Employee wellbeing league table – We rank 86 UK towns and cities

What is employee wellbeing?

Employee wellbeing refers to the holistic health and happiness of individuals in their workplace, encompassing both physical and mental aspects.

It includes factors like work-life balance, job satisfaction, stress management, and access to supportive resources. Financial stability, positive workplace relationships, and opportunities for growth also play a crucial role.

Organisations prioritise employee wellbeing to ensure a motivated, engaged, and productive workforce. This not only benefits employees by enhancing their quality of life but also improves organisational success, reducing absenteeism and turnover while boosting morale and fostering a more collaborative and innovative work environment.

While employee wellbeing is a tricky thing to measure and quantify, we have used a number of metrics which can paint a picture of estimated wellbeing in different geographic areas.

Notable results

• We found a very broad geographic spread among the top spots, with no apparent UK north-south divide or overall geographic bias.
• Even 1st and 2nd place (Cheltenham and the Shetland Islands respectively) are around 600 miles apart, as the crow flies.
• More than a third of the 15 highest-scoring places were in Scotland, with three Scottish locations appearing in the top five, despite Scotland only making up 8.2% of the UK population.
• At a county level, the location slightly leading the pack was Essex, holding 2 of the top 10 spots.

Infographic – The top 10

The rankings in full

Local responses to the research

Cheltenham

Cllr Rowena Hay, leader of Cheltenham Borough Council, said:

“This report confirms what we’ve always known – that Cheltenham is a fantastic place to live and work. Cheltenham is a vibrant and lively town with world class events, an incredible food and drink scene, a diverse range of shops and beautifully maintained parks and green spaces. Combined with good transport links, this is why many businesses choose to base themselves here in our community. As a council, we have ambitious plans for the town, we continue to attract both new and growing businesses, as well as our established large employers.”

Stirling

Stirling Council leader, Cllr Chris Kane, said:

“We are delighted that Stirling has been named one of the UK’s top three locations for employee wellbeing… We cherish our past, our envious geographical position at the very heart of Scotland and our strong and vibrant communities – and we are constantly looking to the future. Our recent announcement about Stirling Studios, which will be among the biggest film studio campuses in Scotland, will pave the way for thousands of high-skilled jobs as well as major economic benefits to the city and wider region.

“This underlines our ambition to usher in a new transformational chapter in Stirling’s story and help bring an even greater quality of life to people in our area.”

Dumfries & Galloway

Jamie Shovelin, Member Services Manager at Dumfries & Galloway Chamber of Commerce, said:

“It’s fantastic to hear that Dumfries & Galloway has made the top 5 in this recent survey for Employment Wellbeing, The region has a strong sense of community and support networks that exist here. It’s not just a great place to work, it’s a great place to live.”

Chelmsford

Cllr Simon Goldman, Deputy Cabinet Member for Economy & Strategic Projects, said:

“It’s fantastic to see Chelmsford ranked 7^th in the UK for the strength of its employee wellbeing. This achievement demonstrates a commitment from the district’s businesses to prioritise their employees’ health and happiness. Employee wellbeing is a key driver of economic success, bringing about benefits that translate into increased productivity, lower absenteeism, and a stronger talent pool. With Chelmsford and Colchester in the top 10 of this league table, it shows that Essex is an attractive location for companies seeking a competitive edge.”

Colchester

Cllr David King, Leader of Colchester City Council, said:

“We are delighted to see Colchester ranked 9th in the new BusinessFinanced.co.ukEmployee Wellbeing League Table. 

“This is yet another recognition of the city as a great place to live and work, and is testament to the commitment of local businesses and organisations to fostering a positive and supportive environment for their employees.

“Employee well-being drives productivity and success and is a high priority for the council. We work with many businesses and organisations who we know share that commitment.

“We encourage businesses to utilise the valuable insights offered in the full report to further enhance their employee experience. By prioritising employee well-being, we can all contribute to a more productive, engaged, and successful workforce in Colchester.”

Results in full – Employee wellbeing league table data

Rank	Location	Median salary (£)	Median hours worked (Weekly)	Commute time (minutes)	Happiness score (self rated out of 10)	Life satisfaction (self rated out of 10)	Score
1	Cheltenham	31,067	36.8	16.7	7.73	7.41	355
2	Shetland Islands	32,705	35	21.9	8.22	7.93	350
3	Stirling	30,774	35	19.15	7.57	7.56	345
4	Milton Keynes	31,745	37	14.05	7.4	7.51	341
5	Dumfries and Galloway	25,893	35.9	11.7	7.63	7.66	334
6	Oxford	31,475	36.8	20.5	7.56	7.8	324
7	Chelmsford	30,512	35	23.4	7.79	7.55	313
8	Falkirk	30,316	37	19.15	7.45	7.62	307
9	Colchester	29,978	36.5	21.2	7.56	7.78	306
10	Bedford	31,021	37	19.75	7.59	7.46	298
11	Bournemouth	28,805	37	17.5	7.37	7.57	295
12	Aberdeen	29,958	36.8	18.5	7.49	7.35	295
13	Plymouth	26,820	36.9	17.2	7.71	7.45	294
14	Great Yarmouth	27,577	37	17.35	7.71	7.54	292
15	Edinburgh	32,240	36	20.65	7.25	7.69	285
16	Tunbridge Wells	32,674	37	27.7	7.43	7.74	280
17	Braintree	32,477	37.3	15.5	7.57	7.33	280
18	Wrexham	27,711	37	15.85	7.39	7.53	273
19	Lancaster	26,906	37	18.7	7.78	7.63	264
20	Ipswich	28,657	37	18.1	7.21	7.62	263
21	Swansea	27,010	36.9	17.8	7.34	7.47	261
22	Chester	29,385	36.8	19.2	7.29	7.44	260
23	Dover	29,702	36.9	16.85	7.34	7.18	259
24	Newcastle upon Tyne	28,044	36.9	18.2	7.28	7.5	258
25	Warrington	30,259	37	19.3	7.32	7.45	258
26	Isle of Wight	25,172	36.8	18.1	7.53	7.42	256
27	Brighton and Hove	29,144	35	18.2	7.03	7.39	251
28	Bath and North East Somerset	29,451	36	18.85	7.2	7.38	250
29	York	28,592	37	20.6	7.45	7.57	249
30	Portsmouth	28,573	37	18.15	7.37	7.38	249
31	Swindon	31,683	37.5	18.8	7.43	7.43	243
32	Coventry	29,476	37	19.7	7.45	7.35	242
33	Exeter	27,397	36.8	18.55	7.34	7.36	241
34	Dudley	27,389	37	18.65	7.49	7.44	240
35	Preston	26,752	37	18.15	7.79	7.38	238
36	Reading	29,927	37	21.1	7.42	7.43	237
37	Southend-on-Sea	31,923	36.9	20.85	7.31	7.36	237
38	Wigan	28,246	37	19.3	7.3	7.59	236
39	North Tyneside	28,097	37	20.25	7.47	7.51	235
40	King’s Lynn	26,573	37.5	15.95	7.45	7.56	234
41	Canterbury	26,534	35	20.25	7.37	7.46	232
42	Dundee	27,247	36.9	15.2	7.04	7.4	231
43	Doncaster	27,772	37.5	18.9	7.59	7.49	227
44	Bridgend	27,439	37	22.6	7.72	7.49	221
45	Ashford	29,344	37.5	18.6	7.57	7.31	217
46	Bristol	30,867	36.2	21.6	7.2	7.31	210
47	Cardiff	30,230	35.9	19.35	7.1	7.15	208
48	Gloucester	27,653	37.4	18.3	7.38	7.44	205
49	Liverpool	28,289	36.9	19.1	7.34	7.1	204
50	Leeds	29,000	37	21.65	7.28	7.46	201
51	Hartlepool	25,859	37	17.5	7.57	7.29	200
52	Glasgow	28,836	35	19.8	7.14	7.24	197
53	Stafford	32,764	37	20.2	7.08	7.2	194
54	Darlington	27,282	37	15.5	7.17	7.32	193
55	Blackpool	23,506	37	17.4	7.31	7.49	190
56	Stevenage	28,136	37	20.2	7.21	7.42	181
57	Luton	27,362	37	21.4	7.64	7.3	181
58	Newport	27,764	37	17.8	7.13	7.27	180
59	Blackburn with Darwen	25,476	37	18	7.43	7.24	172
60	Sunderland	25,333	37	16.45	7.33	7.3	171
61	Sheffield	28,373	37	20.45	7.33	7.28	171
62	Kingston upon Hull	25,396	37	18.15	7.32	7.38	170
63	Southampton	28,539	37	18.7	7.07	7.23	170
64	Peterborough	28,123	37.4	14.05	7.14	7.25	169
65	Slough	33,370	37.5	23.95	7.4	7.25	167
66	Cambridge	34,436	37	22.3	7.02	6.46	159
67	Crawley	29,348	37.3	25.15	7.04	7.59	155
68	Norwich	28,456	37	20	7.07	7.3	155
69	Barnsley	27,189	37	20.25	7.29	7.37	152
70	Gateshead	26,384	37	19.95	7.36	7.35	151
71	Derby	28,442	37.4	20.35	7.28	7.36	144
72	Wakefield	26,423	37	19.65	7.17	7.39	143
73	Bradford	26,216	36.9	19.95	7.24	7.2	143
74	Worthing	30,542	37.3	18.85	7.02	6.97	143
75	Manchester	27,217	36.8	19.65	6.85	6.97	140
76	Medway	30,091	37.4	23.25	7.29	7.29	137
77	Wolverhampton	26,282	37.5	19.75	7.49	7.25	134
78	Mansfield	25,437	37.1	18.9	7.4	7.18	134
79	Middlesbrough	25,079	37	17.85	7.05	7.35	132
80	Eastbourne	29,060	37	20.35	6.57	6.68	131
81	Lincoln	27,228	37	17.95	6.57	6.7	130
82	Stoke-on-Trent	25,975	37	19.35	7.32	7.16	122
83	Leicester	24,245	37	19.6	7.24	7.36	121
84	Hastings	25,897	37	15.5	6.56	6.93	121
85	Birmingham	27,175	37	21.05	7.18	7.24	104
86	Nottingham	23,377	37	22.9	7.24	7.24	64

Methodology

To work out our ranking of the best UK towns and cities for employee wellbeing, we based our calculations on the following metrics for each location:

• Median salary
• Average hours worked per week
• Average commute to work, in minutes
• Average happiness score (self-rated, out of 10)
• Average life satisfaction score (self-rated, out of 10)

We used ONS data, and only included a location in the league table if data for all metrics was available – which resulted in 86 towns and cities being included.

For each of the 5 metrics, a score was assigned to each location. These scores were added up, and each location was given a final score based on the total score of its 5 individual scores.

Data sources

• https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/placeofresidencebylocalauthorityashetable8
• https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/adhocs/010202averagehometoworktraveltimeage16yearsandoverukoctobertodecember2018
• https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/measuringnationalwellbeing/april2022tomarch2023