Area type
Unitary Authority
Population
213,528
GDP
£7.2 billion
Average salary
£39,363
Labour force
133,825
Job Density
0.78
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Luton was worth an estimated £7.2 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Luton's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 3.4% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Business administration & support industry is the largest in Luton based on the number of jobs, accounting for 19.1% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 104,000 jobs in Luton, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 133,825. The 2019 job density in Luton is 0.78, meaning there are 0.78 jobs per member of the Luton working-age population.
Luton had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £39,363 in 2021. Luton's unemployment rate is 8.1% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Luton is 133,825 or 62.7% of the total population.
In 2021, 91.9% of the labour market was recorded as employed, below the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 13.2% are self-employed, and 86.8% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Luton working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 34.1%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 50% of the Luton working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 11% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: Luton Salary
The average salary in Luton as of 2021 is £39,363. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries fell by £3,146. Compare average salaries by area.
Luton's salary growth rate is -7.40% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 7.40% lower than the average salary growth rate in Luton over the past 9 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Luton is Elementary Administration & Service Occs, 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 Luton is Science, Engineering And Technology Associate Profs, with roles increasing 157% 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 | 12,700 | 13.1% | -12.4% |
| Administrative Occupations | 10,500 | 10.9% | 1.9% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 7,100 | 7.3% | 14.5% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 5,900 | 6.1% | 18.0% |
| Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs | 5,600 | 5.8% | 30.2% |
There was a 3% 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 Luton is Business administration & support. Other major industries include Transport & Storage, Health, which represents over 10% of roles in Luton.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 1% of the Luton economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
2% of the total jobs in Luton 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration & Support | 18,000 | 19.1% |
| Health | 14,000 | 14.9% |
| Transport & Storage | 10,000 | 10.6% |
| Education | 8,000 | 8.5% |
| Manufacturing | 7,000 | 7.4% |
The fastest-growing industry in Luton is Health, with jobs in the sector increasing 17% between 2019 and 2020 from 12,000 to 14,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Luton between 2019 and 2020 was Mining, quarrying & utilities, which saw an 25% decrease in roles, going from 300 to 225. 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 Luton, the number of roles in this sector has fallen by 0% over the past year, below the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Luton Demographics
Luton Crime
Rental Market of Luton
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 35 large businesses in Luton, making up 0.5% of total businesses - in England, 0.4% of businesses are large. A large business is defined as having over 250 employees.
There are 90 medium-sized businesses based in Luton, making up 1.2% 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 465 small businesses based in Luton, making up 6.0% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Luton's unemployment rate is 8.1% that's 3% 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 Looking After Family, representing 31.6% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: student, long-term sick, 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