Area type
Non-metropolitan District
Population
118,870
GDP
£2.5 billion
Average salary
£30,657
Labour force
73,154
Job Density
0.66
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Chorley was worth an estimated £2.5 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Chorley's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 6.8% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in Chorley based on the number of jobs, accounting for 19.1% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 48,000 jobs in Chorley, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 73,154. The 2019 job density in Chorley is 0.66, meaning there are 0.66 jobs per member of the Chorley working-age population.
Chorley had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £30,657 in 2021. Chorley's unemployment rate is 6.7% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Chorley is 73,154 or 61.5% of the total population.
In 2021, 93.3% of the labour market was recorded as employed, below the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 10.3% are self-employed, and 89.7% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Chorley working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 45.7%, which is above the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 58% of the Chorley working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 7% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
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Main page: Chorley Salary
The average salary in Chorley as of 2021 is £30,657. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries fell by £449. Compare average salaries by area.
Chorley's salary growth rate is -1.44% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 1.44% lower than the average salary growth rate in Chorley over the past 8 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Chorley is Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs, accounting for 12% 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 Chorley is Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs, with roles increasing 175% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs | 5,500 | 11.6% | 175.0% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 5,400 | 11.4% | 5.9% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 4,600 | 9.7% | 7.0% |
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 4,600 | 9.7% | 64.3% |
| Corporate Managers And Directors | 3,400 | 7.2% | -43.3% |
There was a 2% decrease 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 Chorley is Health. Other major industries include Retail, which represents over 10% of roles in Chorley.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 1% of the Chorley economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
4% of the total jobs in Chorley 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 | 8,000 | 19.1% |
| Retail | 4,500 | 10.7% |
| Manufacturing | 3,500 | 8.3% |
| Education | 3,500 | 8.3% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 3,000 | 7.2% |
The fastest-growing industry in Chorley is Public Administration & Defence, with jobs in the sector increasing 20% between 2019 and 2020 from 2,500 to 3,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Chorley between 2019 and 2020 was Financial & insurance, which saw an 33% decrease in roles, going from 600 to 400. 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 Chorley, the number of roles in this sector has fallen by 0% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Chorley Demographics
Chorley Crime
Rental Market of Chorley
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 10 large businesses in Chorley, making up 0.2% of total businesses - in England, 0.4% of businesses are large. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.
There are 60 medium-sized businesses based in Chorley, making up 1.3% 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 410 small businesses based in Chorley, making up 8.8% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Chorley's unemployment rate is 6.7% 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 Long-term Sick, representing 38.1% 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