Karlstad Municipality

Key figures

1. Municipal tax rate 21.3%Sweden: 20.9%
2. Merit rating, year 9 223.6 pointsSweden: 224.1 points
3. Eligible for upper secondary school 88.7%Sweden: 83.9%
4. Unemployment 2.8%Sweden: 3.1%
5. Median income, age 20–64 SEK 387,800Sweden: SEK 405,393
6. Feel safe outdoors at night 81.1%Sweden: 79.1%
7. Population 99,007Sweden: 199,284
8. Population change 0.9%Sweden: 0.2%
9. Children per adult in preschool 5.2 children per adultSweden: 5.1 children per adult
10. New businesses 9.6 per 1,000 residentsSweden: 11.4 per 1,000 residents
11. Business bankruptcies 1 per 1,000 residentsSweden: 1.6 per 1,000 residents
12. House price SEK 3.5 millionSweden: SEK 4.6 million
13. Net migration 8.5 per 1,000 residentsSweden: 2.8 per 1,000 residents
14. Job openings 3.9 per 1,000 residentsSweden: 4 per 1,000 residents
15. Temperature June 14.4 °CDecember 2.6 °C

Source: Kolada, Statistics Sweden (SCB), Swedish Public Employment Service (Jobtech), SMHI. "Sweden" is Kommunlotsen's own population-weighted average across all municipalities, not an official national figure. The "highest" and "lowest" labels mark the 10 highest and lowest of Sweden's municipalities and are not judgements of quality. Sources and licences: open data page (in Swedish). Last updated 21 September 2026.

Origin

19.5% have a foreign background (Sweden 27.5%), 15% are foreign-born (Sweden 20.8%), 9.5% of all residents were born outside Europe (Sweden 11.9%).

The most common countries of birth among foreign-born residents.

• Syria 1.8% of residents
• Iraq 1.5% of residents
• Norway 0.9% of residents
• Afghanistan 0.9% of residents
• Iran 0.8% of residents
• Finland 0.5% of residents
• Türkiye 0.4% of residents
• Thailand 0.4% of residents
• Poland 0.4% of residents
• Somalia 0.4% of residents

Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB). "Foreign background" adds the foreign-born to people born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents. "Born outside Europe" follows the UN's regional classification. Shares and the national figure are Kommunlotsen's own calculations from SCB data.

Housing & leisure

1. Holiday homes 23.5 per 1,000 residentsSweden: 59.8 per 1,000 residents
2. Holiday home price SEK 28,668/m²Sweden: SEK 35,616/m²
3. Living space per resident 44 m²Sweden: 42 m²

Commuting

Self-contained job market

Share of employed residents who commute across the municipal border. A "bedroom community" sends at least 60% out and takes in under 50%; a "job hub" is the reverse; a "commuter hub" has at least 50% both ways.

People

1. Average age 42.2 yearsSweden: 42.4 years
2. Post-secondary education, age 25–44 57.8%Sweden: 50.7%
3. Turnout in the municipal election 83%Sweden: 80.4%

Everyday life & connectivity

1. Electric cars 29.9 per 1,000 residentsSweden: 40.7 per 1,000 residents
2. Gigabit broadband coverage 99.2%Sweden: 98.5%

More: