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Economy of Bolton

Area selected: Bolton
  • England and Wales
  • England
  • North West
  • Greater Manchester
  • Bolton
Pie Chart
GDP per capita
£22,460

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People
Unemployment rate
4.1%

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Business
Major Industry
Health

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GDP per capita
Unemployment rate
GDP growth per capita
Area type
Metropolitan District
Population
296,041
GDP
£6.6 billion
Average salary
£31,459
Labour force
185,492
Job Density
0.76

Economy of Bolton

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Bolton was worth an estimated £6.6 billion in 2020, according to figures published by the ONS. Bolton's GDP growth between 2019 and 2020 was -2.1% per year. Compare GDP by area.

The Health industry is the largest in Bolton based on the number of jobs, accounting for 14.5% of roles in the area.

2020 ONS figures suggest that there are 133,000 jobs in Bolton, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 185,492. The 2020 job density in Bolton is 0.72, meaning there are 0.72 jobs per member of the Bolton working-age population.

Bolton had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £31,459 in 2022. Bolton's unemployment rate is 4.1% as of 2022. Compare unemployment rate by area.

Compared to England's figures

  • The GDP value of Bolton represents 0.4% of the English economy. Bolton is the 18th metropolitan district in England (of 36 total) when ordered by GDP, and the 18th metropolitan district in England (of 36 total) when ordered by GDP per capita.
  • The 133,000 jobs in Bolton represents 0.4% of the 30,055,000 reported jobs in England. Bolton is the 18th metropolitan district in England (of 36 total) when ordered by total jobs, and the 15th metropolitan district in England (of 36 total) when ordered by job density.
  • Bolton's unemployment rate of 4.1% is 0.2% higher than the unemployment rate for England (3.9%).

Labour Market

The 2020 labour force or working-age population in Bolton is 185,492 or 62.7% of the total population.

In 2022, 95.9% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 11.7% are self-employed, and 88.3% are employees.

Qualifications

The Annual Population Survey for 2021 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Bolton working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 33.0%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.

Over 54% of the Bolton working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 9% have no qualifications.

Qualifications classifications

  • NVQ 4: Degree or equivalent.
  • NVQ 3: 2 or more A levels or equivalent
  • NVQ 2: 5 or more GCSEs at grades A-C or equivalent
  • NVQ 1: fewer than 5 GCSEs at grades A-C or equivalent
  • NVQ Other: includes foreign qualifications and some professional qualifications.

Salaries in Bolton

Main page: Bolton Salary

The average salary in Bolton as of 2022 is £31,459. Between 2021 and 2022, average salaries grew by £1,531. Compare average salaries by area.

Bolton's salary growth rate is 5.12% per year based on changes in average salary between 2021 and 2022, which is 5.12% higher than the average salary growth rate in Bolton over the past 9 years.

Average Salary
Salary Growth

Jobs in Bolton

Business data published by the ONS in 2021 show the most common job group in Bolton 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 Bolton is Customer Service Occupations, with roles increasing 260% between July 2021 and July 2022. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.

Occupation
Number
Percentage
CHANGE
Elementary Administration & Service Occs 11,800 9.6% 26.9%
Administrative Occupations 11,600 9.5% -12.1%
Caring Personal Service Occupations 10,500 8.6% 16.7%
Teaching And Educational Professionals 8,900 7.3% 39.1%
Sales Occupations 8,100 6.6% -11.0%
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Industries in Bolton

There was a 7% increase in roles between 2020 and 2021. In England as a whole, there was a 3% decrease.

Based on the total number of jobs, the largest industry in Bolton is Health. Other major industries include Manufacturing, Retail, which represents over 10% of roles in Bolton.

Financial & Insurance companies make up 4% of the Bolton economy that's higher than the average for England as a whole (~3%).

2% of the total jobs in Bolton 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 18,000 14.5%
Manufacturing 13,000 10.5%
Retail 13,000 10.5%
Transport & Storage 11,000 8.9%
Education 10,000 8.1%
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Industry growth in Bolton

The fastest-growing industry in Bolton is Construction, with jobs in the sector increasing 60% between 2020 and 2021 from 5,000 to 8,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.

The industry with the biggest decline in Bolton between 2020 and 2021 was Arts, entertainment, recreation & other services, which saw an 22% decrease in roles, going from 4,500 to 3,500. 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 Bolton, the number of roles in this sector has fallen by 10% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.

Person
Average age
39

Bolton Demographics Arrow Forward

Home
Average rent
£674

Rental Market of Bolton Arrow Forward

Number of Businesses in Bolton

2022 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 40 large businesses in Bolton, making up 0.4% of total businesses - in England, 0.4% of businesses are large. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.

There are 165 medium-sized businesses based in Bolton, making up 1.6% 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 980 small businesses based in Bolton, making up 9.2% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.

Reasons for unemployment in Bolton

Bolton's unemployment rate is 4.1% that's 1% lower 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 Long-term Sick, representing 30.8% of the unemployed population.

Secondary classifications include groups: student, looking after family, retired, other, 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.

  • Student 21.9%
  • Looking After Family 17.4%
  • Temporary Sick 2.4%
  • Long-term Sick 30.8%
  • Retired 13.2%
  • Other 14.2%

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Areas near Bolton

District
Bury
GDP per capita £21,085
Chevron Forward
District
Manchester
GDP per capita £47,434
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District
Oldham
GDP per capita £19,918
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District
Rochdale
GDP per capita £19,369
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District
Salford
GDP per capita £34,043
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District
Stockport
GDP per capita £25,976
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District
Tameside
GDP per capita £18,198
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District
Wigan
GDP per capita £18,763
Chevron Forward
District
Trafford
GDP per capita £40,930
Chevron Forward

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2022. Data sources: ONS Local statistics

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