Area type
Metropolitan District
Population
296,041
GDP
£6.6 billion
Average salary
£31,459
Labour force
185,492
Job Density
0.76
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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.
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.
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
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.
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% |
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% |
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.
Bolton Demographics
Rental Market of 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.
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.
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