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Economic Factsheet: Business Profile - December 2013
Published: September 2014
- Economic Factsheet: Business Profile - December 2013
Download this profile as a PDF factsheet
In 2013 there were 21,865 businesses in Somerset. The County has more businesses per 1,000 population (41) than the UK (34) and LEP area (39). The number of businesses in Somerset decreased by 4.6% between 2008 and 2013, in contrast to the UK as whole which saw a 0.3% increase.
Number of businesses (2013)
| Area | Total businesses 2013 | Business density per 1000 population | Change 2008-2013 | |
| Number of businesses | % of businesses | |||
| Somerset | 21,865 | 41 | -1,065 | -4.6% |
| Mendip | 5,075 | 46 | -200 | -3.8% |
| Sedgemoor | 4,455 | 39 | -100 | -2.2% |
| South Somerset | 6,485 | 40 | -375 | -5.5% |
| Taunton Deane | 4,200 | 38 | -220 | -5.0% |
| West Somerset | 1,650 | 48 | -170 | -9.3% |
| Heart of the South West LEP | 64,145 | 39 | -3,020 | -4.5% |
| UK | 2,167,580 | 34 | -6,025 | -0.3% |
NB. All figures are for the number of enterprises not local units.
The number of businesses in Somerset remained the same between 2012 and 2013, following modest growth of 0.5% the previous year. At a UK level, the number of businesses grew 0.9% between 2012 and 2013, down from 3.3% the previous year.
The majority of Somerset businesses (53.7%) are at least 10 years old, a higher proportion than nationally (44.3%). This indicates a well established ‘core’ of businesses in the County, but the low proportion of young businesses reflects a lack of dynamism.
Somerset’s largest sectors in terms of number of businesses are agriculture, forestry and fishing (16.7%), construction (12.6%) and professional, scientific and technical (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 (6.6%) than Somerset and the Heart of the South West LEP, but a higher proportion of information and communication (7.6%) and finance and insurance businesses (2.1%).
Businesses by sector (2013)
Somerset’s economy is mostly made up of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 76.9% of Somerset’s businesses employ fewer then 5 people, compared to 75.6% in the UK and 75.5% in the LEP area. In West Somerset, 92.4% of businesses employ fewer than 10 people. Taunton Deane has the largest concentration of medium and larger businesses in the County, with 11.9% employing more than 10 people.
Businesses by size (2013)
% 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 | 76.9% | 12.5% | 5.9% | 3.2% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Mendip | 76.8% | 12.2% | 6.3% | 3.1% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Sedgemoor | 77.0% | 12.9% | 5.6% | 2.1% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| South Somerset | 76.8% | 12.6% | 5.7% | 3.3% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Taunton Deane | 75.9% | 12.2% | 6.3% | 3.7% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| West Somerset | 79.6% | 12.8% | 4.6% | 2.4% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Heart of the South West LEP | 75.5% | 13.4% | 6.1% | 3.4% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| UK | 75.6% | 12.7% | 6.3% | 3.4% | 1.1% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
Source for all data: UK Business Activity, Size and Location 2013, ONS
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The number of cars and vans available for use by households in Somerset was 318,697 in 2011, an average of 14 cars per 10 households. Nationally, there were 12 cars per 10 households. - 2011 Census