Area type
Non-metropolitan District
Population
144,147
GDP
£5 billion
Average salary
£31,774
Labour force
93,266
Job Density
1.10
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Preston's economy ranks among the most prosperous in England.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Preston was worth an estimated £5 billion in 2019, according to figures published by the ONS. Preston's GDP growth between 2018 and 2019 was 2.4% per year. Compare GDP by area.
The Health industry is the largest in Preston based on the number of jobs, accounting for 18.7% of roles in the area.
2019 ONS figures suggest that there are 102,000 jobs in Preston, which has a working-age (aged 16-65) population of 93,266. The 2019 job density in Preston is 1.09, meaning there are 1.09 jobs per member of the Preston working-age population.
Preston had a mean average salary for full-time employees of £31,774 in 2021. Preston's unemployment rate is 5.0% as of 2021. Compare unemployment rate by area.
The 2019 labour force or working-age population in Preston is 93,266 or 64.7% 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, 9.3% are self-employed, and 90.7% are employees.
The Annual Population Survey for 2020 published by the ONS reports the percentage of the Preston working-age (aged 16-64) population who have a degree or higher is 40.5%, which is below the 42.8% degree qualification rate for England.
Over 58% of the Preston working-age population have at least 2 A-levels (or equivalent), and 10% have no qualifications.
Qualifications classifications
Main page: Preston Salary
The average salary in Preston as of 2021 is £31,774. Between 2020 and 2021, average salaries fell by £30. Compare average salaries by area.
Preston's salary growth rate is -0.09% per year based on changes in average salary between 2020 and 2021, which is 0.09% lower than the average salary growth rate in Preston over the past 9 years.
Business data published by the ONS in 2020 show the most common job group in Preston is Administrative Occupations, accounting for 11% 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 Preston is Process, Plant And Machines Operatives, with roles increasing 67% 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 | 6,000 | 10.7% | -32.6% |
| Caring Personal Service Occupations | 5,900 | 10.6% | 31.1% |
| Science, Research, Engineering And Technology Profs | 4,900 | 8.8% | |
| Elementary Administration & Service Occs | 4,900 | 8.8% | -7.5% |
| Customer Service Occupations | 4,300 | 7.7% | 22.9% |
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 Preston is Health. Other major industries include Business Administration & Support, which represents over 10% of roles in Preston.
Financial & Insurance companies make up 3% of the Preston economy that's lower than the average for England as a whole (~3%).
2% of the total jobs in Preston 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 | 17,000 | 18.7% |
| Business Administration & Support | 10,000 | 11.0% |
| Public Administration & Defence | 9,000 | 9.9% |
| Retail | 8,000 | 8.8% |
| Education | 8,000 | 8.8% |
The fastest-growing industry in Preston is Information & Communication, with jobs in the sector increasing 14% between 2019 and 2020 from 1,750 to 2,000. In England more broadly the fastest-growing industry is Healthcare.
The industry with the biggest decline in Preston between 2019 and 2020 was Arts, entertainment & recreation, which saw an 17% decrease in roles, going from 3,000 to 2,500. 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 Preston, the number of roles in this sector has risen by 14% over the past year, above the 1% annual increase seen in England.
Preston Demographics
Preston Crime
Rental Market of Preston
2021 UK Business Count data published by the ONS show there are 25 large businesses in Preston, 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 100 medium-sized businesses based in Preston, making up 1.8% 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 555 small businesses based in Preston, making up 9.9% of total businesses - in England, 8.3% of businesses are small. A small business is defined as having between 10 and 49 employees.
Preston'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 Student, representing 28.7% of the unemployed population.
Secondary classifications include groups: looking after family, 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