Published: December 2014
Area |
Total businesses 2014 |
Business density (per 1000 population) |
Change 2008-2014 |
|
Number of businesses |
% of businesses |
|||
Somerset |
22,370 |
42 |
-560 |
-2.4% |
Mendip |
5,210 |
48 |
-65 |
-1.2% |
Sedgemoor |
4,530 |
40 |
-25 |
-0.5% |
South Somerset |
6,680 |
41 |
-180 |
-2.6% |
Taunton Deane |
4,265 |
39 |
-155 |
-3.5% |
West Somerset |
1,685 |
49 |
-135 |
-7.4% |
Heart of the South West LEP |
65,590 |
39 |
-1,575 |
-2.3% |
UK |
2,263,650 |
36 |
102,095 |
4.7% |
NB. All figures are for the number of enterprises not local units.
In 2014 there were 22,370 businesses in Somerset. The County has more businesses per 1,000 population, (42) than the UK (36) and LEP area (39). The number of businesses in Somerset decreased by -2.4% between 2008 and 2014, in contrast the UK saw a 4.7% increase.
The number of businesses in Somerset increased by 2.3% between 2013 and 2014, At the UK level, the number of businesses grew 4.4% between 2013 and 2014.
Somerset has a higher proportion (22.8%) of businesses with a turnover of less than £50,000 than the UK (18.4%) and LEP (22.5%) areas.
The largest proportion of Somerset businesses fall into the £100-249,000 turnover bracket.
Somerset’s largest sectors in terms of number of businesses are agriculture, forestry and fishing (16.6%), professional, scientific and technical (13.2%) and construction (12.6%). The County’s industrial profile is broadly similar to that of the LEP area.
The UK as a whole has a lower concentration of agriculture, forestry and fishing businesses (6.4%) than Somerset and the Heart of the South West LEP, but a higher proportion of professional, scientific and technical (17.5%) and information and communication businesses (7.9%).
% of total businesses by number of employees
Area |
Number of employees |
||||||
0-4 |
5-9 |
10-19 |
20-49 |
50-99 |
100-249 |
250+ |
|
Somerset |
76.3% |
13.0% |
6.0% |
3.2% |
0.9% |
0.5% |
0.2% |
Mendip |
76.1% |
12.8% |
6.5% |
3.0% |
0.9% |
0.6% |
0.2% |
Sedgemoor |
76.5% |
13.7% |
5.5% |
3.1% |
0.8% |
0.3% |
0.1% |
South Somerset |
76.6% |
12.6% |
5.8% |
3.2% |
0.9% |
0.6% |
0.2% |
Taunton Deane |
75.1% |
12.9% |
6.3% |
3.6% |
1.1% |
0.5% |
0.5% |
West Somerset |
77.7% |
13.6% |
5.3% |
2.7% |
0.6% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
HotSW LEP |
75.1% |
13.6% |
6.4% |
3.3% |
0.9% |
0.5% |
0.3% |
UK |
75.7% |
12.6% |
6.3% |
3.3% |
1.1% |
0.6% |
0.4% |
Somerset’s economy is mostly made up of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 76.3% of Somerset’s businesses employ fewer than 5 people, compared to 75.7% in the UK and 75.1% in the LEP area. In West Somerset, 91.3% of businesses employ fewer than 10 people. Taunton Deane has the largest concentration of medium and larger businesses in the County, with 12% employing more than 10 people.
Source for all data: UK Business Activity, Size and Location 2014, ONS
A total of 31,761 Somerset residents in 2011 were born outside the UK, half of which arrived in the last 10 years. 5,287 residents were born in Poland, more than any other country outside the British Isles. - 2011 Census