Area type
Non-metropolitan District
Population
161,545
GDP
£5.1 billion
Average salary
£35,490
Labour force
94,627
Job Density
1.02
View trend
View trend
View breakdown
Harrogate's economy ranks among the most prosperous in England.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Harrogate was worth an estimated £5.1 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Harrogate's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 4.0% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in Harrogate based on the number of jobs, accounting for 13.9% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 97,000 jobs in Harrogate, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 94,627. The 2019 job density in Harrogate is 1.03, meaning there are 1.03 jobs per member of the Harrogate working-age population.
Harrogate had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £35,490 in 2021. Harrogate's unemployment rate is 3.1% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Harrogate is 94,627 or 58.6% of the total population.
In 2021, 96.9% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 15.7% are self-employed, and 84.3% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Harrogate working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 40.8%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 64% of the Harrogate working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 4% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: Harrogate Salary
The average salary in Harrogate as of 2021 is £35,490. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries fell by £884. Compare average salaries by area.
Harrogate's salary growth rate is -2.43% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 2.43% lower than the average salary growth rate in Harrogate over the past 9 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Harrogate is Corporate Managers And Directors, accounting for 13% 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 Harrogate is Teaching And Educational Professionals, with roles increasing 191% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Managers And Directors | 9,700 | 13.2% | -17.1% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 6,400 | 8.7% | 113.3% |
| Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs | 5,800 | 7.9% | 81.3% |
| Business, Media And Public Service Professionals | 5,600 | 7.6% | 21.7% |
| Administrative Occupations | 5,300 | 7.2% | -23.2% |
There was a 3% 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 Harrogate is Health. Other major industries include Accommodation & Food Services, Professional, Scientific & Technical, which represents over 10% of roles in Harrogate.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 3% of the Harrogate economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
3% of the total jobs in Harrogate 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 | 11,000 | 13.9% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 8,000 | 10.1% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 8,000 | 10.1% |
| Retail | 7,000 | 8.8% |
| Business Administration & Support | 7,000 | 8.8% |
The fastest-growing industry in Harrogate is Business Administration & Support, with jobs in the sector increasing 40% between 2019 and 2020 from 5,000 to 7,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Harrogate between 2019 and 2020 was Property, which saw an 42% decrease in roles, going from 3,000 to 1,750. 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 Harrogate, the number of roles in this sector has fallen by 0% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Harrogate Demographics
Rental Market of Harrogate
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 35 large businesses in Harrogate, 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 140 medium-sized businesses based in Harrogate, making up 1.5% 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 750 small businesses based in Harrogate, making up 8.2% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Harrogate's unemployment rate is 3.1% that's 2% 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 Student, representing 44.6% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: 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 2021. Data sources: ONS Local statistics