Area type
Unitary Authority
Population
150,030
GDP
£3.6 billion
Average salary
£31,720
Labour force
93,526
Job Density
0.79
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Blackburn with Darwen was worth an estimated £3.6 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Blackburn with Darwen's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 0.5% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in Blackburn with Darwen based on the number of jobs, accounting for 19.0% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 73,000 jobs in Blackburn with Darwen, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 93,526. The 2019 job density in Blackburn with Darwen is 0.78, meaning there are 0.78 jobs per member of the Blackburn with Darwen working-age population.
Blackburn with Darwen had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £31,720 in 2021. Blackburn with Darwen's unemployment rate is 7.5% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Blackburn with Darwen is 93,526 or 62.3% of the total population.
In 2021, 92.5% of the labour market was recorded as employed, below the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 9.9% are self-employed, and 90.1% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Blackburn with Darwen working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 29.7%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 52% of the Blackburn with Darwen working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 10% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
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Main page: Blackburn with Darwen Salary
The average salary in Blackburn with Darwen as of 2021 is £31,720. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries grew by £1,490. Compare average salaries by area.
Blackburn with Darwen's salary growth rate is 4.93% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 4.93% higher than the average salary growth rate in Blackburn with Darwen over the past 9 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Blackburn with Darwen is Elementary Administration & Service Occs, accounting for 10% of all roles in the area. In England as a whole, the largest job group is Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals.
The fastest-growing type of job in Blackburn with Darwen is Elementary Trades And Related Occupations, with roles increasing 91% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 5,800 | 9.5% | -7.9% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 4,600 | 7.6% | 15.0% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 4,600 | 7.6% | -36.1% |
| Administrative Occupations | 4,400 | 7.2% | -18.5% |
| Corporate Managers And Directors | 4,300 | 7.1% | -4.4% |
There was a 1% increase in roles between 2019 and 2020. In England as a whole, there was a 2% decrease.
Based on the total number of jobs, the largest industry in Blackburn with Darwen is Health. Other major industries include Manufacturing, Retail, which represents over 10% of roles in Blackburn with Darwen.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 1% of the Blackburn with Darwen economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
3% of the total jobs in Blackburn with Darwen are in Information and Communication, one of the key sectors for the future, below the 5% of jobs in England as a whole.
Industry | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 13,000 | 19.0% |
| Manufacturing | 11,000 | 16.0% |
| Retail | 7,000 | 10.2% |
| Education | 6,000 | 8.8% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 4,500 | 6.6% |
The fastest-growing industry in Blackburn with Darwen is Information & Communication, with jobs in the sector increasing 100% between 2019 and 2020 from 1,000 to 2,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Blackburn with Darwen between 2019 and 2020 was Transport & storage, which saw an 17% decrease in roles, going from 3,000 to 2,500. In England more broadly the industry with the biggest year on year decline was Arts, entertainment & recreation, with roles decreasing by 8%.
The Information and communication industry includes many of the top companies of the future. In Blackburn with Darwen, the number of roles in this sector has risen by 100% over the past year, above the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Blackburn with Darwen Demographics
Blackburn with Darwen Crime
Rental Market of Blackburn with Darwen
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 25 large businesses in Blackburn with Darwen, making up 0.5% of total businesses - in England, 0.4% of businesses are large. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.
There are 110 medium-sized businesses based in Blackburn with Darwen, making up 2.1% of total businesses - in England, 1.5% of businesses are medium-sized. A medium-sized business is defined as having between 50 and 249 employees.
There are 580 small businesses based in Blackburn with Darwen, making up 11.1% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Blackburn with Darwen's unemployment rate is 7.5% that's 2% higher than the average unemployment rate for England as a whole. Unemployment rates are the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the working-age population.
The main group within the unemployment population is Looking After Family, representing 32.1% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: student, long-term sick, all of which represent over 10% of the unemployed population.
In England as a whole, students are the main group within the unemployed population, accounting for 28.9% of the unemployed population.
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2021. Data sources: ONS Local statistics