Where the average rent takes under a quarter of a full-time salary, rents rose 6.3% in the year to August 2026. Where it takes 45% or more, they rose 3.1%. Both figures are the median across the local authorities in each group. Taken at face value, that looks like affordability putting a brake on rents. This article sets out what the figures show, and where they stop: much of the pattern turns out to be regional.
We grouped the 316 local authorities in England and Wales by the share of one resident's median full-time pay that the average private rent would take. In the 33 councils under 25%, the median rise over the past 12 months was 6.3%. It was 4.9% in the 87 councils at 25–30%, 3.9% in the 67 at 30–35%, and 3.1% in both the 81 at 35–45% and the 48 at 45% or more. The bigger the share of pay the rent already takes, the slower rents have grown, levelling off above 35%.
Over three years the picture is flatter. The median three-year rate sits between 6.1% and 6.8% a year in every group. What separates them is the last year: in the least stretched councils, growth has held close to its three-year pace; in those at 35% or more, it has roughly halved.
Median across the local authorities in each band. Bands are average rent as a share of median full-time pay, on the unrounded share; each band includes its lower edge.
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| Share of pay | Rent growth, last 12 months (%) | Rent growth, 3-year average (% a year) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25% | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 25–30% | 4.9% | 6.4% |
| 30–35% | 3.9% | 6.2% |
| 35–45% | 3.1% | 6.1% |
| 45% and over | 3.1% | 6.3% |
Three years of rents outrunning pay and prices
For three years, rents have risen faster than both pay and prices. Across the 294 councils with a full set of figures, the median rent rose 6.2% a year over the three years to August 2026. Median full-time pay rose 5.8% a year between the 2022 and 2025 pay surveys, and consumer prices (CPI) rose 3.0% a year. Those windows are not the same: pay is measured April to April and ends earlier.
Medians over the same local authorities for every bar. CPI is a national figure. Pay growth is April 2022 to April 2025; rent and CPI growth to August 2026.
Show data
| Measure | Median across local authorities (% a year) |
|---|---|
| Rent, 3-year average | 6.2% |
| Pay, 3-year average | 5.8% |
| Prices (CPI), 3-year average | 3.0% |
| Rent, last 12 months | 4.0% |
| Prices (CPI), last 12 months | 3.1% |
Measured over the same three years as pay, April 2022 to April 2025, the order holds. The median rent rose 6.9% a year, against 5.8% for pay and 4.8% for CPI, across the same 294 councils, and rent outpaced pay in more than two-thirds of them.
All three bars cover April 2022 to April 2025: compound annual growth between the ASHE surveys, with rent and CPI measured over the same months. Medians over the same local authorities for every bar. The source line shows the release each series comes from, not this window.
Show data
| Measure | Median across local authorities (% a year) |
|---|---|
| Rent, Apr 2022–Apr 2025 | 6.9% |
| Pay, Apr 2022–Apr 2025 | 5.8% |
| Prices (CPI), Apr 2022–Apr 2025 | 4.8% |
The past year looks different. The median rent rise across those 294 councils was 4.0%, against CPI inflation of 3.1%. In both groups where rent takes 35% or more of pay, the median rise was 3.1%, about the same as inflation.
Stretched well beyond London
Of the 316 local authorities, 196 are at or above 30% of a single full-time salary. Only 32 of those are London boroughs; the other 164 are outside the capital.
That is a stricter test than the one ONS uses. ONS measures rent against the income of private-renting households, not one salary, and on that basis found 217 of the 316 councils (68.7%) below its 30% threshold in 2024, leaving 99 above it. ONS also notes that London's ratio, at 41.6%, keeps England as a whole above the threshold, despite most English regions being below it.
The chart below plots every council's share against its rent growth over the past year. The spread is wide: of the 19 councils where rents rose 8% or more, 11 are past the line.
- PropertyExtra launch areas (9)
- Other local authorities (307)
One point per local authority in England and Wales. The vertical line marks 30% of pay; the horizontal line marks no change.
Show data
| Area | Rent as % of a single full-time salary | Rent growth, last 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | 19.2% | 7.0% |
| Powys | 20.8% | 9.1% |
| Hartlepool | 21.0% | 0.3% |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 22.0% | 1.0% |
| North East Lincolnshire | 22.0% | 6.6% |
| Carmarthenshire | 22.0% | 6.6% |
| Northumberland | 22.1% | 6.9% |
| Hyndburn | 22.2% | 3.7% |
| North Lincolnshire | 22.6% | 6.0% |
| Neath Port Talbot | 22.8% | 6.3% |
| Barnsley | 22.8% | 7.8% |
| Burnley | 22.8% | 2.9% |
| Derbyshire Dales | 22.8% | 9.0% |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 22.9% | 7.5% |
| Pembrokeshire | 22.9% | 4.7% |
| Darlington | 22.9% | 6.4% |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 23.1% | 4.6% |
| West Lindsey | 23.2% | 10.2% |
| Fylde | 23.3% | 5.3% |
| County Durham | 23.3% | 6.1% |
| Westmorland and Furness | 23.4% | 6.4% |
| Wyre | 23.4% | 6.9% |
| Forest of Dean | 23.5% | -0.1% |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 23.5% | 3.6% |
| Blaenau Gwent | 23.5% | 6.8% |
| Rotherham | 23.7% | 3.2% |
| Middlesbrough | 23.8% | 4.0% |
| Doncaster | 23.8% | 5.3% |
| Wigan | 24.0% | 6.6% |
| Isle of Anglesey | 24.0% | 5.2% |
| Ribble Valley | 24.0% | 5.4% |
| Chorley | 24.3% | 7.1% |
| Bridgend | 24.7% | 7.8% |
| Bassetlaw | 25.1% | 2.3% |
| Calderdale | 25.2% | 2.3% |
| Chesterfield | 25.3% | 2.7% |
| Caerphilly | 25.3% | 8.1% |
| West Lancashire | 25.4% | 5.6% |
| Amber Valley | 25.4% | 4.0% |
| Preston | 25.5% | 5.9% |
| South Derbyshire | 25.5% | 4.6% |
| South Ribble | 25.5% | 5.4% |
| Halton | 25.5% | 7.1% |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 25.7% | -1.6% |
| Bolsover | 25.8% | 4.2% |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 25.9% | 4.4% |
| Sunderland | 25.9% | 4.6% |
| Flintshire | 25.9% | 7.2% |
| St. Helens | 26.0% | 6.6% |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 26.0% | 1.7% |
| Ceredigion | 26.1% | 4.4% |
| North East Derbyshire | 26.1% | 3.8% |
| Kirklees | 26.2% | 12.8% |
| Wrexham | 26.2% | 3.2% |
| West Devon | 26.3% | 3.3% |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 26.3% | 5.4% |
| Denbighshire | 26.4% | 6.2% |
| Torfaen | 26.4% | 1.7% |
| South Tyneside | 26.4% | 7.6% |
| Gwynedd | 26.4% | 6.9% |
| Newark and Sherwood | 26.4% | 5.3% |
| North Kesteven | 26.5% | 5.9% |
| Kingston upon Hull | 26.5% | 7.4% |
| Pendle | 26.5% | 6.3% |
| Bradford | 26.7% | 2.4% |
| Rugby | 26.7% | 5.4% |
| Shropshire | 26.7% | 4.3% |
| Warrington | 26.7% | 5.3% |
| East Lindsey | 26.8% | 6.9% |
| Conwy | 27.0% | 2.6% |
| Blackpool | 27.1% | 7.0% |
| Wirral | 27.1% | 7.0% |
| Stafford | 27.2% | 6.6% |
| Rutland | 27.2% | 1.9% |
| Rushcliffe | 27.3% | 2.8% |
| Knowsley | 27.4% | 11.4% |
| East Suffolk | 27.5% | 5.1% |
| Torridge | 27.5% | 2.1% |
| Harborough | 27.5% | 3.8% |
| Erewash | 27.6% | 2.4% |
| Rossendale | 27.6% | 4.3% |
| North Yorkshire | 27.7% | 2.4% |
| North Tyneside | 27.7% | 7.0% |
| Bromsgrove | 27.8% | 2.0% |
| East Staffordshire | 27.9% | 6.6% |
| Swansea | 27.9% | 6.2% |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 28.0% | 7.8% |
| Wakefield | 28.1% | 5.9% |
| Gateshead | 28.2% | 5.8% |
| North West Leicestershire | 28.3% | 9.9% |
| Lancaster | 28.3% | 6.3% |
| Derby | 28.3% | 3.1% |
| Herefordshire | 28.4% | 2.9% |
| Mid Devon | 28.5% | 1.3% |
| Melton | 28.5% | 7.1% |
| Wyre Forest | 28.6% | -2.4% |
| Telford and Wrekin | 28.7% | 6.6% |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 28.7% | 6.1% |
| Monmouthshire | 28.7% | 2.3% |
| Gedling | 28.8% | 3.4% |
| South Holland | 28.8% | 4.2% |
| Cannock Chase | 28.8% | 7.2% |
| Tamworth | 28.8% | 0.5% |
| Cheshire East | 28.8% | 6.6% |
| East Devon | 29.0% | 6.0% |
| Great Yarmouth | 29.0% | 7.6% |
| Dudley | 29.0% | 3.4% |
| South Kesteven | 29.0% | 1.8% |
| Mansfield | 29.1% | 4.4% |
| Mid Suffolk | 29.2% | 6.3% |
| Ashfield | 29.3% | 4.9% |
| North Warwickshire | 29.4% | 4.9% |
| Broadland | 29.5% | 4.1% |
| Sheffield | 29.5% | 4.3% |
| Liverpool | 29.5% | 5.6% |
| Fenland | 29.6% | 3.7% |
| Rochdale | 29.6% | 8.5% |
| South Staffordshire | 29.6% | 5.8% |
| Broxtowe | 29.7% | -1.5% |
| South Norfolk | 29.8% | 3.1% |
| East Cambridgeshire | 30.0% | 0.5% |
| Worcester | 30.2% | 5.3% |
| North Norfolk | 30.2% | 4.5% |
| High Peak | 30.2% | 7.3% |
| Oadby and Wigston | 30.3% | 3.1% |
| Charnwood | 30.3% | 4.2% |
| Sefton | 30.5% | 5.3% |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 30.5% | 2.7% |
| Dover | 30.5% | 8.6% |
| King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 30.7% | 3.8% |
| Warwick | 30.7% | 1.9% |
| Uttlesford | 30.9% | 0.4% |
| North Devon | 31.1% | -0.3% |
| Blaby | 31.3% | 5.6% |
| North Northamptonshire | 31.4% | 5.2% |
| Bolton | 31.4% | 11.1% |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | 31.4% | 3.5% |
| South Hams | 31.4% | 3.2% |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 31.5% | 3.4% |
| Newport | 31.5% | 2.7% |
| Maldon | 31.5% | 3.5% |
| Wolverhampton | 31.6% | 11.1% |
| Wychavon | 31.6% | 3.9% |
| Lichfield | 31.7% | 7.5% |
| Tendring | 31.7% | 4.1% |
| East Hampshire | 31.8% | 1.4% |
| Malvern Hills | 32.0% | 8.8% |
| Fareham | 32.3% | 0.9% |
| Stroud | 32.4% | 6.0% |
| Breckland | 32.4% | 3.7% |
| Coventry | 32.4% | 2.4% |
| Boston | 32.5% | 2.1% |
| Bury | 32.5% | 0.8% |
| Teignbridge | 32.6% | 3.6% |
| Ipswich | 32.6% | 4.3% |
| Walsall | 32.6% | 9.7% |
| Solihull | 32.7% | 3.2% |
| Tameside | 32.9% | 5.2% |
| Lincoln | 33.0% | 4.6% |
| Torbay | 33.0% | 4.0% |
| Oldham | 33.2% | 12.5% |
| Redditch | 33.2% | 11.1% |
| Huntingdonshire | 33.4% | 3.7% |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 33.4% | 6.0% |
| Tewkesbury | 33.4% | 13.4% |
| Somerset | 33.6% | 6.2% |
| Wokingham | 33.7% | 1.8% |
| Swindon | 33.8% | 4.5% |
| Dorset | 33.8% | 4.9% |
| Stockport | 34.2% | 5.4% |
| Bedford | 34.2% | 3.0% |
| Babergh | 34.2% | 3.3% |
| West Northamptonshire | 34.2% | 3.3% |
| Plymouth | 34.2% | 4.7% |
| Cornwall | 34.3% | 1.8% |
| Eastleigh | 34.3% | 3.4% |
| Wiltshire | 34.3% | 6.0% |
| Central Bedfordshire | 34.4% | 3.7% |
| Peterborough | 34.5% | 4.9% |
| South Cambridgeshire | 34.5% | 3.4% |
| Sandwell | 34.6% | 8.0% |
| South Oxfordshire | 34.7% | 3.5% |
| Wealden | 34.7% | 1.6% |
| Swale | 34.8% | 0.8% |
| Hastings | 34.8% | 1.6% |
| Rochford | 34.9% | 5.0% |
| North Hertfordshire | 35.0% | 5.4% |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 35.1% | 1.5% |
| Waverley | 35.2% | -2.0% |
| East Hertfordshire | 35.3% | 3.5% |
| York | 35.5% | 6.5% |
| West Oxfordshire | 35.6% | 1.8% |
| West Berkshire | 35.8% | 5.0% |
| West Suffolk | 35.8% | 4.3% |
| Castle Point | 36.3% | 4.8% |
| North Somerset | 36.3% | 3.2% |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 36.4% | 10.6% |
| Cotswold | 36.4% | 6.0% |
| Hart | 36.5% | 2.9% |
| Vale of White Horse | 36.5% | 2.9% |
| Colchester | 36.5% | 2.1% |
| Test Valley | 36.5% | 6.6% |
| Cheltenham | 36.6% | 4.8% |
| Isle of Wight | 36.6% | 7.2% |
| Birmingham | 36.6% | 3.0% |
| Braintree | 36.7% | 2.0% |
| Havant | 37.1% | 3.1% |
| Cherwell | 37.1% | 2.2% |
| Medway | 37.3% | 1.7% |
| Chelmsford | 37.4% | 2.4% |
| Leeds | 37.4% | 4.2% |
| Thanet | 37.5% | 3.7% |
| Eastbourne | 37.7% | 1.1% |
| Southend-on-Sea | 37.7% | 4.9% |
| Gosport | 37.9% | 4.9% |
| Gravesham | 38.0% | 5.3% |
| Leicester | 38.0% | 1.6% |
| Trafford | 38.2% | 2.5% |
| Cardiff | 38.2% | 3.5% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 38.4% | 4.5% |
| Mid Sussex | 38.5% | 3.4% |
| Rother | 38.6% | 0.7% |
| Gloucester | 38.7% | 7.2% |
| New Forest | 38.7% | 1.7% |
| Norwich | 38.9% | 0.6% |
| Milton Keynes | 39.0% | 3.9% |
| Lewes | 39.2% | 5.9% |
| Thurrock | 39.4% | 4.8% |
| Bromley | 39.4% | 2.7% |
| Nottingham | 39.5% | 1.8% |
| Winchester | 39.5% | 4.1% |
| Ashford | 40.0% | 3.1% |
| Salford | 40.2% | 3.3% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 40.2% | 3.5% |
| St Albans | 40.4% | 2.9% |
| Epsom and Ewell | 40.5% | 1.6% |
| Bracknell Forest | 40.6% | 1.7% |
| Southampton | 40.6% | 3.4% |
| Horsham | 40.7% | 3.8% |
| Runnymede | 40.7% | -0.7% |
| Maidstone | 40.8% | 3.0% |
| Canterbury | 40.8% | 5.4% |
| Havering | 40.8% | 1.5% |
| Buckinghamshire | 40.9% | 4.9% |
| Brentwood | 40.9% | 2.5% |
| Stevenage | 40.9% | 4.4% |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 41.1% | 9.3% |
| Surrey Heath | 41.3% | 1.5% |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 41.8% | 3.2% |
| Bexley | 41.9% | 1.6% |
| Sutton | 42.1% | 2.1% |
| Luton | 42.2% | 2.7% |
| Worthing | 42.5% | -0.8% |
| Arun | 42.8% | 3.1% |
| Croydon | 42.8% | 3.2% |
| Dartford | 42.9% | 3.1% |
| Dacorum | 43.0% | 1.3% |
| Basildon | 43.0% | 5.4% |
| South Gloucestershire | 43.1% | 4.7% |
| Mole Valley | 43.3% | 2.4% |
| Adur | 43.4% | 3.2% |
| Elmbridge | 43.7% | 2.6% |
| Broxbourne | 43.7% | 3.0% |
| Rushmoor | 43.9% | 4.2% |
| Woking | 44.5% | -1.6% |
| Guildford | 44.5% | 5.6% |
| Hillingdon | 44.6% | 2.5% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 44.7% | 2.8% |
| Reigate and Banstead | 45.3% | 2.3% |
| Chichester | 45.4% | 2.9% |
| Manchester | 45.4% | 4.2% |
| Crawley | 45.5% | 2.8% |
| Portsmouth | 45.6% | 2.4% |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 45.6% | 0.9% |
| Exeter | 45.8% | 0.5% |
| Spelthorne | 46.0% | 5.6% |
| Redbridge | 46.2% | 2.0% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 46.4% | -1.2% |
| Reading | 46.4% | 1.4% |
| Waltham Forest | 46.7% | 1.5% |
| Harrow | 47.2% | 2.9% |
| Harlow | 47.6% | 4.0% |
| Lewisham | 48.0% | 2.0% |
| Epping Forest | 48.5% | 5.6% |
| Sevenoaks | 48.7% | 5.0% |
| Slough | 48.8% | 2.2% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 48.9% | 4.4% |
| Tandridge | 49.4% | 4.4% |
| Cambridge | 49.5% | 1.8% |
| Barnet | 49.6% | 3.3% |
| Three Rivers | 49.8% | 2.2% |
| Enfield | 50.0% | 5.1% |
| Hertsmere | 50.1% | 3.6% |
| Watford | 50.8% | 2.6% |
| Merton | 51.3% | 5.4% |
| Greenwich | 52.9% | 6.1% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 53.0% | 2.6% |
| Newham | 54.3% | 2.9% |
| Oxford | 54.4% | 3.5% |
| Brighton and Hove | 55.1% | -1.2% |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 55.9% | 7.4% |
| Tower Hamlets | 56.6% | 3.5% |
| Bristol | 57.2% | 5.9% |
| Hounslow | 57.3% | 3.2% |
| Wandsworth | 57.9% | 4.2% |
| Brent | 60.5% | 3.4% |
| Haringey | 60.5% | 1.4% |
| Southwark | 61.0% | 5.4% |
| Lambeth | 61.8% | 3.7% |
| Ealing | 61.9% | 3.0% |
| Camden | 63.7% | 1.0% |
| Hackney | 64.5% | 3.6% |
| Islington | 67.9% | 6.2% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 71.8% | 3.3% |
| Westminster | 72.9% | -0.6% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 84.2% | 2.1% |
The complication: it is largely regional
The councils where rent takes the most of pay are concentrated in London, the South East and the East of England. The median share is 52.9% in London, 39.8% in the South East and 35.3% in the East of England, against 23.6% in the North East.
Median across the local authorities in each region, most stretched first. Regions as ONS uses them; Wales as one.
Show data
| Region | Rent as % of pay (median) |
|---|---|
| London | 52.9% |
| South East | 39.8% |
| East of England | 35.3% |
| South West | 33.8% |
| West Midlands | 29.5% |
| East Midlands | 28.5% |
| North West | 27.1% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 26.2% |
| Wales | 26.0% |
| North East | 23.6% |
That is also where rent growth has been slowest over the past year. The median rise over the past year was 3.0% in London and the South East and 3.7% in the East of England, against 5.9% in the North West and 6.0% in the North East.
Median across the local authorities in each region, in the same order as the chart above (most stretched first).
Show data
| Region | Rent growth, last 12 months (median, %) | Rent growth, 3-year average (median, % a year) |
|---|---|---|
| London | 3.0% | 6.7% |
| South East | 3.0% | 5.4% |
| East of England | 3.7% | 6.0% |
| South West | 4.6% | 5.4% |
| West Midlands | 5.4% | 6.4% |
| East Midlands | 4.0% | 6.4% |
| North West | 5.9% | 7.3% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 5.3% | 5.9% |
| Wales | 4.9% | 6.5% |
| North East | 6.0% | 7.1% |
Compare each council with others in its own region, and the link between share of pay and rent growth largely disappears. Within regions it runs in different directions. In the East of England, the 39 councils past the line saw a median rise of 3.5%, against 4.6% for the six below it. In the West Midlands, the 14 councils past the line rose 5.7%, against 5.4% for the 16 below it, and in the North West the nine councils past the line still rose 5.2%.
Affordability may be one reason rents in London, the South East and the East of England have slowed. These figures cannot separate it from everything else that differs between regions, from local economies to local housing markets.
London is the extreme case. Every one of the 32 boroughs in the data is past 30%, and 26 of them are at 45% or more. Rent growth over the past year was below 4% in 25 boroughs, including two where rents fell, Kingston upon Thames and Westminster. London's shares are best read with caution, though. The pay figure covers employees' earnings only, and many London residents have means that do not show up in it, such as wealth or investment income, so the measure may overstate how stretched renters there actually are.
What it means for investors
This section describes recent figures. It is not a forecast, and not financial advice.
If rents keep rising faster than pay, the share of pay they take keeps rising, and there is a limit to how much of a salary tenants can hand over. Whether that limit is what has slowed rents in London, the South East and the East of England, these figures cannot show. What they do show is the change of pace: in both groups at 35% or more, rents rose about 6% a year over three years, against pay growth of 5.3% a year, then 3.1% in the last year.
Headroom below the 30% line has not come with higher gross yields: the median barely changes between the groups: 4.49% where rent takes under a quarter of pay, 4.47% at 25–30%, 4.25% at 30–35%, 4.44% at 35–45% and 4.58% at 45% or more. The councils with the most distance to the line simply sit further below it.
Where rent takes a small share of pay, rent growth has held up over the past year, and those councils are further from the line. In councils already well past it, rent growth over the past year has run at about half its three-year pace.
Where PropertyExtra has launch areas
The nine councils where PropertyExtra has launch areas are examples, not a sample: PropertyExtra chose them.
Allowing for sampling error in the pay figures, four are clearly past the 30% line: Bristol (57.2%), Manchester (45.4%), Newcastle upon Tyne (41.1%) and Leicester (38.0%). The other five are within the margin of error of it: Oldham (33.2%), Walsall (32.6%), Wolverhampton (31.6%), and Liverpool and Sheffield, both at 29.5%.
Each launch area's main local authority. 30% of pay is ONS's household affordability threshold, applied here to a single full-time salary.
Show data
| Launch area | Rent as % of pay |
|---|---|
| Bristol | 57.2% |
| Manchester | 45.4% |
| Newcastle | 41.1% |
| Leicester | 38.0% |
| Oldham | 33.2% |
| Walsall | 32.6% |
| Wolverhampton | 31.6% |
| Liverpool | 29.5% |
| Sheffield | 29.5% |
Rents in Oldham rose 12.5% over the past year, the fastest of the nine, with Wolverhampton at 11.1%, Walsall at 9.7% and Newcastle at 9.3%, all well above the 4.0% median across the 294 councils. All four are in the North and Midlands, where rents have kept rising. Leicester is the exception: 1.6%, the slowest of the nine and below inflation, against 7.0% a year over the past three years. Bristol (5.9%), Liverpool (5.6%), Sheffield (4.3%) and Manchester (4.2%) sit in between.
On these figures, gross yields in the nine run from 5.08% in Sheffield to 7.02% in Newcastle, higher than the median of any affordability group. That comparison needs care. The PIPR average rent reflects the homes that are rented, where flats make up a larger share than among homes sold; the UK House Price Index average price covers every type of home sold; and recent UK HPI months are revised, so a gross yield built from the two is a rough guide to an area, not a figure for any property.
Same order as the chart above. Gross yield is average rent over the UK HPI average price: gross, before costs, and an area average.
Show data
| Launch area | Rent growth, last 12 months (%) | Gross yield (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol | 5.9% | 6.41% |
| Manchester | 4.2% | 6.53% |
| Newcastle | 9.3% | 7.02% |
| Leicester | 1.6% | 5.4% |
| Oldham | 12.5% | 5.21% |
| Walsall | 9.7% | 5.15% |
| Wolverhampton | 11.1% | 5.14% |
| Liverpool | 5.6% | 5.8% |
| Sheffield | 4.3% | 5.08% |
Methodology & sources
What is measured. For each local authority, the average monthly private rent is multiplied by 12 and divided by the median gross annual pay of full-time employees who live there. The result is the share of one full-time salary that the average rent would take. It is a measure of pressure, not a claim about what any household spends: many renting households have more than one income, and many single earners share.
The 30% line. ONS, in Private rental affordability, England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2024 (August 2025), says: "we consider an area is 'affordable' if a private-renting household would spend the equivalent of 30% or less of their gross income on rent". ONS applies that threshold to the median gross income of private-renting households. We apply it to a single full-time salary, which is a stricter test: a council past 30% here is not necessarily unaffordable on ONS's own measure. The ONS figures quoted in the article (217 of 316 councils below the threshold, and London's 41.6%) are for 2024 and come from that bulletin.
Rent. The average monthly private rent from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), August 2026. ONS labels PIPR as official statistics in development. PIPR is a stock measure: it covers both new and existing private tenancies, including long-running ones, not only new lets, so it moves more slowly than advertised asking rents. The average covers homes of every size and type.
Rent growth. Annual growth is the change in each council's PIPR index between August 2025 and August 2026, the same basis as the annual change ONS publishes. Three-year growth is the compound annual rate of change in the index between August 2023 and August 2026.
Pay. Median gross annual pay of full-time employees, resident-based, from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 2025 (reference date April 2025). Pay growth is the compound annual rate between ASHE 2022 and ASHE 2025. ASHE covers employees' earnings, not the self-employed, investment income or wealth, and covers all full-time residents, not only renters. ASHE 2025 figures are provisional. Nomis publishes Barnsley's and Sheffield's pay under their predecessor council codes (E08000016 and E08000019), which we map to the current codes.
Precision. ASHE is a sample survey. For 2025 median full-time pay across these 316 councils, the coefficient of variation Nomis publishes has a median of 6.6% and a 90th percentile of 9.6%. For a council near 30%, that is a margin of roughly 3 to 4 points of share either way at 95% confidence, and more for some councils. Differences smaller than that, between councils or between a council and the line, should not be read as meaningful.
Prices. CPI from ONS, all items, over the same windows as rent: August 2025 to August 2026, and a compound annual rate from August 2023 to August 2026.
Different periods. Pay growth covers April 2022 to April 2025; rent and CPI growth cover August 2023 to August 2026. The same-window comparison measures rent (the PIPR index) and CPI from April 2022 to April 2025 to match pay. Pay is from April 2025 and rent from August 2026, so where rents have risen since the pay survey, shares here are higher than a like-for-like comparison would give.
Gross yield. The average monthly rent multiplied by 12, divided by the UK House Price Index average price for the council (July 2026). It is gross, before costs, voids and finance, and it is an area average, not the yield on any particular property. The two sides cover different mixes of homes: PIPR's average rent reflects the rental stock, in which flats make up a larger share than among homes sold, while the UK HPI average price covers every type of home sold. Recent UK HPI months are revised as more sales are registered.
Groups and medians. Councils are grouped by their unrounded share of pay: under 25%, 25–30%, 30–35%, 35–45%, and 45% or more, each group including its lower edge. Each figure for a group is the median of the council values in it. The comparisons of rent, pay and prices use one common set of 294 councils that have every figure; the other 22 of the 316 are left out of them, and a council without a pay figure for 2022 is left out of its group's pay-growth median.
Regions. Each English council is placed in the region where most of its postcode districts fall, with 14 border councils set by hand to their ONS region. Checked against the regions in ONS's PIPR August 2026 release, all 316 councils match. Wales is one group.
Launch areas. Each launch area is shown by the council that contains most of its postcode districts. PropertyExtra chose the launch areas; they are not a representative sample.
Coverage. The 316 local authorities in England and Wales for which PIPR publishes a rent; City of London and the Isles of Scilly are not published separately. Scotland and Northern Ireland are not included.
Sources. Rent: Office for National Statistics, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings via Nomis, Open Government Licence v3.0. Prices (CPI): Office for National Statistics, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. House prices: Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.