CoworkingCafe presents a comprehensive snapshot of the work landscape across Britain’s largest cities, identifying some of the best places to work and build a career. By analysing key metrics on employment, business growth, and housing affordability, this study provides a clear, data-driven picture of where career opportunities and financial viability intersect in 2025.
A strong job market is about more than just high salaries. Sustainable growth opportunities, long-term stability and quality of life are equally important in shaping a balanced environment for our active years. While high employment rates and a healthy pool of growing businesses signal economic stability and a spirit of innovation for market players, steep housing costs can still undermine the benefits of a robust work landscape for working families.
With that in mind, our study analyses the British cities that strike the best balance, where working to thrive — not just to survive — is an attainable and sustainable reality for a wide segment of the population. To set up the ranking, CoworkingCafe put three major factors under the microscope:
- Employment (35% weight) — Measured through employment rates and their latest growth patterns, as well as the current number of job postings as a competition indicator and a marker of overall employment market health
- Business Environment (35% weight) — Factoring in the number of active businesses, high-growth enterprises and GDP per capita
- Income & Housing (30% weight) — Evaluating annual earnings, income growth, and the purchasing power of these wages on the local housing and rental market
The findings highlight a shifting dynamic in Britain’s work landscape with mid-sized regional hubs proving to be increasingly competitive, balancing strong job markets and business growth without the extreme costs of major urban centers.
Key Takeaways:
- Winchester comes in as the best city for jobs with high employment, strong business growth and some of the best earnings in the country.
- Warwick packs a punch by ranking third nationwide for business environment with a high density of active and high-growth businesses.
- Stafford emerges as the most employment-secure city, boasting the highest employment rate while also seeing the strongest Y-o-Y increase in this metric.
- The only Scottish city in the top 10, Aberdeen stands out for cost-conscious workers, offering the lowest home price-to-income ratio in the country.
- Its robust business environment secured London’s 11th place overall, far outranking other large cities despite affordability concerns.
Check out the full table – See all entries in one place and click on the column headers to sort them by the different metrics.
Jump to the methodology section – Learn more about the calculation processes and the data points.
Before moving on to discussing the top-performers in detail, it’s worth noting that London’s unique positioning just outside of the top 10. Despite its reputation for high living costs, the city’s prominent economic strength prevented it from slipping further down the list, highlighting the capital city’s continued competitiveness compared to other large urban centres, most of which struggled to break into the top 30.
Top-Performing Cities for Jobs & Opportunity in 2025
From employment rates to business growth and housing affordability, here’s how Britain’s best cities for jobs stack up:
Winchester offers a robust job market with an 87% employment rate among the working-age population after a 12.8% year-over-year (Y-o-Y) growth. The city also boasts the highest business density in Britain — meaning that for every 10,000 working-age residents, there are 177 businesses with 10 or more employees and 7.4 enterprises that recorded at least a 20% employment growth throughout three years. Additionally, the local economy benefits from a strong education sector thanks to the University of Winchester with a booming finance and tech community. And, flipping through the classifieds, we notice plenty of opportunity with close to 90 job postings for every 10,000 working-age residents.
On the flipside, housing affordability remains a concern despite the median income exceeding £45,000, which is the third-highest in the country. Specifically, rents take up more than 36% of the median income, and the typical home price demands the equivalent of more than 12 annual salaries, presenting Winchester homebuyers with challenges similar to those in Brighton or London.
Warwick’s job market is also thriving with an impressive, almost-87% employment rate and a solid year-over-year employment rate growth of nearly 18%. The city’s strong business environment — ranking third in the country — benefits from a high density of active and high-growth businesses. Plus, with major industries in education, research, and technology, as well as Jaguar Land Rover’s Gaydon facility just a short drive away, Warwick’s economic vigour is reflected in its 1.2% Y-o-Y growth in median annual earnings to nearly £41,800, further signalling economic stability.
On top of its strong employment prospects, Warwick is also more balanced when it comes to affordability: About 8.4 median annual salaries can buy you an average home, while rents chip away around 33% from the salary, which is below the national benchmark.
Stafford excels in employment metrics, boasting the highest employment rate at 88.4% and a strong, nearly 22% Y-o-Y employment rate growth. Moreover, the city ranks second in the income and housing category, thanks to house prices demanding just 6.6 median annual incomes and one of the lowest rent-to-income ratios in the country at less than 23%. What’s more, job-seekers also have access to a solid market with 75 job openings per 10,000 working-age residents. As a recent example, GE Vernova announced the expansion of its Stafford manufacturing facility last September, marking its second major round of investment in the area.
However, looking at the local economy — anchored largely in manufacturing, retail and logistics — at a wider scale, Stafford’s private sector lags behind in performance with a more modest business density. That makes it a city where jobs are plentiful, but large-scale commercial opportunities have been relatively limited, thereby tempering its appeal for entrepreneurs who shift their attention more to nearby Birmingham.
Down in the Thames Valley, Reading’s economy is one of the strongest in the country, boasting a lively business environment with a potent mix of high-growth enterprises anchored in tech and finance. Home to global firms like Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco and Prudential, job-seekers will find plenty of opportunities: We see 174 job ads per 10,000 working-age residents — one of the highest in Britain at the time of writing.
However, as is the case in most high-performing business hubs, affordability is a challenge in Reading, too. Despite a solid median income of almost £41,000, rents take up more than 41% of earnings, and buying a home requires close to 10 years’ worth of salaries. That said, for professionals in tech and finance, Reading offers strong career prospects, but housing costs mirror the pressures seen in larger cities, like London.
One of the great all-rounders, St Albans ranks well across all three categories. In particular, the high-income job market with median annual earnings of more than £53,800 is supported by a strong year-over-year income growth and a nearly 85% employment rate. More than just an affluent commuter town, the city also ranks seventh in business density with Premier Foods, AECOM, and Deloitte, as well as other significant players in the finance, technology and professional services sectors playing a key role in its economic landscape. Accordingly, job-seekers can browse 64 job postings per 10,000 working-age residents.
That said, the affluence comes at a price: Even though the city boasts the highest median income, rents still take up nearly 39% of the median income, and the average home price is among the steepest nationwide, requiring more than 13 years’ worth of salaries.
Fueled by finance, aerospace, and retail, Chester’s job scene is particularly strong with major employers like Bank of America, M&S Bank, MBNA and Airbus. The employment rate stands at 82.6%, with an almost 20% year-over-year growth — one of the strongest increases in the country. Recent job market expansion has been driven by steady hiring across key industries, alongside ongoing investments such as the £1.8 billion Ellesmere Port green energy project and the £5 billion HyNet initiative, which are set to create thousands of future jobs. Job seekers will find steady opportunities, with 46 job postings per 10,000 working-age residents at the time of writing
In the income and housing category, Chester ranks sixth nationwide with median earnings standing at £39,200. Meanwhile, rents take up just more than 26% of the monthly income, and typical property prices amount to nearly seven years’ worth of salaries. While this might not make Chester the poster child of housing affordability, it’s one of the more reasonably priced employment hubs on the list. Only Aberdeen and Stafford salaries stretch further in the housing market.
Guildford stands out as a business and innovation hub — particularly in gaming, tech and research — with major employers like Electronic Arts (EA), BAE Systems and Phillips, as well as the Surrey Research Park. Highlighting a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem, the city ranks eighth in business density and fifth in high-growth enterprise density. With median annual earnings at £44,600, it offers strong earning potential, too.
Yet, despite Guildford’s thriving business climate, its 82% employment rate lags behind some of the other top-ranked cities. And, despite the strong salaries, housing affordability remains a significant hurdle with average home prices above the half-million mark — the equivalent of almost 13 years’ salaries. This high barrier to entry, coupled with a stunted employment growth, poses potential constraints for workers looking to settle in the area.
Gloucester boasts a strong labor market with an employment rate north of 88%, as well as the seventh-highest employment rate growth. The city also ranks fifth in terms of the number of recent job postings (152 ads per 10,000 working-age residents), signaling steady demand for workers in the aerospace, energy, and insurance sectors, represented by names like Safran, EDF Energy and Ecclesiastical Insurance.
However, Gloucester’s business environment lags behind its employment strength, ranking lower in the density of active and high-growth businesses. In other words, while the established employers offer plenty of opportunities for the local workforce, this lacking momentum makes Gloucester less of a draw for new entrepreneurs seeking rapid expansion in the city.
Affordability is, by far, Aberdeen‘s greatest asset in this projection with the lowest house price-to-income ratio in the country: Although the median income in the low £38,000s places the city in the middle of the field by earnings, workers can buy a home with just four years’ salaries. Furthermore, as a key energy hub, Aberdeen is home to major oil and gas industry players like BP, Shell and TotalEnergies, thereby driving high economic output.
Notably, its employment rate also sits at a balanced 77.4%. And, while growth has been moderate, job-seekers will find 94 openings per 10,000 working-age residents, making Aberdeen a well-rounded job market where the working population enjoys exceptional financial flexibility.
A major business and transit hub with strong ties to Gatwick Airport and its aviation and engineering sectors, Crawley ranks fourth for employment with a robust 83.8% employment rate and a 16.5% year-over-year increase. Here, its economy is driven by major employers such as Thales Group, Boeing, Virgin Atlantic, and Elekta, and job-seekers will find plenty of openings with 125 job postings per 10,000 working-age residents.
Unsurprisingly, though, affordability remains a concern: Rents claim more than 42% of the £38,400 median income, and the average home price is equivalent to 10 years’ worth of salaries. So, while Crawley offers strong career prospects (especially in high-GVA industries, like aviation and precision engineering), residents looking to buy a home may be in for challenges similar to those in London.
With numerous global finance, tech, creative and professional services firms, as well as a myriad of startup companies calling London home, the capital remains the UK’s economic powerhouse. Ranking second in the business environment category — largely bolstered by its third place in high-growth enterprise density and sixth-highest overall business density — London continues to attract top companies, as well as top talent. Despite a lower employment rate of 75.9%, job opportunities are abundant with 115 postings per 10,000 working-age residents.
However, as is often the case when discussing London, the elephant in the room remains: While the median annual wage is close to £44,800, housing costs take a significant toll. That’s because, on average, rent eats up more than 50% of the salary, and the average home price is more than 12 times the median annual income. Thus, for professionals chasing high salaries and career growth, London offers unrivaled opportunities — but the cost of living may push some to seek more affordable commuter towns.
Beyond the Top 10: Other Notable Cities for Jobs
While the top 10 cities excel in balancing employment, business growth and affordability, several other locations stand out in key areas.
First, the South East benefits from high employment rates, a thriving business environment and strong earnings with eight of the nation’s top 20 cities located here. Namely, Winchester, Reading, Guildford, and Crawley already lead the rankings, but Horsham and Bracknell also excel in employment, securing top-10 placements in the category. Not to be outdone, Sevenoaks and Milton Keynes stand out for their strong business climates, particularly in high-growth business density. Notably, all four of these latter cities boast high incomes, with Horsham and Sevenoaks also ranking in the top 10 for income growth.
Next, the West Midlands emerges as Britain’s second-best-represented region in the rankings with four cities in the top 20, driven by strong employment growth and an increasingly dynamic business environment. Of course, Warwick and Stafford already feature prominently in the national top, but Stratford-upon-Avon reinforces the region’s economic strength, ranking second nationwide for business density and among the top 10 for high-growth enterprises. The town also boasts one of the highest employment rates in the country. Meanwhile, Solihull demonstrates a well-rounded economic profile with high employment levels, competitive incomes and a thriving business community.
Beyond regional trends, a few cities shine in specific categories. In this case, Cambridge boasts the highest job availability rate nationwide, making it a prime destination for job-seekers. Lastly, Havant’s rapid income growth suggests strong earning potential in the area.
Methodology
To set up the ranking in this report, CoworkingCafe focused on the largest cities and towns in Great Britain as defined by CIPHR, focusing exclusively on locations with data points for all metrics analysed.
The analysis was based on the latest available public local authority-level information and regional-level data in the case of Greater London (representing the City of London plus 32 boroughs).
The total scores were calculated using the following data points and weighting:
1. Employment — 35% of the total index
- Employment Rate — 2023-2024 data [Source: ONS – Annual Population Survey] — 50%
- Year-over-Year Employment Rate Growth — 2022-2023 versus 2023-2024 data [Source: ONS – Annual Population Survey] — 30%
- Job Availability Rate — Number of on-site and hybrid job listings per 10,000 residents aged 16 to 64 posted from 19 January to 19 February 2025 [Source: LinkedIn; Glassdoor] — 20%
2. Business Environment — 35% of the total index
- Business Density — Active enterprises with 10 or more employees (2023) per 10,000 residents aged 16 to 64 [Source: ONS – Business Demography] — 40%
- High-Growth Business Density — High-growth enterprises (average annual employment growth greater than 20% throughout a three-year period) with 10 or more employees (2023) per 10,000 residents aged 16 to 64 [Source: ONS – Business Demography] — 40%
- GDP per Capita — Regional economic activity by gross domestic product (2022) [Source: ONS] — 20%
- Median Income — Gross median annual earnings for full-time employees (2024) [Source: ONS – ASHE] — 50%
- Rent-to-Income Ratio — Average rent/median monthly income (2024) [Source: ONS] — 20%
- Home Price/Annual Income — Number of annual median salaries necessary to pay the average house price (2023) [Source: NRS – Property Market Report; ONS] — 20%
- Year-over-Year Income Growth — Gross median annual earnings for full-time employees (2023-2024) [Source: ONS – ASHE] — 10%
3. Income & Housing — 30% of the total index
