sep 15.11 · Oct 11.83 · Nov 8.04 · Dec 5.61 °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
Northampton243,520 residentsBexley255,950 residentsStoke-on-Trent260,560 residentsWolverhampton234,025 residentsLuton233,525 residentsPlymouth266,955 residents

Population and city profile

Southampton recorded a median age of 34 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Southampton?

The published population was 249,620 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics6

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population249,620 people31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics6Official

International community in Southampton

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 Kingdom189,45575.9%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)31,33512.6%
Europe: EU countries28,83011.6%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source10

Is Southampton 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 worker23%strong on work, weak on safety · range 14–32%
Skilled employee55%strong on work, weak on safety · range 47–63%
Student36%strong on education, weak on safety · range 28–44%
Family49%strong on family, weak on cost · range 41–57%
Retirement26%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 14–38%
Population249,620 people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Rent price index, mean1,470 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Official source · Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics
Employment rate57.9 %31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Median gross salary (regional)3,342 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Unemployment rate6.13 %31 Dec 2018Official source · Eurostat
PM2.5 — annual mean10 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 Pct31.6 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
G09 Total Workers 16plus118,570 workers31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Median age34 years31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics5Official
Universities2 count3 Aug 2026Office for Students9Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Southampton 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 Southampton compare?

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

Another city…

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Southampton?

The published population was 249,620 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Southampton?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 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 Southampton?

Police recorded about 12,006 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 Southampton?

The unemployment rate is about 6.1 % (2018). Source: Eurostat.

What is the typical salary around Southampton?

The median gross salary is 3,342 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Is Southampton a good place to live?

Southampton 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 Southampton?

The official country of birth distribution records 28,830 people (11.6%) 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, September 14). Southampton, United Kingdom: rent, salary, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/southampton/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_southampton-united-kingdom-rent-salary-jobs-safety_f82e900a30fd,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Southampton, United Kingdom: rent, salary, jobs, safety},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-14},
  version = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  snapshot = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/southampton/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Southampton, United Kingdom: rent, salary, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/southampton/) — 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 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 Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-06
Show 3 more sources
  1. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  2. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  3. Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-12

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.