United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Northumberland vs Sunderland
Northumberland (North East, England · ~324k people) · Sunderland (North East, England · ~278k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Northumberland leads on 4, Sunderland on 3. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
Northumberland
£38,090/yr
Worse than 62% of UK LAs
Sunderland
£34,076/yr
Worse than 96% of UK LAs
Northumberland: 12% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Northumberland
£202,500
Better than 79% of UK LAs
Sunderland
£152,000
Better than 96% of UK LAs
Sunderland: 33% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Northumberland
£664/mo
Better than 96% of UK LAs
Sunderland
£695/mo
Better than 92% of UK LAs
Northumberland: 5% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Northumberland
£2,597/yr
Worse than 88% of UK LAs
Sunderland
£2,197/yr
Better than 91% of UK LAs
Sunderland: £400 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Northumberland
71.4/1k
Around UK average
Sunderland
94.6/1k
Worse than 79% of UK LAs
Northumberland: 32% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Northumberland
22.1
Worse than 63% of UK LAs
Sunderland
30.6
Worse than 89% of UK LAs
Northumberland: lower average deprivation score (22.1 vs 30.6).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Northumberland
89.5%
Worse than 82% of UK LAs
Sunderland
96.4%
Better than 79% of UK LAs
Sunderland: 6.9 percentage points more pupils in Good/Outstanding schools.
What local pay actually covers
Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.
Northumberland
Rent takes 21% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 5.3× median annual pay
Sunderland
Rent takes 24% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 4.5× median annual pay
Full Northumberland profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Sunderland profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.