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Background There is substantial evidence that poverty causes poor mental health. Associations between ethnicity and mental health and wellbeing are less clear. We aimed to quantify inequalities in mental health among adolescents in Bradford, England.Methods We used cross-sectional data from Age of Wonder, a survey of secondary school pupils. Participants completed measures of anxiety and depression (RCADS-25), mental wellbeing (SWEMWBS), emotional and behavioural problems (SDQ), and eating problems (EDE-QS). We used linear regression to estimate the association between ethnicity and each measure, adjusting for age, sex, and the season of survey completion. We also estimated inequalities relating to family income, based on eligibility for free school meals.Results We included 8,465 participants completing a survey in 2023/24. The median age was 13.9 years (IQR 13.2–14.6 years); 52.4% were female; 39.0% were of Pakistani heritage; 35.5% were White British; 25.5% were of other ethnicities; 28.3% were eligible for free school meals (compared to 24.6% across England); and the median neighbourhood of residence was in the 13th most deprived percentile of the English Index of Multiple Deprivation (IQR 5th–29th percentile). In comparison to participants of Pakistani heritage, White British participants had greater anxiety and depression (Cohen’s d = 0.14; 95% CI 0.02, 0.26); lower wellbeing (d = 0.19; 95% CI 0.10,0.28), more emotional and behavioural problems (d = 0.55; 95% CI 0.41,0.70); and no evidence of a difference in eating problems (d=0.09; 95% CI -0.11,0.29). Differences between other ethnic groups were imprecise. Participants who were eligible for free school meals had greater anxiety and depression (d=0.12; 95% CI 0.05,0.18); lower wellbeing (d=0.17; 95% CI 0.13,0.22); more emotional and behavioural problems (d=0.16; 95% CI 0.07,0.24) and more eating problems (d=0.11; 95% CI 0.01,0.21). Compared to White British participants, Pakistani participants were more likely to be eligible for free school meals and lived in more deprived neighbourhoods. Within deprivation strata, differences by ethnicity were larger than those described above.Conclusion Consistent with other evidence, we found that poverty is associated with worse mental health among adolescents. While adolescents of Pakistani heritage typically lived in more deprived neighbourhoods, they reported better mental health and wellbeing than White British participants, particularly in relation to emotional and behavioural problems.