Pay
You might expect rents to rise fastest where pay rose fastest. In these figures they don't. Pay growth and rent growth across councils are barely related in either period, with or without allowing for other factors, and neither starting pay nor how high rents were relative to pay at the start clearly lines up with what happened next.
Pay here is the median annual pay of employees living in each council, full-time and part-time, from the ONS earnings survey. It isn't the pay of renters in particular, and some councils have no figure because the survey sample there is too small: 16 for 2019 to 2024 and 18 for 2015 to 2024.
Frequently asked questions about pay and rents
Do rents rise fastest where pay rises fastest?
Not in these figures. Pay growth and rent growth across councils are barely related in either period, with or without allowing for other factors. Neither starting pay nor how high rents were relative to pay at the start clearly lines up with what happened next.
Where does the pay data come from?
The ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. It is the median annual pay of employees living in each council, full-time and part-time. It is not the pay of renters in particular.
Why are some councils missing from the pay charts?
The survey sample is too small in some places to give a reliable figure. That leaves out 16 councils for 2019 to 2024 and 18 for 2015 to 2024.
Does weak pay growth mean renters can afford their rent?
This page doesn't measure affordability. It compares how fast pay and rent grew across councils. Rent as a share of pay at the start of each period is shown, and it doesn't clearly predict later rent growth either.