Area type
Non-metropolitan District
Population
148,119
GDP
£3.4 billion
Average salary
£32,060
Labour force
93,779
Job Density
0.71
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Lancaster was worth an estimated £3.4 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Lancaster's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 3.4% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Education industry is the largest in Lancaster based on the number of jobs, accounting for 16.2% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 66,000 jobs in Lancaster, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 93,779. The 2019 job density in Lancaster is 0.70, meaning there are 0.70 jobs per member of the Lancaster working-age population.
Lancaster had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £32,060 in 2021. Lancaster's unemployment rate is 4.0% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Lancaster is 93,779 or 63.3% of the total population.
In 2021, 96.0% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 14.9% are self-employed, and 85.1% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Lancaster working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 35.0%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 63% of the Lancaster working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 5% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: Lancaster Salary
The average salary in Lancaster as of 2021 is £32,060. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries fell by £1,114. Compare average salaries by area.
Lancaster's salary growth rate is -3.36% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 3.36% lower than the average salary growth rate in Lancaster over the past 9 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Lancaster is Elementary Administration & Service Occs, accounting for 9% 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 Lancaster is Business, Media And Public Service Professionals, with roles increasing 96% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 5,800 | 9.1% | 1.8% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 5,500 | 8.6% | -27.6% |
| Teaching And Educational Professionals | 5,400 | 8.5% | 54.3% |
| Business, Media And Public Service Professionals | 5,300 | 8.3% | 96.3% |
| Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs | 4,500 | 7.0% |
There was a 6% 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 Lancaster is Education. Other major industries include Retail, Health, which represents over 10% of roles in Lancaster.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 2% of the Lancaster economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
2% of the total jobs in Lancaster 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Education | 9,000 | 16.2% |
| Health | 9,000 | 16.2% |
| Retail | 6,000 | 10.8% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 4,500 | 8.1% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 4,000 | 7.2% |
The fastest-growing industry in Lancaster is Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing, with jobs in the sector increasing 17% between 2019 and 2020 from 1,500 to 1,750. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Lancaster between 2019 and 2020 was Wholesale, which saw an 29% decrease in roles, going from 1,750 to 1,250. 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 Lancaster, the number of roles in this sector has fallen by 0% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Lancaster Demographics
Lancaster Crime
Rental Market of Lancaster
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 15 large businesses in Lancaster, making up 0.3% of total businesses - in England, 0.4% of businesses are large. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.
There are 75 medium-sized businesses based in Lancaster, 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 455 small businesses based in Lancaster, making up 9.7% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Lancaster's unemployment rate is 4.0% 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 Student, representing 45.2% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: long-term sick, 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