Area type
Non-metropolitan District
Population
70,837
GDP
£1.7 billion
Average salary
£26,784
Labour force
42,302
Job Density
0.82
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Boston was worth an estimated £1.7 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Boston's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 2.6% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in Boston based on the number of jobs, accounting for 18.4% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 35,000 jobs in Boston, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 42,302. The 2019 job density in Boston is 0.83, meaning there are 0.83 jobs per member of the Boston working-age population.
Boston had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £26,784 in 2021. Boston's unemployment rate is 9.7% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Boston is 42,302 or 59.7% of the total population.
In 2021, 90.3% of the labour market was recorded as employed, below the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 0.0% are self-employed, and 100.0% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Boston working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 23.3%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 44% of the Boston working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 14% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: Boston Salary
The average salary in Boston as of 2021 is £26,784. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries grew by £677. Compare average salaries by area.
Boston's salary growth rate is 2.59% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 2.59% higher than the average salary growth rate in Boston over the past 9 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Boston is Transport & Mobile Machine Drivers/operatives, accounting for 28% 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 Boston is Transport & Mobile Machine Drivers/operatives, with roles increasing 116% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport & Mobile Machine Drivers/operatives | 4,100 | 27.7% | 115.8% |
| Process, Plant And Machines Operatives | 3,500 | 23.6% | -25.5% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 3,200 | 21.6% | |
| Customer Service Occupations | 2,600 | 17.6% | |
| Sales Occupations | 1,400 | 9.5% | -46.2% |
There was a 0% 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 Boston is Health. Other major industries include Manufacturing, Business Administration & Support, which represents over 10% of roles in Boston.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 1% of the Boston economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
1% of the total jobs in Boston 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 | 6,000 | 18.4% |
| Manufacturing | 4,500 | 13.8% |
| Business Administration & Support | 4,000 | 12.3% |
| Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing | 3,000 | 9.2% |
| Retail | 3,000 | 9.2% |
The fastest-growing industry in Boston is Information & Communication, with jobs in the sector increasing 33% between 2019 and 2020 from 150 to 200. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Boston between 2019 and 2020 was Financial & insurance, which saw an 22% decrease in roles, going from 225 to 175. 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 Boston, the number of roles in this sector has risen by 33% over the past year, above the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Boston Demographics
Boston Crime
Rental Market of Boston
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 15 large businesses in Boston, making up 0.7% of total businesses - in England, 0.4% of businesses are large. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.
There are 50 medium-sized businesses based in Boston, making up 2.2% 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 240 small businesses based in Boston, making up 10.5% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Boston's unemployment rate is 9.7% that's 4% 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 Long-term Sick, representing 37.5% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: looking after family, retired, 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