County Statistics
Why Northamptonshire? Northamptonshire offers you the benefits of a strategic location, a rapidly growing economy and workforce and a competitive cost base.
With its major roads and M1 motorway, the county provides fast access to major cities and towns. As one of the new growth centres in the UK, Northamptonshire's population is set to increase significantly over the coming decade, and with salaries and property costs well below London rates, Northamptonshire can justify its claim as your central growth location.
If you are looking for a fast growing location that can offer a cost-effective and highly skilled workforce, easy access to national and international markets, a thriving business community and an excellent quality of life, Northamptonshire is the county for you, presenting an increasingly attractive package that gives you a strong competitive edge.
In 2004, the Northamptonshire Observatory, working with local partners, published a new Economic and Labour Market Assessment (ELMA) for Northamptonshire. The first ELMA since 1999, the assessment draws on a vast range of data and statistics to give a complete overview of the work and labour market in the county. Below are some of the key statistics that the study found:
- With a growth rate of 31% over the period 1991 - 2001, Northamptonshire has an employment growth rate of over twice the national average (13%).
- Nearly 300,000 people are employed in the county, with the concentration in three main sectors - Wholesale & retail, Manufacturing, and Business Services.
- Employment in knowledge-based services in Northamptonshire has increased during the same period at a higher rate that both the national and regional average.
| Northamptonshire Employment Rates Across Sectors | ||
| Agriculture & fishing | 0.30% | |
| Mining, energy & water | 0.10% | |
| Manufacturing | 9.50% | |
| Construction | 10.90% | |
| Wholesale & retail trade | 21.60% | |
| Hotels & restaurants | 5.90% | |
| Transport, storage & communications | 5.40% | |
| Financial intermediation | 1.60% | |
| Business services | 28.40% | |
| Public administration | 0.70% | |
| Education | 2.70% | |
| Health & social work | 4.60% | |
| Other services | 8.30% | |
- Northamptonshire has seen an increase in the proportion of young people achieving 5 or more GCSE's at Grade A-C. The county has seen a 8.4% point increase compared with a 6.4% point increase nationally.
- The sectors with the highest rates of employment growth between 1998 - 2001 have been education, financial services, transport, storage and communications, business services and other services.
| Working Age Population in Employment by Occupation (aged 16-74) | ||
| Managers & Senior Officials | 16% | |
| Professional Occupations | 10% | |
| Associate Professional & Technical Occupations | 12% | |
| Admin & Secretarial | 13% | |
| Skilled Trade Occupations | 12% | |
| Personal Service Occupations | 6% | |
| Sales & Customer Service | 7% | |
| Process, Plant & Machine Operatives | 10% | |
| Elementary Occupations | 14% | |
For further detailed statistical information on Northamptonshire, please visit the Northamptonshire Observatory Website, where numerous publications, projects and directories are published.