Area type
Region
Population
7,367,456
GDP
£213 billion
Average salary
£34,501
Labour force
4,572,870
Job Density
0.86
View trend
View trend
View breakdown
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in North West England was worth an estimated £213 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. North West England's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 3.3% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in North West England based on the number of jobs, accounting for 14.1% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 3,909,000 jobs in North West England, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 4,572,870. The 2019 job density in North West England is 0.85, meaning there are 0.85 jobs per member of the North West England working-age population.
North West England had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £34,501 in 2021. North West England's unemployment rate is 5.0% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in North West England is 4,572,870 or 62.1% of the total population.
In 2021, 95.0% of the labour market was recorded as employed, above the 94.8% average rate for England. Of those employed, 11.4% are self-employed, and 88.6% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the North West England working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 38.6%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 58% of the North West England working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 8% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
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Main page: North West England Salary
The average salary in North West England as of 2021 is £34,501. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries fell by £107. Compare average salaries by area.
North West England's salary growth rate is -0.31% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 0.31% lower than the average salary growth rate in North West England over the past 9 years.
In North West England, the highest average wages are found in Warrington where the average salary is £37,865 and the lowest average wages are found in Blackpool where the average salary is £30,717. The difference in average salary between the two areas is £7,148 - the average person in Warrington earns 23.3% more than the average person in Blackpool.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in North West England is Administrative Occupations, 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 North West England is Health & Social Care Assoc. Professionals, with roles increasing 29% between July 2020 and July 2021. In England, the fastest-growing type of role is Corporate Managers And Directors.
Occupation | Number | Percentage | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative Occupations | 293,300 | 8.6% | -1.8% |
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 281,700 | 8.3% | -11.1% |
| Business & Public Service Assoc. Professionals | 252,200 | 7.4% | -0.2% |
| Corporate Managers And Directors | 245,700 | 7.2% | -6.1% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 242,700 | 7.2% | -8.4% |
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 North West England is Health. Other major industries include Retail, which represents over 10% of roles in North West England.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 3% of the North West England economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
3% of the total jobs in North West England 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 | 481,000 | 14.1% |
| Retail | 367,000 | 10.8% |
| Manufacturing | 326,000 | 9.6% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 301,000 | 8.8% |
| Education | 282,000 | 8.3% |
The fastest-growing industry in North West England is Information & Communication, with jobs in the sector increasing 7% between 2019 and 2020 from 97,000 to 104,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in North West England between 2019 and 2020 was Transport & storage, which saw an 13% decrease in roles, going from 196,000 to 171,000. 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 North West England, the number of roles in this sector has risen by 7% over the past year, above the 1% annual increase seen in England.
North West England Demographics
North West England Crime
Rental Market of North West England
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 1,040 large businesses in North West England, 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 4,375 medium-sized businesses based in North West England, 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 24,345 small businesses based in North West England, making up 9.0% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
North West England's unemployment rate is 5.0% that's 0% 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 Long-term Sick, representing 26.5% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: student, looking after family, 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