ManchesterCountsManchester, in numbers.Local help →Manchester · England
Manchester council area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats drawn from the available evidence. These are analytical judgements, not an official council assessment. Where a national comparison is available, lower housing costs, lower reported poor health and higher qualification shares are treated as relative strengths; this does not prove affordability or service quality.
strength
Average private rent is £1,373 a month (August 2026) in Manchester council area. This is £86 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 13.9% in Baguley to 72.6% in Deansgate — a gap of 58.7 percentage points.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
What could help →strength
37.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Manchester council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 3.3% in Deansgate to 29.3% in Miles Platting & Newton Heath — a gap of 26.1 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
What could help →weakness
6% of people reported bad or very bad health in Manchester council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 1.1% in Deansgate to 9% in Miles Platting & Newton Heath — a gap of 7.9 percentage points.
This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.
What could help →opportunity
The approved Strangeways and Cambridge framework combines support for existing businesses with future homes, routes and a shared park.
Proposed response: Coordinate Manchester and Salford’s next decisions around practical business continuity and public access.
What could help →opportunity
Project 500 uses smaller council-owned sites for affordable housing, with different sites at different stages.
Proposed response: Publish a site-by-site route from permission to people moving in, including the rent level and accessible homes.
What could help →opportunity
9.5% of people in Manchester council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 1.8% in Deansgate to 15.6% in Brooklands — a gap of 13.8 percentage points.
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
What could help →opportunity
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
What could help →opportunity
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 5% in Deansgate to 32% in Miles Platting & Newton Heath — a gap of 27 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →The evidence gathered here does not yet support a distinct finding in this category.
| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Give existing businesses a clear place in Strangeways renewalStrangeways and Cambridge regeneration framework: Regeneration framework approved. See the dated project evidence. | Manchester City Council and Salford City Council | |
| Track small-site homes through to occupationProject 500: affordable homes on smaller sites: 51 first-phase homes complete at the January 2026 update; further phases planned. Evidence dated 2026-01-14. | Manchester City Council and Manchester Housing Provider Partnership | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £1,373 a month (August 2026) in Manchester council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 13.9% in Baguley to 72.6% in Deansgate — a gap of 58.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 32 of 32 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | |
| Plan homes and care around an older population9.5% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 1.8% in Deansgate to 15.6% in Brooklands — a gap of 13.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 32 of 32 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health6% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 1.1% in Deansgate to 9% in Miles Platting & Newton Heath — a gap of 7.9 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 32 of 32 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities37.6% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 3.3% in Deansgate to 29.3% in Miles Platting & Newton Heath — a gap of 26.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 32 of 32 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 5% in Deansgate to 32% in Miles Platting & Newton Heath — a gap of 27 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 32 of 32 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |