SunderlandCountsSunderland, in numbers.Local help →Sunderland · England
Sunderland 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
The Housing Innovation and Construction Skills Academy is reported operational.
The facility creates training capacity, but attending a course is not the same as securing lasting work. The useful test is how training matches real employer needs.
What could help →strength
Average private rent is £707 a month (August 2026) in Sunderland council area. This is £752 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.5% in Washington South to 32.9% in Deptford & Hendon — a gap of 24.4 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 →weakness
8% of people reported bad or very bad health in Sunderland council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.8% in Barnes & Thornhill to 11.8% in Southwick — a gap of 7.1 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
Two named Sunderland neighbourhood areas are preparing plans for long-term Pride in Place investment.
Proposed response: Show how local views become chosen projects and why some proposals are deferred.
What could help →opportunity
20.5% of people in Sunderland council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 15.6% in Pallion & Ford to 26.2% in Fulwell — a gap of 10.6 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
24.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Sunderland council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 14% in Fulwell to 30.9% in Southwick — a gap of 16.9 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 →opportunity
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Sunderland council area.
Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.
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 11.5% in Fulwell to 34.3% in Southwick — a gap of 22.8 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Turn Sunderland’s construction training capacity into sustained local workHousing Innovation and Construction Skills Academy: Operational since September 2025, according to council budget. | Sunderland City Council, Sunderland College and Ministry of Building Innovation and Education | |
| Make residents’ priorities traceable through spending decisionsPride in Place plans for two Sunderland neighbourhood areas: Initial engagement and preparation of neighbourhood plans. Evidence dated 2026-10-07. | Sunderland City Council and the two neighbourhood boards | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £707 a month (August 2026) in Sunderland council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.5% in Washington South to 32.9% in Deptford & Hendon — a gap of 24.4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 25 of 25 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | |
| Plan homes and care around an older population20.5% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 15.6% in Pallion & Ford to 26.2% in Fulwell — a gap of 10.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 25 of 25 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health8% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.8% in Barnes & Thornhill to 11.8% in Southwick — a gap of 7.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 25 of 25 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities24.6% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 14% in Fulwell to 30.9% in Southwick — a gap of 16.9 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 25 of 25 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 11.5% in Fulwell to 34.3% in Southwick — a gap of 22.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 25 of 25 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |