Within the North East, housing was most affordable in 2021 in County Durham and Sunderland, where the median house price was less than five times median full-time annual pay in both cases. Housing was least affordable in the Northumberland and North Tyneside where the ratios were both more than 6.5.

Housing is relatively affordable in the North East LEP area, compared to England as a whole. In 2021, the North East median house price was about 5.6 times the median full-time annual pay. In England excluding London the ratio was 9.1. 

North East house prices increased at a faster rate than earnings in 2021 leading to an increase in the ratio of house prices to earnings after several years of little change. 

The number of new houses started in the North East LEP area in 2020/21 was higher than the number completed, in contrast to the previous two years where the reverse was true. This was highlighted by the North East ratio of starts to completions increasing to more than 1 in the latest year. The latest North East ratio was higher than the England equivalent. 

About 87% of North East new homes started in 2020/21 were private enterprise dwelings, compared to 80% in England excluding London. The remainder were mainly housing association dwellings. The percentage that were private within the North East ranged from 75% in Gateshead to 95% in South Tyneside.

Fuel poverty is measured using the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric. In 2020 (the latest available Government data), about 14.5% of North East households were in fuel poverty by this measure, compared to 13.5% in England excluding London. Within the North East, the proportion was highest in Newcastle (16.8%). 

The under-75 (premature) mortality rate for all causes was higher than the England equivalent in all North East local authority areas except Northumberland in the 2018-2020 three-year period.

It was highest in South Tyneside, and this was one of three North East areas where the rate particularly increased from the previous three-year period, along with Sunderland and County Durham.

All but one North East local authority area had a higher percentage of people with a low level of life satisfaction than nationally (6.1%) in 2021, with Gateshead (8.0%) having the highest and Northumberland (5.9%) the lowest.

In all seven areas, however, the vast majority of  people had high or very high life satisfaction, ranging from 72% in Gateshead to 78% in Northumberland.

According to the 2019 index of multiple deprivation, almost 17% of North East small areas are within the most deprived 10% in England.

This level of overall deprivation is particularly driven by high levels of deprivation relating to health and disability and of employment-related deprivation. For these two domains, over 26% and almost 25% of North East small areas, respectively, are within England's most deprived 10%.

Newcastle (almost 26%) has the highest proportion of small areas within the most deprived 10% in England, according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Both South Tyneside and Sunderland also have well over 20% of small areas in the most deprived decile. 

Using a broader measure, South Tyneside has 45% of small areas within the deprived fifth of such areas nationally, the highest proportion within the North East.

In 2020/21, there was a much higher percentage of children in low income families in the North East (28.8%) than in England excluding London (18.9%).

The North East percentage had increased by 6.4 percentage points since 2018/19, while the England excluding London equivalent was only 0.6 percentage points higher than two years earlier.

Newcastle (32.2%) had the highest proportion of children in low-income families among North East local authority areas in 2020/21. All seven North East areas had proportions that were at least five percentage points higher than the England excluding London equivalent (18.9%).

source: Nexus Insight Panel, Cost of Living focus (Mar/Apr 2022)

In 2020, just over 17% working age households in the North East LEP area had no one in employment within them. This was a higher percentage than in England excluding London (just over 13%).

The workless households rate within the North East varied greatly. It was highest in South Tyneside (just over 23%) and lowest in North Tyneside (13%).

source: Nexus Insight Panel, Cost of Living focus (Mar/Apr 2022)

In most five of the seven North East local authority areas there is better than average access to the nearest public green space, with the median distance lower than the England median (318m).

The exceptions are Northumberland (481m) and County Durham (347m), while the North East areas with the best access by this measure are Gateshead (224m) and Newcastle (231m).

In terms of the average population per public green space, the North East is well served, just under 5,800 per green space, compared to England's 9,100.

Within the North East, by this measure, Gateshead is best served by green spaces (less than 4,600 per green space), with Sunderland least served (8,900).

In the North East LEP area, the immediate impact of Covid-19 was a fall of more than 65% in visits to workplaces. Levels of visits of this type have steadily increased since then but were still 15% below pre-Covid levels in non-holiday weeks in June 2022.

Levels of the visits of this type have been lower during school holiday periods and in weeks containing bank holidays and were 35% below the levels of early 2020 in the 2022 jubilee double bank holiday week in June.

The immediate impact of Covid-19 was a fall of about 75% in visits to North East retail and recreation locations (excluding supermarkets). Levels of visits of this type have steadily increased since then but were still about 7% below pre-Covid levels in non-holiday weeks in June 2022.

Levels of the visits of this type tend to be higher during school holiday periods and in weeks containing bank holidays. However, they were only slightly above the early 2020 level during the June 2022 Jubilee double bank holiday.

Patterns of changes since 2020 in visits numbers to retail and recreation locations have been similar across the seven North East local authority areas.

The initial impact of Covid-19 on such visits was greatest in Newcastle and Gateshead and the index has shown that the impact has been largest in the former in most weeks since.

The index compares visit numbers with winter levels in early 2020 so areas such as Northumberland, with seasonal tourist attractions, have higher index values in holiday periods.

Source: 2011 Census, Office for National Statistics

In 2011 there were about 769,000 commuting workers who lived and/or worked in the North East LEP area. This excludes people working at or from home, with no fixed place of work and those working offshore or overseas.

Within the North East, the largest cross-boundary flow was almost 25,000 from North Tyneside to Newcastle. There were also flows of more than 19,000 from both Northumberland and Gateshead into Newcastle.

Apart from into Newcastle, the largest flow was of almost 16,000 from County Durham to Sunderland and there were other flows of over 10,000 from both Northumberland and Newcastle into North Tyneside and from County Durham to Gateshead.

In addition, almost 25,000 County Durham residents commuted to a workplace outside of the North East LEP area, while almost 15,000 of workers in County Durham commuted into the North East.

Source: 2011 Census, Office for National Statistics

In 2011, between a third and more than a half of commuting workers from each of the seven North East local authority areas crossed into another local authority area to work. 

Newcastle was the destination of about 30% of commuting workers resident in North Tyneside, about 25% of those from Gateshead and, respectively, 16% and 12% from Northumberland and South Tyneside. In the opposite direction, about 11% of Newcastle commuters made the journey to North Tyneside. Outside of Newcastle, about 16% of South Tyneside's commuters journeyed to Sunderland and about 13% of County Durham's journeyed to a workplace outside of the North East LEP area.

Source: Travel to Work Areas (TTWAs), Open Geography portal, Office for National Statistics

The 2011 data resulted in the construction of travel to work areas (TTWAs), where at least area's resident workforce work in the area and at least 75% of the people who work in the area are residents.

The Newcastle TTWA is the largest in the North East LEP in population terms, and covers all of the Newcastle, North Tyneside and Gateshead local authority areas, as well as substantial portions of Northumberland, South Tyneside and County Durham.

The Sunderland TTWA covers all of the Sunderland local authority area, a significant portion of South Tyneside and most of the coastal areas of County Durham.
 
Northumberland is divided into three TTWAs in addition to Newcastle: Blyth and Ashington, Berwick and Hexham. County Durham is divided into three TTWAs in addition to Newcastle and Sunderland: a large area centred on the city of Durham and Bishop Auckland and parts of Darlington and Hartlepool TTWAs.

Source: Office for National Statistics experimental data

Highly skilled workers commute further across the North East LEP than workers with lower qualification levels. experimental mapping of Census data has created many more North East TTWAs for the latter than the former.

Source: Annual survey of hours and earnings (ONS), Full-time employees 
Map shows (in £000s) how larger or smaller the median full-time annual income of employees living in a constituency is than the equivalents for employees working there.

Hexham, North Durham and Tynemouth are the North East constituencies where the positive gap between residence-based pay and workplace pay was highest in the latest data, highlighting areas where many higher-paid workers out-commute.

Newcastle upon Tyne Central has the highest negative gap, highlighting the large inflow of higher-paid commuters into the city centre.

In areas with higher residence-based pay than workforce pay, out-commuters are, on the whole, higher paid than workers who do not leave the area. Where the reverse is true, in-commuters from other areas are, on average, in higher paid work than workers who are resident in the area.

In the North East, only Newcastle and Sunderland have higher annual workforce pay than residence pay, highlighting the effects of in-commuting. Newcastle has the highest annual pay in both instances, while Sunderland's residence-based pay is the lowest of the seven areas but the workplace pay is the fourth highest.

The biggest gaps between resident and workplace pay were in South Tyneside, County Durham and North Tyneside in 2021. 

On average, in 2019 workers in most local authority areas in the North East had quicker access to major employment centres by public transport than the England average. In particular, the median time taken for such journeys in Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland was about a third of the England equivalent.

The median time in Northumberland was the slowest in the North East and was similar to the England figure. County Durham and South Tyneside also had noticeably slower median times than the other four North East local authority areas.

The median times at local authority level mask differences between smaller areas, particularly in Northumberland and County Durham which both include some remote rural locations.

On average, in 2019 the number of major employment centres accessible by public transport within 30 minutes was higher than the England average in all seven North local authority areas. In Newcastle, North Tyneside and Gateshead the average total was close to the maximum (10).

The County Durham and, particularly, Northumberland averages were lower than those in the Tyne and Wear area but still higher than the national equivalent.

The local authority level averages mask differences between small areas, with the North East having some remote rural smaller settlements in Northumberland and County Durham.

Source: Travel time statistics, Department for Transport

Public transport connects a large portion of the North East LEP’s population to major employment centres. 840,000 working age residents have access to eight to ten major employment centres within 30 minutes, 67% of the total working age population.

These connections are strongest in the metropolitan boroughs of Tyne and Wear although the coastal area of Sunderland and South Tyneside are slightly less well connected.

Connections to major employment centres are generally weaker in Northumberland and County Durham. Only 15% of the working age population has access to eight to ten major employment centres within 30 minutess via public transport in Northumberland and only 36% in County Durham.

About 190,000 residents in the North East LEP have access to fewer than four major employment centres within 30 mins by public transport (15% of the total working age population).