Jobs hold steady in Darlington as median pay reaches £2,501 a month
WageSight Wire · Aug 2026
- Employment
- 49,457 workers (July 2026)
- Monthly change
- +0.0% (+8 workers)
- Annual change
- +0.2% (+93 workers)
- Median pay
- £2,501/month (YoY: +4.3%, £104 more in cash terms)
- Total pay bill
- +5.3% on the year
- Real pay vs Feb 2022
- +£105 better off in real terms
Payrolled employment in Darlington continued to grow in July 2026, with workers up 0.2% year-on-year, 93 more than a year ago, and was broadly unchanged on the month.
Across the North East, payrolled employment edged down 0.4% over the year to July 2026. Darlington ranked 1st of 7 sub-regional areas in the North East by employment change over the past year.
The median pay packet for workers in Darlington stood at £2,501 in July 2026, up 4.3% over the past year and ahead of inflation at 3.03%. After a period of sharp inflation from 2022 that eroded real earnings, wages have been recovering. Workers in Darlington are now £105 a month better off in real terms than in February 2022, when median earnings stood at £1,901 a month. The total pay bill in Darlington rose 5.3% over the year, faster than headcount, suggesting average earnings per worker are improving.
Darlington outperformed the UK as a whole, where payrolled employment edged down 0.3% over the year to July 2026. Across the UK, 580,736 workers entered payrolled employment in June 2026, the most recently available flow data, while 594,229 left, a net loss of 13,493 workers.
“The employment picture in Darlington is genuinely encouraging. More people in work and real pay rising means households have more money in their pockets. That kind of momentum matters for local businesses and public services alike.”
— Paul Hebden, Director, Campaign Salience
North East — employment and pay
| # | Area | Workers | Jobs (yr) | Median pay | Pay (yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darlington | 49,457 | +0.2% | £2,501 | +4.3% |
| 2 | Sunderland | 118,290 | +0.1% | £2,484 | +4.1% |
| 3 | Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees | 123,658 | -0.1% | £2,523 | +4.0% |
| 4 | Tyneside | 369,759 | -0.4% | £2,531 | +4.7% |
| 5 | County Durham | 211,110 | -0.5% | £2,497 | +4.6% |
| 6 | South Teesside | 117,255 | -0.7% | £2,433 | +4.8% |
| 7 | Northumberland | 131,486 | -0.9% | £2,486 | +4.6% |
Notes to editors
Figures from WageSight, derived from ONS / HMRC PAYE Real Time Information. Full method at wagesight.com/methodology.
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