The most employee-friendly UK cities.

Summary/Overview

High salaries and general affordability are factors which contribute to making a city employee-friendly. But beyond this, when choosing a place to live and work, there are additional things (such as safety scores and the overall percentage of green space) that contribute to employee wellbeing.

But which locations across the UK have the most to offer employees? And are some cities more employee-friendly than others? Well, we decided to find out!

To do so, we analysed 11 different factors, including employment rates and salary figures, along with other cost-related data involving utilities, food and drink costs, safety scores, and green space.

Once the data was collected, the factors were then normalised to provide each one with a score between 0 and 1. These normalised values were then summed, giving each location a total score out of 12.

So, without further ado, let’s see which cities claimed a place in our top ten ranking!

The top 10 employee-friendly cities.

From impressive safety scores to abundances of green space, each of the below locations boasts unique offerings when it comes to employee wellbeing.

London unsurprisingly offers the best average annual salary, coming in at £44,370, and the safest city is Norwich, with a safety score of 74.21!

Some more standout figures include the green space you’ll find in Stoke-on-Trent, which stands at a whopping 46%, as well as Peterborough’s reasonable coffee prices (coming in at £2.83). Intrigued by these figures and hoping to hear more? Dive into our full ranking below!

1. Swindon

Up first on our list of employee-friendly cities we have Swindon, with a score of 6.514! The average annual salary for those in the city stands at £35,605, and the percentage of those unemployed is the lowest on our list, at just 2.4%.

There are various other factors that contribute to Swindon’s employee-friendly reputation, the first being its general affordability. An inexpensive meal costs around £14 in the city, and an average cappuccino would set you back just £2.98 (the second lowest on our list).

With a search volume of 198,000 for ‘jobs in Swindon’, there’s clearly an eagerness to find employment in the city.

2. Milton Keynes

Next up we have Milton Keynes, a city with a total score of 6.309. The average annual salary in Milton Keynes stands at £39,623 (slightly more than in Swindon), but it’s not only this that makes it an attractive city for employees.

An inexpensive meal would set you back just £15 on average, and internet costs stand at £28.79 (one of the lower figures on our list). In terms of noise pollution, Milton Keynes totalled a score of 27.27, and it also boasts 31.11% green space, ideal for those hoping to relax after a long working day.

3. Stoke-on-Trent

Coming in third is Stoke-on-Trent, with a total score of 6.234. While the average annual salary for employees is £30,657 (one of the lowest on our list), Stoke-on-Trent makes up for it elsewhere with impressive figures across the board. An inexpensive meal costs just £11, and a public transport ticket will set you back around £2.10.

It also has the lowest levels of noise pollution (coming in at just 21.43), and the highest amount of green space, with a whopping 46.09%! So, for those who are eager to soak up some sun on their lunch break, the city has plenty of spots to choose from.

4. Reading

With a total score of 6.151, Reading is next on our list of employee-friendly cities. Workers in Reading can expect an average yearly salary of £40,570, and it also boasts a safety score of 55.26!

While it’s one of the more expensive locations for food and drink, there’s plenty of green space to enjoy (42.04%). And, if you’re a commuter, you’ll be happy to know that public transport is fairly reasonable (coming in at an average of £2.20 per ticket).

5. Plymouth

At the midpoint of our ranking stands Plymouth, with a total score of 6.089! Plymouth has a safety score of 57.94, the second highest in our top ten, making it an attractive option for employees with families.

Internet costs stand at £26.60 (with speeds of 60mbps) and this is the lowest on our list! Equally, if you’re heading out for a workday pick-me-up, a cappuccino would set you back around £3.33.

6. Sheffield

Next up we have Sheffield, which has a score of 6.048. The city has a similar safety score to Plymouth (56.6), and an inexpensive meal costs just £13!

If you’re heading out and about in Sheffield, you can expect public transport tickets set at around £2, making it an ideal location for commuters. A final plus is that you’ll find 33.98% green space in Sheffield.

7. Leeds

In seventh place is Leeds, scoring 5.996 in total. The average salary for those in the city stands at £34,354 (certainly not the lowest on our list!). Equally, the average cost of hopping on public transport to your office would set you back just £2.

With a safety score of 55.42, as well as 41.9% green space, it’s no wonder Leeds is a great city in terms of employee satisfaction. Equally, with a search volume of 216,000 for ‘jobs in Leeds’, people are clearly eager to set up their base in the city.

8. Peterborough

Next up we have Peterborough with a score of 5.991. You’ll find an average salary of £33,425 in the city, as well as 32.71% green space (something which is ideal for nature lovers).

For employees looking for a midday caffeine fix, you can head out and grab a cappuccino for an average of £2.83, and an inexpensive meal costs just £13.50 (ideal for team lunches or after-work dinners).

9. Kingston upon Hull

In the penultimate spot, we have Kingston upon Hull, a city with a total score of 5.958. The average salary you can expect is around £30,966, and there are low levels of noise pollution too!

What’s more, is that unemployment stands at just 2.9%, one of the lowest figures in our whole ranking.

10. Brighton and Hove

Last but not least on our list of employee-friendly cities is Brighton and Hove, which has a score of 5.791. The search volume for jobs in Brighton and Hove stands at 72,500, again, confirming considerable interest!

And, with the highest safety score out of all our top ten cities (60.44) there’s no surprise Brighton and Hove has claimed the final spot.

Well, there we have it: the most employee-friendly cities in the UK! From high safety scores to low public transfer costs, as well as minimal noise pollution and expanses of green space, each of these cities has something unique to offer.

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Methodology.

This dataset ranks the 30 most populated UK cities, based on how good they are for employees. To do this, 11 different factors were used. Once the data for the factors was collected, the factors were then normalised, to provide each one with a score between 0 and 1. If data was not available, a score of 0 was given. The normalised values were then summed, to give each city a total score out of 12. The cities were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their total scores.

The factors used are as follows:

• Search Volume - The total number of searches within the UK between Sep 23 - Aug 24, for the prompt "jobs in X", where X is the city.
• Annual Salary - The average annual gross salary in each city as of 2023, according to the ONS. [Weighted 2x]
• Unemployment - The percentage of unemployment in each city as of Jul 24, of those aged 16 and over, according to the ONS. [Weighted 2x]
• Safety Score - A score representing the safety levels in each city, according to numbeo.
• Inexpensive Meal - The average price of an inexpensive meal in each city, according to numbeo.
• Cappuccino - The average price of a cappuccino in each city, according to numbeo.
• Public Transport Ticket - The average price of a one-way public transport ticket, according to numbeo.
• Internet - The average price of internet in each city, having speeds of 60mbps+, according to numbeo.
• Green Space - The percentage of land in each city which is dedicated to green space, such as parks, gardens etc. [Weighted 0.5x]
• Noise Pollution - A score rating noise & light pollution levels in each city, based on numbeo survey responses with a lower score indicating lower pollution. [Weighted 0.5x]
• Creative Jobs - The number of jobs in each city that include "creative" in the job title, according to Adzuna.

The factors were indexed as follows:

• Search Volume - High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.
• Annual Salary - High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.
• Unemployment - Low values get a high score. High values get a low score.
• Safety Score - High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.
• Inexpensive Meal - Low values get a high score. High values get a low score.
• Cappuccino - Low values get a high score. High values get a low score.
• Public Transport Ticket - Low values get a high score. High values get a low score.
• Internet - Low values get a high score. High values get a low score.
• Green Space - High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.
• Noise Pollution - Low values get a high score. High values get a low score.
• Creative Jobs - High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.

All data is correct as of 24/09/24. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regard to the sources provided.

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